Hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin-film transistors (a-Si: H TFTs)

Abstract

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon has enabled the active matrix liquid crystal display to dominate the flat panel display market and indeed has supplanted the cathode-ray tube as the leading display technology. This is the triumph of manufacturability over performance. Hydrogenated amorphous silicon thin-film transistors have several fundamental performance limitations which are directly linked to the physics of the amorphous material. However, the amorphous structure coupled with the use of plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) allows devices to be manufactured with exceptional reproducibility and uniformity over very large-area display backplanes. Consequently, the material limitations are tolerated and engineering solutions found to mitigate their effects.