Nondegenerate Polycrystalline Hydrogen-Doped Indium Oxide (InOx:H) Thin Films Formed by Low-Temperature Solid-Phase Crystallization for Thin Film Transistors

We successfully demonstrated a transition from a metallic InOx film into a nondegenerate semiconductor InOx:H film. A hydrogen-doped amorphous InOx:H (a-InOx:H) film, which was deposited by sputtering in Ar, O2, and H2 gases, could be converted into a polycrystalline InOx:H (poly-InOx:H) film by low-temperature (250 °C) solid-phase crystallization (SPC). Hall mobility increased from 49.9 cm2V−1s−1 for an a-InOx:H film to 77.2 cm2V−1s−1 for a poly-InOx:H film. Furthermore, the carrier density of a poly-InOx:H film could be reduced by SPC in air to as low as 2.4 × 1017 cm−3, which was below the metal–insulator transition (MIT) threshold. The thin film transistor (TFT) with a metallic poly-InOx channel did not show any switching properties. In contrast, that with a 50 nm thick nondegenerate poly-InOx:H channel could be fully depleted by a gate electric field. For the InOx:H TFTs with a channel carrier density close to the MIT point, maximum and average field effect mobility (μFE) values of 125.7 and 84.7 cm2V−1s−1 were obtained, respectively. We believe that a nondegenerate poly-InOx:H film has great potential for boosting the μFE of oxide TFTs.

Influence of Thermal Post-deposition on Trap States in Sol-gel Indium Zinc Oxide TFTs

In solution-processed oxide thin-film transistors, post-deposition thermal processing significantly changes the film’s transport properties and is essential for high-performance devices. The mobility, bias stability and trapping-detrapping related hysteresis are improved with higher processing temperatures, which is generally attributed to decreased concentrations of localized states that act as electron traps. Fabricating and characterizing 29 devices, we provide further experimental evidence that post-deposition processing indeed leads to enhanced channel electron mobility in sol-gel indium zinc oxide TFTs, and, on the basis of a simple model, we extract physical parameters that yield a quantitative assessment of the changes in the densities and the properties of the localized trap states. The data is obtained for sol-gel indium zinc oxide thin films and TFTs subjected to thermal postdeposition processing from 300 to 500 0<\sup>C. The extracted parameters indicate that the trap state density in the bulk semiconductor and at the interface decrease by factors of 5 and 3, respectively. Furthermore, the localized states become shallower, and the band mobility increases with higher processing temperatures. <br>

Modeling the Evolution of Trap States with Thermal Post-deposition Treatments in Sol-gel Indium Zinc Oxide TFTs

<div>Metal oxides have been investigated for use in displays and wearable electronics, owing to their high mobility in the amorphous state. In solution-processed oxide thin-film transistors, post-deposition thermal processing significantly change the film’s transport properties, and is essential for high-performance devices. The mobility, bias stability and trapping-detrapping related hysteresis are improved with higher processing temperatures, which is generally attributed to decreased localized states which act as electron traps. Here we develop a model to validate that post-deposition processing indeed changes the density and properties of the localized states. We obtain good agreement between this model and the experimental data measured from sol-gel indium zinc oxide TFTs. When the processing temperature increases from 300 to 500 ⁰C, the model indicates that the trap state density in the bulk semiconductor and at the interface decrease by a factor of 5 and a factor of 3, respectively. Furthermore, the localized states become shallower, and the band mobility increases at higher processing temperatures.</div>

Modeling the Evolution of Trap States with Thermal Post-deposition Treatments in Sol-gel Indium Zinc Oxide TFTs

<div>Metal oxides have been investigated for use in displays and wearable electronics, owing to their high mobility in the amorphous state. In solution-processed oxide thin-film transistors, post-deposition thermal processing significantly change the film’s transport properties, and is essential for high-performance devices. The mobility, bias stability and trapping-detrapping related hysteresis are improved with higher processing temperatures, which is generally attributed to decreased localized states which act as electron traps. Here we develop a model to validate that post-deposition processing indeed changes the density and properties of the localized states. We obtain good agreement between this model and the experimental data measured from sol-gel indium zinc oxide TFTs. When the processing temperature increases from 300 to 500 ⁰C, the model indicates that the trap state density in the bulk semiconductor and at the interface decrease by a factor of 5 and a factor of 3, respectively. Furthermore, the localized states become shallower, and the band mobility increases at higher processing temperatures.</div>

Preparation of Li-Doped Indium-Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistor at Relatively Low Temperature Using Inkjet Printing Technology

Inkjet printing is a very attractive technology for printed electronics and a potential alternative to current high cost and multi-chemical lithography processes, for display and other applications in the electronics field. Inkjet technology can be employed to fabricate organic light emitting diodes (OLED), quantum dots displays, and thin-film transistors (TFTs). Among potential applications, metal oxide TFTs, which have good properties and moderate processing methods, could be prepared using inkjet printing in the display industry. One effective method of improving their electrical properties is via doping. Lithium doping an oxide TFT is a very delicate process, and difficult to get good results. In this study, lithium was added to indium-zinc oxide (IZO) for inkjet printing to make oxide TFTs. Electrical properties, transfer and output curves, were achieved using inkjet printing even at the relatively low annealing temperature of 200 oC. After optimizing the inkjet process parameters, a 0.01 M Li-doped IZO TFT at 400 oC showed a mobility of 9.08 ± 0.7 cm2/V s, a sub-threshold slope of 0.62 V/dec, a threshold voltage of 2.66 V, and an on-to-off current ratio of 2.83 × 108. Improved bias stability and hysteresis behavior of the inkjet-printed IZO TFT were also achieved by lithium doping.