In the present study, AlNx/Al/Mo composite films with various thicknesses of AlNx and Al layers were prepared to replace commercial AlNd/Mo composite film as the gate metal of the two metal layers (namely the gate metal and the source-drain metal) in thin-film transistor (TFT) specimens. The prerequisite for the TFT device is that no hillock is formed. The electrical properties of the AlNx/Al/Mo TFT device rival those of the AlNd/Mo TFT device. One of eight kinds of AlNx/Al/Mo composite films (0.05 mu m/0.2 mu m/0.07 mu m) without hillocks was compared with the AlNd/Mo (0.25 mu m/0.07 mu m) composite film. The line width after development and strip inspections, the I-g (gate leakage current)-V-g (gate voltage) curve, the coating film resistance to electricity, the contact resistance between the indium tin oxide (ITO) film and the metal film, the I-d-V-g curve, and the critical dimension loss (CD loss) were compared. The experimental results indicate that the metal line widths for these two composite films are similar. The coating film resistance, the contact resistance between the ITO film and the metal film, and the I-d-V-g curve for the AlNx/Al/Mo TFT device were similar to those for the AlNd/Mo TFT device. The CD loss shown in the AlNx/Al/Mo TFT device was lower than that for the AlNd/Mo TFT device. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.