Thin film transistors fabricated in printed silicon

We report the fabrication of thin film transistors (TFTs) from printed sili con. The printing is performed by irradiating a hydrogenated amorphous sili con-coated quartz wafer facing a glass substrate with a high-energy laser p ulse. The ensuing explosive effusion of hydrogen from the layer results in transfer of the silicon onto the glass substrate. Adhesion and smoothing of the transferred film is ensured by high-energy laser annealing. Top-gate T FTs were fabricated in this material using standard photolithographic proce ssing and ion implantation. These transistors, which have reasonable electr ical characteristics, are the first step towards the fabrication of directl y printed electronic devices.