Reduction of Leakage Current in Metal-Induced Lateral Crystallization Polysilicon TFTs With Dual-Gate and Multiple Nanowire Channels

Abstract—This letter addresses the leakage current in nickel (Ni) metal-induced lateral crystallization (Ni-MILC) polysilicon thin-film transistors (poly-Si TFTs) with multiple nanowire chan-nels and dual-gate. Experimental results reveal that applying multiple nanowire channels improves the Ni-MILC poly-Si TFT performance. However, the leakage current of both single-gate with single-channel and multiple nanowire channels remains high ( 10 8 A), because of the field emission of carriers through the poly-Si grain traps and the defects caused by Ni contamination. Applying the dual-gate structure can suppress the electrical filed in the drain depletion region, significantly reducing the leakage current of the Ni-MILC poly-Si TFT, increasing the ON/OFF ratio. Index Terms—Dual-gate, metal-induced lateral crystallization (MILC), nanowire, thin-film transistor (TFT). I