Nitrogen-Doped Oxide Semiconductor Thin Film Transistor Structure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Nitrogen doping in amorphous oxide semiconductor thin film transistors (TFTs) leads to a decline in mobility, making it challenging to maintain constant field effect mobility, which is crucial for high-performance panel displays.

Innovation Solution

A thin film transistor structure is developed with an active layer comprising nitrogen-doped oxide semiconductor layers and a non-nitrogen doped oxide semiconductor layer, where the non-nitrogen doped layer is strategically placed between the nitrogen-doped layers to maintain oxygen vacancies and enhance mobility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If nitrogen is doped in the active layer of the AOS TFT to improve electrical indexes and stability, then the stability is improved, but the mobility declines

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestabilityVSAvoidmobility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The active layer is segmented into multiple oxide semiconductor layers with different nitrogen doping concentrations. Specifically, it includes a first oxide semiconductor layer, a second oxide semiconductor layer, and a third oxide semiconductor layer, where the middle layer has higher nitrogen doping concentration than the outer layers. This segmentation allows different regions to contribute differently: the nitrogen-doped middle layer provides stability, while the less-doped outer layers preserve mobility, thus resolving the contradiction between stability improvement and mobility maintenance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If nitrogen doping is applied to improve electrical indexes, then the electrical indexes are improved, but the field effect mobility becomes difficult to keep constant

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrical indexesVSAvoidfield effect mobility consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Different regions of the active layer are assigned different nitrogen doping concentrations to achieve local optimization. The middle oxide semiconductor layer has higher nitrogen doping concentration to improve electrical indexes and stability, while the first and third layers have lower doping concentrations to maintain field effect mobility. This local quality differentiation allows the device to achieve both improved electrical indexes and constant field effect mobility simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9893205B2Thin film transistor, array substrate and liquid crystal display panel
Publication Date: 2018.02.13 TCL CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • US9893205B2 patent drawing
  • US9893205B2 patent drawing
  • US9893205B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A thin film transistor, an array substrate and a liquid crystal display panel are provided. The thin film transistor has an active layer which is formed from nitrogen-doped oxide semiconductor layers and a non-nitrogen doped oxide semiconductor layer. By disposing the non-nitrogen doped oxide semiconductor layer in the active layer of the nitrogen-doped thin film transistor, the mobility of the thin film transistor is kept constant for improving the reliability of the thin film transistor.