Effects of N2 Plasma Treatment on SiO2 Gate Insulator in a-Si:H Thin Film Transistor

ABSTRACTWe fabricated the high performance a-Si:H TFT using the N2 plasma treated APCVD SiO2 as a gate insulator. The effects of N2 plasma treatment on the APCVD SiO2 were investigated by XPS and SIMS Measurements. And the formation of the oxynitride interface layer between a-Si:H and APCVD SiO2 was found in the a-Si:H TFT. From our experimental results, It May be concluded that most nitrogen atoms, which were incorporated by the exposure of SiO2 layer to N2 plasma, exist, not bonded to other atoms, near the surface of the SiO2 layer and during the sequential deposition of a-Si:H on the N2 plasma treated APCVD SiO2 layer Si-N bonds are formed, resulting in the oxynitride layer in the interface region. This explains the high performance a-Si:H TFT with the N2 plasma treated APCVD SiO2 gate insulator.