A comparison of hydrogen and deuterium plasma treatment effects on polysilicon TFT performance and dc reliability

We compare the performance and dc reliability of conventional top-gate, self-aligned polysilicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFT's) after passivation by plasma deuteration and conventional plasma hydrogenation. An optimum deuteration temperature of 300/spl deg/C is found, as compared to 350/spl deg/C for hydrogenation. Deuteration yields comparable TFT performance as hydrogenation, while deuterated TFT's exhibit increased resistance to threshold voltage degradation under dc stress. These results indicate that deuteration is a promising alternative to hydrogenation for achieving high-performance, high-reliability poly-Si TFT's for applications such as flat-panel displays.