On the ESD behavior of a-Si:H based diode-connected thin- film transistors

This work presents physical insights into the operation and ESD behavior of a-Si:H based diode-connected thin-film transistors. The device operation is studied through DC I-V characterization and the device leakage under normal conditions are explored. The ESD behavior is then explored and a three-stage device behavior is observed. It is observed that the device fails due to electric field lead thermal breakdown. The impact of pulse width and channel dimensions are studied. Finally, the device behavior under negative ESD stress is studied and it is found that application of negative ESD stress presents a delayed turn- on behavior owing to depletion of charge carriers under negative gate bias.