Water-related threshold voltage instability of polysilicon TFTs

Negative bias-temperature (NBT) instability of polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) has been studied. We found water is strongly related to this phenomenon and can result in a threshold voltage shift of 1 V or more within a short time under NBT stress. This paper shows the results supporting this fact and proves, by using thin LPCVD SiN films, the suppression of water penetration and/or content in the oxides is essential in reducing this instability to an acceptable level. A qualitative model is presented to explain the role of water and experimental results.<
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