Threshold Voltage Instability in A-si:h Tfts and the Implications for Flexible Displays and Circuits

After a brief review of the characteristics of electrical stress degradation of flexible, amorphous silicon thin film transistors, the implications for various types of flexible circuitry including active matrix backplanes, integrated drivers and general purpose digital circuitry are examined. A circuit modeling tool that enables the prediction of complex circuit degradation is presented. Experimental results for a variety of flexible digital circuits including programmable logic arrays and memories are presented. Finally, we discuss the principal remaining challenges to building a fully flexible electronic system.