IP Library Granted Patent US 8,871,616
Granted Patent B2
US 8,871,616 · App. 12/718,169 · Granted Oct 28, 2014

Methods of fabricating thin film transistor and organic light emitting diode display device having the same

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,871,616
App. No.
12/718,169
Granted
Oct 28, 2014
Kind
B2
Abstract

A thin film transistor (TFT), an OLED device having the TFT and a method of fabricating the same and a method of fabricating an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device that includes the TFT. The method of fabricating a TFT includes providing a substrate, forming a buffer layer on the substrate, forming an amorphous silicon layer pattern on the buffer layer, forming a metal layer on an entire surface of the substrate, forming a semiconductor layer by applying an electrical field to the metal layer to crystallize the amorphous silicon layer pattern, forming source and drain electrodes connected to the semiconductor layer by patterning the metal layer, forming a gate insulating layer on the entire surface of the substrate, forming a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer to correspond to the semiconductor layer and forming a protective layer on the entire surface of the substrate.

Claims (42)

1. A method of fabricating a thin film transistor, comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a buffer layer on the substrate;

forming an amorphous silicon layer pattern on the buffer layer;

doping portions of the amorphous silicon layer pattern with impurities after said forming of the amorphous silicon layer pattern;

forming a metal layer on an entire surface of the substrate;

forming a semiconductor layer by applying an electrical field to the metal layer to crystallize the amorphous silicon layer pattern;

forming source and drain electrodes connected to the semiconductor layer by patterning the metal layer;

forming a gate insulating layer on the entire surface of the substrate;

forming a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer to correspond to the semiconductor layer; and

forming a protective layer on the entire surface of the substrate.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the impurities are N- or P-type impurities.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the amorphous silicon layer pattern includes source and drain regions that correspond to the portions of the amorphous silicon layer pattern that are doped with the impurities.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the doping of the amorphous silicon layer pattern is performed using a same mask as that used to pattern the metal layer to produce the source and drain electrodes.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the metal layer is formed to a thickness of 50 to 300 nm on the entire surface of the substrate.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical field applied to the metal layer to crystallize the amorphous silicon layer pattern is in the range of 100 to 10000 V/cm.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the source and drain electrodes and a metal pattern are comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), molybdenum-tungsten (MoW), aluminum (Al), aluminum-neodymium (Al—Nd), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), copper (Cu), a Mo alloy, an Al alloy and a Cu alloy.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising patterning the amorphous silicon layer prior to said crystallization.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the metal layer is arranged directly on an entire upper surface of the amorphous silicon layer pattern, and wherein the amorphous silicon layer pattern arranged directly underneath the metal layer is crystallized into polysilicon upon said application of the electric field to the metal layer.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the doping occurs prior to the crystallizing of the amorphous silicon layer pattern.

11. A method of fabricating an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device, comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a buffer layer on an entire surface of the substrate;

forming an amorphous silicon layer pattern on the buffer layer;

doping portions of the amorphous silicon layer pattern with impurities after said forming of the amorphous silicon layer pattern;

forming a metal layer on the entire surface of the substrate;

forming a semiconductor layer by applying an electrical field to the metal layer to crystallize the amorphous silicon layer pattern;

forming source and drain electrodes connected to the semiconductor layer by patterning the metal layer;

forming a gate insulating layer on the entire surface of the substrate;

forming a gate electrode on the gate insulating layer at a location that corresponds to the semiconductor layer;

forming a protective layer on the entire surface of the substrate;

forming a planarization layer on the protective layer; and

forming a first electrode electrically connected to one of the source and drain electrodes, an organic layer and a second electrode on the planarization layer.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the impurities are N- or P-type impurities.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the amorphous silicon layer pattern includes source and drain regions that correspond to the portions of the amorphous silicon layer pattern that are doped with the impurities.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the doping is performed using a same mask as that used to pattern the metal layer.

15. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the metal layer is formed to a thickness of 50 to 300 nm.

16. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the electrical field applied to the metal layer to crystallize the amorphous silicon layer pattern is in the range of 100 to 10000 V/cm.

17. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the source and drain electrodes and the metal layer are comprised of a same material, are arranged on a same layer and are comprised of a material selected from a group consisting of molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), tungsten (W), molybdenum-tungsten (MoW), aluminum (Al), aluminum-neodymium (Al—Nd), titanium (Ti), titanium nitride (TiN), copper (Cu), a Mo alloy, an Al alloy and a Cu alloy.

18. The method according to claim 11 , further comprising patterning the amorphous silicon layer prior to said crystallization.

19. The method according to claim 11 , wherein a portion of the metal layer is arranged directly on an entire upper surface of the amorphous silicon layer pattern, and wherein the amorphous silicon layer pattern arranged directly underneath the metal layer is crystallized into polysilicon upon said application of the electric field to the metal layer.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the doping occurs prior to the crystallizing of the amorphous silicon layer pattern.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 11, 2013
From: AHN, JI-SU; LEE, WON-PIL
To: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD., A CORPORATION CHARTERED IN AND EXISTING UNDER THE LAWS OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA
Reel/Frame 030101/0805 →
MERGER Recorded Sep 21, 2012
From: SAMSUNG MOBILE DISPLAY CO., LTD.
To: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 029087/0636 →