Negative-Bias Light Stress Instability Mechanisms of the Oxide-Semiconductor Thin-Film Transistors Using In–Ga-O Channel Layers Deposited With Different Oxygen Partial Pressures

An In-Ga-O (IGO) semiconductor was employed as a channel layer for the oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). The IGO composition was chosen as an In/Ga atomic ratio of 65/35 and the films were deposited by RF magnetron sputtering method. To investigate the negative-bias illumination stress (NBIS) instability mechanisms, the IGO films were prepared with various oxygen partial pressures (O
₂
/Ar+O
₂
and P
_O2
). The saturation mobilities of TFTs decreased with increasing P
_O2
, which suggested that the increase in P
_O2
reduced the carrier concentration. The NBIS characteristics of the TFTs were evaluated with the amounts of negative shifts in turn-on voltages (ΔV
_ON
) under the illumination of typical red, green, and blue wavelengths with a V
_GS
of -20 V for 10
⁴
s. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis strongly suggested that the ΔV
_ON
could be caused by the weakening of bonding strength between the atoms, which were analyzed as variations in the red shifts of O 1s peak. The drastic increase in the ΔV
_ON
of the TFT using the IGO prepared without oxygen under the NBIS using the blue illumination was well explained by the combination defect model composed of intrinsic and extrinsic defects inherent within the IGO channel layer.