Study on Enhancing Electrostatic Discharge Stress Robustness of Flexible Thin-Film Transistors via Interface Modification

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is one of the common threats to the reliability of electronic components, and device-level ESD protection is the last line of defense for the stable operation of electronic products. The development of flexible electronics technology has growing requirements for thin-film transistors (TFTs) reliability. However, there is a scarcity of pertinent research on the ESD stress reliability of flexible TFTs subjected to repeated bending. In this article, the electrical properties and ESD stress reliability of flexible TFTs are studied. Polymer surface modifications are used to improve device I-V characteristics, electrical stability and enhance devices' ESD robustness. These enhancements are associated with the augmentation of semiconductor film growth, the modulation of defect state density at dielectric/semiconductor interfaces, the protection of breakdown paths, and the mitigation of bending stress through buffering. This research work provides the theoretical basis and design ideas for the fabrication of flexible TFTs with high ESD stress reliability. © 1963-2012 IEEE.