Thin-film hybrid complementary circuits
Complementary circuits based on junction (or heterojunction) field effect transistor devices and bipolar junction (or heterojunction) transistor devices comprised of thin crystalline semiconductor-on-insulator substrates are provided which are compatible with low-cost and/or flexible substrates. Only one substrate doping type (i.e., n-type or p-type) is required for providing the complementary circuits and thus the number of masks (typically three or four) remains the same as that required for either n-channel or p-channel devices in the TFT level.
1. A semiconductor structure comprising:
a first active region comprising a first crystalline semiconductor portion of a first conductivity type located on one portion of a surface of an insulator layer, and a second active region comprising a second crystalline semiconductor portion of the first conductivity type located on another portion of the insulator layer, wherein the second active region is laterally spaced apart from the first active region;
a bipolar junction transistor located within the first active region and comprising an emitter of a second conductivity type, a base of the first conductivity type and a collector of the second conductivity type, wherein the base is located between, and laterally spaced apart from, the emitter and the collector; and
a junction field effect transistor located within the second active region and comprising a drain of the first conductivity type, a gate of the second conductivity type, and a source of the first conductivity type, wherein the gate is located between, and laterally spaced apart from, the drain and the source, and wherein the first conductivity type is opposite from the second conductivity type.
2. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein said first conductivity type is p-type and the second conductivity type is n-type.
3. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein said first conductivity type is n-type and the second conductivity type is p-type.
4. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein at least one of said bipolar junction transistor and said junction field effect transistor contains at least one heterojunction.
5. The semiconductor structure of claim 1 , wherein each of said emitter, said base, said collector, said source, said gate and said drain are comprised of at least one semiconductor material.
6. The semiconductor structure of claim 5 , wherein said at least one semiconductor material is crystalline, non-crystalline or a combination of crystalline and non-crystalline.
7. The semiconductor structure of claim 5 , wherein each of said emitter, said base, said collector, said source, said gate and said drain comprises a single-crystalline semiconductor material.
8. The semiconductor structure of claim 5 , further comprising an electrode material portion located on a topmost semiconductor material of said at least one semiconductor material.
9. The semiconductor structure of claim 5 , wherein a single electrode material portion is present on a topmost semiconductor material of said at least one semiconductor material and directly connects said collector to said drain.
10. The semiconductor structure of claim 5 , further comprising a sacrificial material portion and a passivation material portion positioned between edge portions of a bottommost semiconductor material of said at least one semiconductor material of said emitter, said base and said collector and said first crystalline semiconductor portion, and between edge portions of a bottommost semiconductor material of said at least one semiconductor material of said drain, said gate and said source and said crystalline semiconductor portion.