Abstract
In this paper we develop a new theory to describe the characteristics of amorphous silicon based alloy field-effect transistors. We show that the transition from below to above threshold operation occurs when the Fermi level in the accumulation region moves from the deep to tail localized states in the energy gap. The current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics are related to the basic material parameters such as the distribution of localized states in the energy gap, band mobility, device geometry, channel doping, and series resistances. Our analysis shows that an on current in excess of 2×10−7 A/μm gate width can be obtained with a 10-μm gate length. We also demonstrate that even in the above threshold regime the field-effect mobility is dependent on the gate voltage. Our theory can be used to optimize the design of amorphous silicon based alloy field-effect transistors.