Heterojunction Oxide Thin-film Transistors with Unprecedented Electron Mobility Grown from Solution

Overview

Journal Sci Adv

Specialties Biology
Science

Date 2017 Apr 25

PMID 28435867

Citations 21

Authors

Hendrik Faber

Satyajit Das

Yen-Hung Lin

Nikos Pliatsikas

Kui Zhao

Thomas Kehagias

George Dimitrakopulos

Aram Amassian

Panos A Patsalas

Thomas D Anthopoulos

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Thin-film transistors made of solution-processed metal oxide semiconductors hold great promise for application in the emerging sector of large-area electronics. However, further advancement of the technology is hindered by limitations associated with the extrinsic electron transport properties of the often defect-prone oxides. We overcome this limitation by replacing the single-layer semiconductor channel with a low-dimensional, solution-grown InO/ZnO heterojunction. We find that InO/ZnO transistors exhibit band-like electron transport, with mobility values significantly higher than single-layer InO and ZnO devices by a factor of 2 to 100. This marked improvement is shown to originate from the presence of free electrons confined on the plane of the atomically sharp heterointerface induced by the large conduction band offset between InO and ZnO. Our finding underscores engineering of solution-grown metal oxide heterointerfaces as an alternative strategy to thin-film transistor development and has the potential for widespread technological applications.

Citing Articles

Solution-processable ordered defect compound semiconductors for high-performance electronics.

Wang H, An F, Wong C, Yin K, Liu J, Wang Y Sci Adv. 2024; 10(41):eadr8636.

PMID: 39383238 PMC: 11463277. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adr8636.

Enhancing the Stability and Mobility of TFTs via Indium-Tungsten Oxide and Zinc Oxide Engineered Heterojunction Channels Annealed in Oxygen Ambient.

Lim S, Mah D, Cho W Nanomaterials (Basel). 2024; 14(15).

PMID: 39120357 PMC: 11313747. DOI: 10.3390/nano14151252.

Enhancing the Carrier Mobility and Bias Stability in Metal-Oxide Thin Film Transistors with Bilayer InSnO/a-InGaZnO Heterojunction Structure.

Huang X, Chen C, Sun F, Chen X, Xu W, Li L Micromachines (Basel). 2024; 15(4).

PMID: 38675323 PMC: 11051983. DOI: 10.3390/mi15040512.

Dependence of Positive Bias Stress Instability on Threshold Voltage and Its Origin in Solution-Processed Aluminum-Doped Indium Oxide Thin-Film Transistors.

Na J, Park J, Park W, Feng J, Eun J, Lee J Nanomaterials (Basel). 2024; 14(5).

PMID: 38470795 PMC: 10934793. DOI: 10.3390/nano14050466.

Performance Improvement of In-Ga-Zn Oxide Thin-Film Transistors by Excimer Laser Annealing.

Zhang X, Li Y, Li Y, Xie X, Yin L Micromachines (Basel). 2024; 15(2).

PMID: 38398954 PMC: 10890664. DOI: 10.3390/mi15020225.

References

Meyer J, Hamwi S, Kroger M, Kowalsky W, Riedl T, Kahn A . Transition metal oxides for organic electronics: energetics, device physics and applications. Adv Mater. 2012; 24(40):5408-27. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201201630. View

Yu X, Zeng L, Zhou N, Guo P, Shi F, Buchholz D . Ultra-flexible, "invisible" thin-film transistors enabled by amorphous metal oxide/polymer channel layer blends. Adv Mater. 2015; 27(14):2390-9. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201405400. View

Rim Y, Chen H, Kou X, Duan H, Zhou H, Cai M . Boost up mobility of solution-processed metal oxide thin-film transistors via confining structure on electron pathways. Adv Mater. 2014; 26(25):4273-8. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201400529. View

Adamopoulos G, Bashir A, Thomas S, Gillin W, Georgakopoulos S, Shkunov M . Spray-deposited Li-doped ZnO transistors with electron mobility exceeding 50 cm²/Vs. Adv Mater. 2010; 22(42):4764-9. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201001444. View

