Critical issues in plasma deposition of microcrystalline silicon for thin film transistors

After more than 20 years of research and despite improved transport properties with respect to amorphous silicon, microcrystalline silicon thin film transistors (TFTs) are not yet ready for industrial production. We review here the progress made in the understanding of the growth of this material with particular emphasis on industry relevant aspects such as deposition rate and uniformity. We show that the synthesis of silicon nanocrystals in the plasma offers unique advantages with respect to deposition rate and film properties. In particular, this allows the production of films which are similar to polycrystalline thin films produced by furnace and laser crystallization. The growth process is also discussed with respect to TFT design: top gate or bottom gate. Results on bottom gate TFTs meeting all the necessary requirements in terms of mobility, ON/OFF ratio and stability required for AMOLED applications are also reported.