IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,402,356
Granted Patent B2
US 12,402,356 · App. 17/255,787 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Thin film transistor and manufacturing method thereof, array substrate, and display device

Inventors: Pengfei Gu (Beijing, CN); Fengjuan Liu (Beijing, CN)
Assignee: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
H10D30/6755H10D30/031H10D30/6713
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,402,356
App. No.
17/255,787
Granted
Aug 26, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure provides a TFT. The TFT includes an active layer and a gate insulating layer, the active layer includes a first active sub-layer and a second active sub-layer which are arranged in a stacked manner, the second active sub-layer is between the gate insulating layer and the first active sub-layer, a Fermi potential of the first active sub-layer is larger than a Fermi potential of the second active sub-layer, a maximum thickness of a depletion region in the first active sub-layer is equal to a thickness of the first active sub-layer, and a maximum thickness of a depletion region in the second active sub-layer is equal to a thickness of the second active sub-layer.

Claims (56)

1. A thin film transistor (TFT), comprising: an active layer, a gate insulating layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode,

wherein the active layer comprises a first active sub-layer and a second active sub-layer which are arranged in a stacked manner, the second active sub-layer is between the gate insulating layer and the first active sub-layer, a Fermi potential of the first active sub-layer is larger than a Fermi potential of the second active sub-layer,

materials of the first and second active sub-layers each comprise indium gallium zinc oxide;

the first active sub-layer is formed by magnetron sputtering in a process environment with an oxygen partial pressure of a first preset value a 1 ,

the second active sub-layer is formed by magnetron sputtering in a process environment with an oxygen partial pressure of a second preset value a 2 ,

the first preset value a 1 is 30% and the second preset value a 2 is 40% or 50%,

the second active sub-layer is connected to the source electrode and the drain electrode through via holes, and

both the first active sub-layer and the second active sub-layer extend beyond the gate insulating layer, the second active sub-layer covers the first active sub-layer, the material of a region of the second active sub-layer covered by the gate insulating layer consists of gallium zinc oxide; the material of a region of the first active sub-layer not covered by the gate insulating layer consists of gallium zinc oxide, and the material of a region of the second active sub-layer not covered by the gate insulating layer consists of IGZ.

2. The TFT of claim 1 , wherein in response to a gate voltage applied to a gate electrode of the TFT being less than or equal to a threshold voltage of the TFT, each of a thickness of the depletion region in the first active sub-layer and a thickness of the depletion region in the second active sub-layer is at its maximum thickness.

3. The TFT of claim 2 , wherein in response to the gate voltage being greater than the threshold voltage and equal to or less than a first voltage, as the gate voltage increases, the thickness of the depletion region in the first active sub-layer gradually decreases and the thickness of the depletion region in the second active sub-layer is at its maximum thickness, wherein the first voltage is a voltage that causes the thickness of the depletion region in the first active sub-layer to be zero.

4. The TFT of claim 3 , wherein in response to the gate voltage being greater than the first voltage and less than a second voltage, as the gate voltage increases, the thickness of the depletion region in the first active sub-layer remains zero and the thickness of the depletion region in the second active sub-layer gradually decreases, wherein the second voltage is a voltage that causes the thickness of the depletion region in the second active sub-layer to be zero.

5. The TFT of claim 1 , wherein the second active sub-layer is in direct contact with the gate insulating layer.

6. The TFT of claim 1 , wherein carrier concentration of the first active sub-layer is greater than carrier concentration of the second active sub-layer.

7. The TFT of claim 1 , further comprising: a gate electrode on a side of the gate insulating layer facing away from the active layer.

8. A display device, comprising a thin film transistor, which comprises an active layer, a gate insulating layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode,

wherein the active layer comprises a first active sub-layer and a second active sub-layer which are arranged in a stacked manner, the second active sub-layer is between the gate insulating layer and the first active sub-layer, a Fermi potential of the first active sub-layer is larger than a Fermi potential of the second active sub-layer,

materials of the first and second active sub-layers each comprise indium gallium zinc oxide;

the first active sub-layer is formed by magnetron sputtering in a process environment with an oxygen partial pressure of a first preset value a 1 ,

the second active sub-layer is formed by magnetron sputtering in a process environment with an oxygen partial pressure of a second preset value a 2 ,

the first preset value a 1 is 30% and the second preset value a 2 is 40% or 50%,

the second active sub-layer is connected to the source electrode and the drain electrode through via holes, and

both the first active sub-layer and the second active sub-layer extend beyond the gate insulating layer, the second active sub-layer covers the first active sub-layer, the material of a region of the second active sub-layer covered by the gate insulating layer consists of gallium zinc oxide; the material of a region of the first active sub-layer not covered by the gate insulating layer consists of gallium zinc oxide, and the material of a region of the second active sub-layer not covered by the gate insulating layer consists of IGZ.

