Solution-Based Fabrication of Polycrystalline Si Thin-Film Transistors from Recycled Polysilanes

Paolo M Sberna; Miki Trifunovic; Ryoichi Ishihara

doi:10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b00626

Solution-Based Fabrication of Polycrystalline Si Thin-Film Transistors from Recycled Polysilanes

ACS Sustain Chem Eng. 2017 Jul 3;5(7):5642-5645. doi: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.7b00626. Epub 2017 Jun 11.

Authors

Paolo M Sberna¹, Miki Trifunovic², Ryoichi Ishihara³

Affiliations

¹ Quantum Engineering Department, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
² QuTech, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.
³ QuTech and Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Currently, research has been focusing on printing and laser crystallization of cyclosilanes, bringing to life polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with outstanding properties. However, the synthesis of these Si-based inks is generally complex and expensive. Here, we prove that a polysilane ink, obtained as a byproduct of silicon gases and derivatives, can be used successfully for the synthesis of poly-Si by laser annealing, at room temperature, and for n- and p-channel TFTs. The devices, fabricated according to CMOS compatible processes at 350 °C, showed field effect mobilities up to 8 and 2 cm²/(V s) for n- and p-type TFTs, respectively. The presented method combines a low-cost coating technique with the usage of recycled material, opening a route to a convenient and sustainable production of large-area, flexible, and even disposable/single-use electronics.

Keywords: Byproduct recycle; Disilane byproduct; Low-temperature fabrication; Polycrystalline silicon; Polysilane; Solution processing; Thin-film transistor.