Achieving high mobility and reliability in atomic layer
deposition
(ALD)-based IGZO thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an amorphous phase
is vital for practical applications in relevant fields. Here, we suggest
a method to effectively increase stability while maintaining high
mobility by employing the selective application of nitrous oxide plasma
reactant during plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD) at 200 °C process
temperature. The nitrogen-doping mechanism is highly dependent on
the intrinsic carbon impurities or nature of each cation, as demonstrated
by a combination of theoretical and experimental research. The Ga2O3 subgap states are especially dependent on plasma
reactants. Based on these insights, we can obtain high-performance
indium-rich PEALD-IGZO TFTs (threshold voltage: −0.47 V; field-effect
mobility: 106.5 cm2/(V s); subthreshold swing: 113.5 mV/decade;
hysteresis: 0.05 V). In addition, the device shows minimal threshold
voltage shifts of +0.45 and −0.10 V under harsh positive/negative
bias temperature stress environments (field stress: ±2 MV/cm;
temperature stress: 95 °C) after 10000 s.