HIGH-STABILITY AMORPHOUS-SILICON-NITRIDE THIN-FILM DIODE RING SWITCH

Hydrogenated amorphous-silicon-nitride thin-him diode (TFD) switches h ave been shown to degrade electrically at both the cathode (electron i njection contact) and anode (noninjection contact) due, respectively, to electron-hole recombination and hot-electron-induced-state creation mechanisms. An antiparallel configuration of two asymmetric TFDs prov ides an elegant method to minimize the cathodic degradation and avoid the consequences of anodic defect state creation. Tn this way, extreme ly stable TFDs may be prepared. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics .