Drain bias effect on the instability of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin film transistor

We fabricated amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) in a top gate structure on a glass substrate. We investigated the effect of drain bias on the instability of the device. Although the device showed highly stable characteristics under both positive and negative gate bias stress, it showed significant degradation in the transfer characteristics under drain bias stress. The degradation phenomena are somewhat similar to those of negative gate bias illumination stress (NBIS). In the case of NBIS, degradation mechanisms have been confused between two kinds of illustrations, one of which is hole trapping in the gate insulator and the other is an increase of electron density in the active layer. Our experimental results revealed that the degradation mechanism of drain bias stress is closer to the latter mechanism of NBIS in amorphous oxide TFTs. ► Drain bias also degrades amorphous oxide thin film transistors. ► Increase of electron density near the drain junction occurs under drain bias stress. ► Oxygen vacancies can be ionized through the impingement of fast electrons.