Memory Characteristics of Thin Film Transistor with Catalytic Metal Layer Induced Crystallized Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide (IGZO) Channel

The memory characteristics of a flash memory device using c-axis aligned crystal indium gallium zinc oxide (CAAC-IGZO) thin film as a channel material were demonstrated. The CAAC-IGZO thin films can replace the current poly-silicon channel, which has reduced mobility because of grain-induced degradation. The CAAC-IGZO thin films were achieved using a tantalum catalyst layer with annealing. A thin film transistor (TFT) with SiO2/Si3N4/Al2O3 and CAAC-IGZO thin films, where Al2O3 was used for the tunneling layer, was evaluated for a flash memory application and compared with a device using an amorphous IGZO (a-IGZO) channel. A source and drain using indium-tin oxide and aluminum were also evaluated for TFT flash memory devices with crystallized and amorphous channel materials. Compared with the a-IGZO device, higher on-current (Ion), improved field effect carrier mobility (μFE), a lower body trap (Nss), a wider memory window (ΔVth), and better retention and endurance characteristics were attained using the CAAC-IGZO device.