Intense Pulsed Light Annealing Process of Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide Semiconductors via Flash White Light Combined with Deep-UV and Near-Infrared Drying for High-Performance Thin-Film Transistors

Abstract

In this study, an intense pulsed light (IPL) process for annealing an indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) semiconductor was conducted via flash white light combined with near-infrared (NIR) and deep-ultraviolet (DUV) drying to form a thin-film transistor (TFT). The IGZO thin-film semiconductor was fabricated using a solution-based process on a doped-silicon wafer covered with silicon dioxide. In order to optimize the IPL irradiation condition for the annealing process, the flash white light irradiation energy was varied from 70 to 130 J/cm². Drying by NIR and DUV irradiation was employed and optimized to improve the performance of the TFT during IPL annealing. A TFT with a bottom-gate and top-contact structure was formed by depositing an aluminum electrode on the source and drain on the IPL-annealed IGZO. The electrical transfer characteristic of the TFT was measured using a parameter analyzer. The field effect mobility of the saturation regime and on/off current ratio were evaluated. Changes of the metal-oxide bonds in the IGZO thin film were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to verify the effect of NIR and DUV drying and IPL annealing. Also, the distributions of the carrier concentration on the IPL-annealed IGZO were measured through a hall-effect system to deeply investigate the transition of the electrical characteristic of the TFT. From the results, it was found that the bond between oxygen and the gallium compound was activated via DUV irradiation. The NIR- and DUV-assisted IPL-annealed IGZO-based TFT showed highly enhanced electrical performance with a 7.7 cm²/V·s mobility and a 3 × 10⁶ on/off ratio.

Keywords: IGZO semiconductor; deep-UV; gallium oxide; intense pulsed light annealing; mobility; near-infrared; on/off ratio; thin-film transistor.