Multichannel Poly-Si Thin-Film Transistors Prepared by Excimer Laser Annealing With Channel Width Comparable or Smaller Than the Grain Size

This paper presents results on low-temperature (< 500degC) multichannel poly-Si thin-film transistors (TFTs) prepared by KrF excimer laser annealing with a channel width that is comparable to or smaller than the poly-Si grain size. The cross- sectional scanning electron microscope is used to measure the effective channel width, and TCAD software is used to simulate the electron density distribution in the channel region. It is found that the TFTs with ten 40-nm-wide multichannels have superior electrical characteristics, including a higher on/off current ratio (> 10
⁷
), lower leakage current (8.8 times 10
^-14
A), less grain boundary defects density, and a better subthreshold swing (0.45 V/dec).