Nomura K, Ohta H, Ueda K, Kamiya T, Hirano M, Hosono H . Thin-film transistor fabricated in single-crystalline transparent oxide semiconductor. Science. 2003; 300(5623):1269-72. DOI: 10.1126/science.1083212. View

Seo J, Bae B . Improved electrical performance and bias stability of solution-processed active bilayer structure of indium zinc oxide based TFT. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2014; 6(17):15335-43. DOI: 10.1021/am5037934. View

Lin Y, Faber H, Labram J, Stratakis E, Sygellou L, Kymakis E . High Electron Mobility Thin-Film Transistors Based on Solution-Processed Semiconducting Metal Oxide Heterojunctions and Quasi-Superlattices. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2016; 2(7):1500058. PMC: 5016782. DOI: 10.1002/advs.201500058. View

Kim Y, Heo J, Kim T, Park S, Yoon M, Kim J . Flexible metal-oxide devices made by room-temperature photochemical activation of sol-gel films. Nature. 2012; 489(7414):128-32. DOI: 10.1038/nature11434. View

Yu X, Zhou N, Smith J, Lin H, Stallings K, Yu J . Synergistic approach to high-performance oxide thin film transistors using a bilayer channel architecture. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2013; 5(16):7983-8. DOI: 10.1021/am402065k. View

10.

Liu J, Buchholz D, Chang R, Facchetti A, Marks T . High-performance flexible transparent thin-film transistors using a hybrid gate dielectric and an amorphous zinc indium tin oxide channel. Adv Mater. 2010; 22(21):2333-7. DOI: 10.1002/adma.200903761. View

11.

Rim Y, Chen H, Liu Y, Bae S, Kim H, Yang Y . Direct light pattern integration of low-temperature solution-processed all-oxide flexible electronics. ACS Nano. 2014; 8(9):9680-6. DOI: 10.1021/nn504420r. View

12.

Yu X, Marks T, Facchetti A . Metal oxides for optoelectronic applications. Nat Mater. 2016; 15(4):383-96. DOI: 10.1038/nmat4599. View

13.

Faber H, Lin Y, Thomas S, Zhao K, Pliatsikas N, McLachlan M . Indium oxide thin-film transistors processed at low temperature via ultrasonic spray pyrolysis. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2014; 7(1):782-90. DOI: 10.1021/am5072139. View

14.

Thomas S, Pattanasattayavong P, Anthopoulos T . Solution-processable metal oxide semiconductors for thin-film transistor applications. Chem Soc Rev. 2013; 42(16):6910-23. DOI: 10.1039/c3cs35402d. View

15.

Labram J, Lin Y, Anthopoulos T . Exploring Two-Dimensional Transport Phenomena in Metal Oxide Heterointerfaces for Next-Generation, High-Performance, Thin-Film Transistor Technologies. Small. 2015; 11(41):5472-82. DOI: 10.1002/smll.201501350. View

16.

Kim M, Kanatzidis M, Facchetti A, Marks T . Low-temperature fabrication of high-performance metal oxide thin-film electronics via combustion processing. Nat Mater. 2011; 10(5):382-8. DOI: 10.1038/nmat3011. View

17.

Nomura K, Ohta H, Takagi A, Kamiya T, Hirano M, Hosono H . Room-temperature fabrication of transparent flexible thin-film transistors using amorphous oxide semiconductors. Nature. 2004; 432(7016):488-92. DOI: 10.1038/nature03090. View

18.

Fortunato E, Barquinha P, Martins R . Oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors: a review of recent advances. Adv Mater. 2012; 24(22):2945-86. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201103228. View

19.

Ahn C, Senthil K, Cho H, Lee S . Artificial semiconductor/insulator superlattice channel structure for high-performance oxide thin-film transistors. Sci Rep. 2013; 3:2737. PMC: 3781393. DOI: 10.1038/srep02737. View