Technology and Applications of Amorphous Silicon

Amorphous silicon has enabled a new technology for large-area electronics, with major applications in liquid crystal displays, image sensing and solar power conversion. This book presents a broad description of the current technology and its future potential, so that the reader can understand how the particular properties of amorphous silicon lead to unique applications. Topics covered include the design of the amorphous silicon transistor and sensor devices, the range of matrix-addressed arrays and other systems that can be fabricated, and the performance of the various application areas.

Amorphous silicon has become the material of choice for large area electronics, with major applications in displays, image sensing and solar power conversion. The technology development has occurred because amorphous silicon is a thin film semiconductor that can be deposited on large, low cost substrates. Furthermore, it retains the material properties of silicon, and can therefore be patterned into complex electronic devices using the same photolithographic techniques that have proved so powerful for crystalline silicon electronics. The book describes the devices, arrays and applications enabled by amorphous silicon, and how the unique properties of the material determines the design and performance of the various applications. Active-matrix liquid crystal displays for high performance laptop computers are a major business, and have established the array manufacturing technology. Digital X-ray image sensors are poised to revolutionize medical diagnosis by replacing film with flat-plate amorphous silicon arrays. Solar cells are the most mature application of amorphous silicon, and many innovations to enhance the cell efficiency have been introduced. Future opportunities for improved materials, novel processing techniques and new sensor applications are also described.