Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
We report a novel TFT structure where the gate metal is embedded into a SiNx passivation layer. This allows the subsequent gate dielectric layer to be much thinner than in conventional bottom-gate structures. thereby reducing the threshold voltage and the sub-threshold slope. TFTs employing these damascene-gate structures were fabricated with SiNX gate dielectrics as thin as 50 nm. Such devices exhibit threshold voltages of 0.9 V, sub-threshold slopes of 0.1 V/dec, ION/IOFF current ratios of 106 and linear region field-effect mobilities of 0.6 cm2/Vs.