Electrical Characteristics of Thin-Film Transistors with Double-Active-Layer Structure

Thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a double-active-layer (DAL) structure have been proposed and found to exhibit two kinds of special electrical characteristics. One is the improvement of current drivability and transconductance as compared to the traditional structure. The other is the double-switching characteristics caused by the bi-transistor action. By means of a buried oxide separating the conduction channel into two parts, carrier transport could be enhanced due to the reduction of the vertical electric field. In addition, the weak avalanche breakdown for the top channel results in hole accumulation in the top poly-Si/buried oxide interface, further promoting the conduction of the bottom active layer, leading to the novel double-switching properties.