Characteristics of a-SiGe:H Thin Film Transistor Infrared Photosensor for Touch Sensing Displays

Photo-generation properties in an amorphous SiGe:H thin film transistor (TFT) were characterized by analyzing the electrical performances under illumination. The a-SiGe:H TFT showed a higher photo sensitivity at the wavelength of IR regime, and as a-SiGe:H layer was thicker, the generated photo currents proportionally increased due to the higher photon absorption. The increase of Ge composition led to the reduction of optical energy band gap. However, the photo sensitivity was not increased with lowering of energy band gap due to the creation of defects in the layer. The photo generation was dependent on the geometry of TFT, such as channel width and length. In particular, it was observed that regions under the source/drain electrode played a critical role in generating the photo currents which was demonstrated by technology computer-aided design simulation. Based on these, the generation of photo current and the photo field effect in a-SiGe:H TFT were interpreted using band diagrams. A-SiGe:H IR photosensor-embedded liquid crystal display panel was successfully demonstrated, indicating that these can be useful to broad use in the photo-type touch sensor, photo detector, and solar cell devices.