Improvements in semiconductor materials carried Moore's Law
into the 1990s, where device geometries and limits in materials
performance drove the need for fundamental innovation at the
materials and structural levels of MOSFETs. The display
industry has reached a similar point the need for fundamental
innovation at the materials and structural levels of thin film
transistors. Successful transition to a higher plateau of thin film
device technology enables a new inflection point in the use of
displays just as the FinFET was the foundation for an
inflection point in the use of microprocessors.
This paper provides an overview of two thin film technology
innovations offering promise as the next two plateaus in the
evolution of thin film integrated circuit manufacturing:
achieving bulk accumulation in single gate metal oxide
semiconductor thin film transistors, and semiconductor less
quantum tunneling. Linked through a single core materials set
based on strong yet flexible amorphous metals, these two
innovations create a roadmap simplifying the manufacturing of
high image quality, low power consumption displays on glass and
plastic.