Conduction mechanisms for off-state leakage current of Schottky barrier thin-film transistors

Conduction mechanisms for the off-state leakage in Schottky barrier thin-film transistor were explored. It was found that the field-emission process dominates the leakage conduction of the device with the conventional structure as the field strength in the drain junction becomes high, and results in the strong gate-induced drain leakage (GIDL) like phenomenon. In contrast, for the device with a field-induced-drain structure, the high-field region is pulled away from the silicided drain. As a result, the field-emission conduction is eliminated, so the GIDL-like leakage current is effectively suppressed.