Effects of $H_2$ vs. $O_2$ Plasma Pretreatment of Gate Oxide on the Degradation Phenomenon of Low-Temperature Polysilicon Thin-Film Transistors

Comparative study on the effects of $H_2$ vs. $O_2$ plasma pretreatment of gate oxide on the degradation phenomenon of p-channel low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) thin-film transistors (TFTs) were performed. After high drain current stress (HDCS) with $V_{gs}$ = $V_{ds}$, the p-channel TFTs pretreated by $O_2$ plasma showed increased immunity to the degradation of device characteristics such as threshold voltage and maximum field effect mobility because of the higher binding energy of Si-O bond than that of Si-H bond. The investigation of degradation phenomenon of these parameters with the applied power suggests that self-heating can be the major cause of degradation of polysilicon TFTs.