Technology and Applications of Amorphous Silicon [Hardcover]

This book gives the first systematic and complete survey of technology and application of amorphous silicon, a material with a huge potential in electronic applications. The book features contributions by world-wide leading researchers in this field.

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.1 Introduction.- 2 Active-Matrix Liquid-Crystal Displays.- 3 Laser Crystallization for Polycrystalline Silicon Device Applications.- 4 Large Area Image Sensor Arrays.- 5 Novel Processing Technology for Macroelectronics.- 6 Multijunction Solar Cells and Modules.- 7 Multilayer Color Detectors.- 8 Thin Film Position Sensitive Detectors: From 1D to 3D Applications.- Symbols and Abbreviations.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. ActilĂ#