CRYSTALLIZATION KINETICS AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF INDIUM-GALLIUM-ZINC OXIDES (IGZO) TERNARY SYSTEM
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Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide (IGZO) has become a highly successful semiconducting material for flat panel display technologies due to its unique properties. Studies have shown that thin-film transistor devices fabricated from c-axisaligned crystalline (CAAC) IGZO exhibit enhanced mobility and stability compared to amorphous IGZO. However, little is known regarding crystallization and phase behavior in the complex (In2O3)x(Ga2O3)y(ZnO)1−x−y ternary system. In this study, we examined the connection between chemical compositions, phase formations, and electrical properties. Samples were deposited by RF sputtering as a single nominal composition 2:2:1 (cation ratios) IGZO and as binary spread compositions of (In2O3)x(ZnO)y and InGaO3(ZnO)m. Crystallization was induced by lateral-gradient Laser Spike Annealing (lg-LSA) with targeted peak temperatures from 600 °C to 1400 °C for dwell times from 500 µs to 10 ms. Phase transformations were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical microscopy. The single composition phase map showed transformation of the amorphous phase to the InGaZnO4 structure (R-3mH) above approximately 1000 °C for all dwells; however, at the longest dwells at 1400 °C, transformation to ZnO2 structure (Pa-3) was observed. For the pseudo-binary InGaO3(ZnO)m, InGaO3(ZnO)1 and InGaO3(ZnO)2 phases were observed, with a 2-phase mixture of both structures for Zn cation fractions between 0.33 and 0.45. Finally, for the (In2O3)x(ZnO)y spread, films with In fraction below 0.3 exhibit the ZnO structure as deposited, and become damaged above 1250 °C. Between In fractions of 0.3 and 0.6, the films exhibited phase transformation from amorphous to the In2O3(ZnO)5 phase (R-3mH) at approximately 1260 °C, and then transformed into the cubic bixbyite phase (Ia-3) at higher temperatures. Above an In fraction of 0.6, multiple In2O3 phases were observed at high temperatures. Delamination was also observed in the binary spread samples, which we correlated to both thickness and crystal structure. Van der Pauw and thin-film transistor (TFT) measurements of the electrical properties were demonstrated across the lateral gradient with 25 - 30 µm resolution. A mask set was designed to enable patterning of TFTs and Van der Pauw structures across the scan area. Initial results confirm the ability to measure the anneal temperature dependent properties with promising results for future work.