9. A manufacturing method of a thin film transistor (TFT), comprising:

forming a gate insulating layer;

forming an active layer, the active layer comprising a first active sub-layer and a second active sub-layer arranged in a stacked manner; and

forming a source electrode and a drain electrode,

wherein the second active sub-layer is between the gate insulating layer and the first active sub-layer, a Fermi potential of the first active sub-layer is larger than a Fermi potential of the second active sub-layer, materials of the first and second active sub-layers each comprise indium gallium zinc oxide;

the first active sub-layer is formed by magnetron sputtering in a process environment with an oxygen partial pressure of a first preset value a 1 ,

the second active sub-layer is formed by magnetron sputtering in a process environment with an oxygen partial pressure of a second preset value a 2 ,

the first preset value a 1 is 30% and the second preset value a 2 is 40% or 50%,

the second active sub-layer is connected to the source electrode and the drain electrode through via holes, and

both the first active sub-layer and the second active sub-layer extend beyond the gate insulating layer, the second active sub-layer covers the first active sub-layer, the material of a region of the second active sub-layer covered by the gate insulating layer consists of gallium zinc oxide; the material of a region of the first active sub-layer not covered by the gate insulating layer consists of gallium zinc oxide, and the material of a region of the second active sub-layer not covered by the gate insulating layer consists of IGZ.

10. The manufacturing method of claim 9 , wherein forming the active layer comprises:

forming a first active material thin film;

forming a second active material thin film; and

performing a patterning process on the first active material thin film and the second active material thin film to form a pattern of the first active sub-layer and a pattern of the second active sub-layer.

11. The manufacturing method of claim 10 , wherein the first active material thin film and the second active material thin film are made of a same material.

12. The manufacturing method of claim 11 , wherein forming the gate insulating layer and forming the active layer comprise:

forming the first active material thin film on a base substrate;

forming a second active material thin film on a side of the first active material thin film facing away from the base substrate;

performing a pattern process on the first active material thin film and the second active material thin film to form the pattern of the first active sub-layer and the pattern of the second active sub-layer;

forming a gate insulating material thin film on a side of the second active sub-layer facing away from the base substrate; and

performing a pattern process on the gate insulating material thin film to form a pattern of the gate insulating layer.

13. The manufacturing method of claim 9 , further comprising:

forming a gate electrode on a side of the gate insulating layer facing away from the base substrate;

forming an interlayer dielectric layer on a side of the gate electrode facing away from the base substrate, wherein via holes connected to the second active sub-layer are formed in the interlayer dielectric layer; and

forming the source electrode and the drain electrode on a side of the interlayer dielectric layer facing away from the base substrate, wherein the source electrode and the drain electrode are connected to the second active sub-layer through the via holes, respectively.

14. The manufacturing method of claim 9 , wherein forming the gate insulating layer and forming the active layer comprise:

forming, on a base substrate, a gate insulating material thin film as the gate insulating layer;

forming a second active material thin film on a side of the gate insulating layer facing away from the base substrate;

forming a first active material thin film on a side of the second active material thin film facing away from the base substrate; and

performing a patterning process on the first active material thin film and the second active material thin film to form a pattern of the first active sub-layer and a pattern of the second active sub-layer.

15. The manufacturing method of claim 14 , wherein before forming the gate insulating material thin film on the base substrate, the manufacturing method further comprises:

forming a gate electrode on the base substrate;

after performing the patterning process on the first active material thin film and the second active material thin film, the manufacturing method further comprises:

forming the source electrode and the drain electrode on a side of the first active sub-layer facing away from the base substrate.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 23, 2020
From: GU, PENGFEI; LIU, FENGJUAN
To: BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 054741/0302 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 201910318847.7 · Apr 19, 2019 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210143280A1 · May 13, 2021
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