Experiments and Modeling of Defect Dynamics and BTI Behavior in Doped InO TFTs during 400∘C Post-Processing Forming Gas Annealing
Abstract
We investigate the impact of a monolithic three-dimensional (M3D) integration process-critical 400∘C post-processing forming gas anneal (FGA) on the electrical performance, reliability, and defect evolution of oxide-channel thin-film transistors (TFTs), combining systematic experiments with density-functional-theory (DFT)-based liquid-quench molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations. Indium tungsten oxide (IWO) TFTs are employed as a model system and encapsulated with a thin 3 nm Al2O3 / 3 nm HfO2 hybrid layer that effectively suppresses external hydrogen ingress. We reveal a non-monotonic evolution of device behavior during FGA, governed by initial densification followed by partial crystallization. Short-duration FGA (10 min) induces channel densification and the formation of shallow, delocalized defect states, leading to pronounced positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) degradation and the emergence of a characteristic transfer-curve "kink." With prolonged annealing (>40 min), partial crystallization of the oxide channel occurs, stabilizing hydrogen in deep, localized defect states, suppressing hydrogen mobility, and restoring device reliability. As a result, the PBTI shift is reduced to 10.4 mV after 2000 seconds of stress, accompanied by complete elimination of the transfer-curve kink. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding of hydrogen-defect interactions during high-temperature post-processing FGA and demonstrate that appropriate hydrogen-blocking encapsulation enables oxide-channel TFT integration without compromising electrical performance or reliability.
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BibTeX
@misc{kuo2026experiments,
title = {{Experiments and Modeling of Defect Dynamics and BTI Behavior in Doped InO TFTs during $400^\circ$C Post-Processing Forming Gas Annealing}},
author = {Yu-Hsin Kuo and Chengyang Zhang and Priyankka Ravikumar and Sanghyun Kang and Taeyoung Song and Marco Villena and Luca Larcher and Hwan Kim and Minji Hong and Pilsang Yun and Gaurav Thareja and Shimeng Yu and Daewon Ha and Suman Datta and Julia Medvedeva and Asif Khan},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.22509},
eprint = {2609.22509},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22509},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Experiments and Modeling of Defect Dynamics and BTI Behavior in Doped InO TFTs during 400^∘C Post-Processing Forming Gas Annealing
AU - Yu-Hsin Kuo
AU - Chengyang Zhang
AU - Priyankka Ravikumar
AU - Sanghyun Kang
AU - Taeyoung Song
AU - Marco Villena
AU - Luca Larcher
AU - Hwan Kim
AU - Minji Hong
AU - Pilsang Yun
AU - Gaurav Thareja
AU - Shimeng Yu
AU - Daewon Ha
AU - Suman Datta
AU - Julia Medvedeva
AU - Asif Khan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/18
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.22509
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.22509
AB - We investigate the impact of a monolithic three-dimensional (M3D) integration process-critical 400^∘C post-processing forming gas anneal (FGA) on the electrical performance, reliability, and defect evolution of oxide-channel thin-film transistors (TFTs), combining systematic experiments with density-functional-theory (DFT)-based liquid-quench molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations. Indium tungsten oxide (IWO) TFTs are employed as a model system and encapsulated with a thin 3 nm Al_2O_3 / 3 nm HfO_2 hybrid layer that effectively suppresses external hydrogen ingress. We reveal a non-monotonic evolution of device behavior during FGA, governed by initial densification followed by partial crystallization. Short-duration FGA (10 min) induces channel densification and the formation of shallow, delocalized defect states, leading to pronounced positive bias temperature instability (PBTI) degradation and the emergence of a characteristic transfer-curve "kink." With prolonged annealing (>40 min), partial crystallization of the oxide channel occurs, stabilizing hydrogen in deep, localized defect states, suppressing hydrogen mobility, and restoring device reliability. As a result, the PBTI shift is reduced to 10.4 mV after 2000 seconds of stress, accompanied by complete elimination of the transfer-curve kink. These findings provide a mechanistic understanding of hydrogen-defect interactions during high-temperature post-processing FGA and demonstrate that appropriate hydrogen-blocking encapsulation enables oxide-channel TFT integration without compromising electrical performance or reliability.
ER -