Wide bandgap oxide semiconductors constitute a unique class of materials that combine properties of electrical conductivity and optical transparency. They are being widely used as key materials in optoelectronic device applications, including flat-panel displays, solar cells, OLED, and emerging flexible and transparent electronics. In this article, an up-to-date review on both the fundamental understanding of materials physics of oxide semiconductors, and recent research progress on design of new materials and high-performing thin film transistor (TFT) devices in the context of fundamental understanding is presented. In particular, an in depth overview is first provided on current understanding of the electronic structures, defect and doping chemistry, optical and transport properties of oxide semiconductors, which provide essential guiding principles for new material design and device optimization. With these principles, recent advances in design of p-type oxide semiconductors, new approaches for achieving cost-effective transparent (flexible) electrodes, and the creation of high mobility 2D electron gas (2DEG) at oxide surfaces and interfaces with a wealth of fascinating physical properties of great potential for novel device design are then reviewed. Finally, recent progress and perspective of oxide TFT based on new oxide semiconductors, 2DEG, and low-temperature solution processed oxide semiconductor for flexible electronics will be reviewed.

Wide Bandgap Oxide Semiconductors: from Materials Physics to Optoelectronic Devices

2D and nanostructured metal sulfide materials are promising in the advancement of several gas sensing applications due to the abundant choice of materials with easily tunable electronic, optical, physical, and chemical properties. These applications are particularly attractive for gas sensing in environmental monitoring and breath analysis. This review gives a systematic description of various gas sensors based on 2D and nanostructured metal sulfide materials. Firstly, the crystal structures of metal sulfides are introduced. Secondly, the gas sensing mechanisms of different metal sulfides based on density functional theory analysis are summarised. Various gas-sensing concepts of metal sulfide-based devices, including chemiresistors, functionalized metal sulfides, Schottky junctions, heterojunctions, field-effect transistors, and optical and surface acoustic wave sensors, are compared and presented. It then discusses the extensive applications of metal sulfide-based sensors for different gas molecules, including volatile organic compounds (i.e., acetone, benzene, methane, formaldehyde, ethanol, and liquefied petroleum gas) and inorganic gas (i.e., CO2, O2, NH3, H2S, SO2, NOx, CH4, H2, and humidity). Finally, a strengths–weaknesses–opportunities–threats (SWOT) analysis is proposed for future development and commercialization in this field.

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Recent advances in 2D/nanostructured metal sulfide-based gas sensors: mechanisms, applications, and perspectives

In this work, a thin-film transistor gas sensor based on the p-N heterojunction is fabricated by stacking chemical vapor deposition-grown tungsten disulfide (WS2) with a sputtered indium–gallium–zi...

Ultra-High Sensitive NO2 Gas Sensor Based on Tunable Polarity Transport in CVD-WS2/IGZO p-N Heterojunction.

In-situ growth of Co3O4 nanoparticles based on electrospray for an acetone gas sensor

Fast detection of NO2 by porous SnO2 nanotoast sensor at low temperature.

The high-performance p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS)-based gas sensor is an important subject of research in the field of gas-sensing technology. In this work, we demonstrated a p-type MOS-based thin-film transistor (TFT) nitrogen dioxide (NO2) gas sensor that used tin oxide (SnOX) for both the channel and sensing layers. The crystalline status, surface morphology, and atomic-bonding configuration of the thin-film were examined using X-ray diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results indicated that the deposited thin-film was mainly composed of polycrystalline SnO with a tetragonal structure. The fabricated p-type SnOX TFT showed a maximum response value of 19.4-10 ppm NO2 at room temperature (RT, 25 °C) when operated in the subthreshold region, which was significantly higher than that of 2.8–10 ppm NO2 obtained from a p-type SnOX thin-film chemiresistor at RT. In addition, the SnOX TFT gas sensor showed significantly higher sensitivity to NO2 gas than to other target gases such as NH3, H2S, CO2, and CO at RT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to a p-type MOS-based field-effect transistor-type gas sensor. Our experimental results demonstrate that the p-type SnOX TFT is a promising gas sensor that can operate at RT with high sensitivity and selectivity to NO2 gas.

Highly sensitive and selective room-temperature NO2 gas-sensing characteristics of SnOX-based p-type thin-film transistor

Low temperature NO2 sensing properties of RF-sputtered SnO-SnO2 heterojunction thin-film with p-type semiconducting behavior

In this work, we investigated the effects of low-temperature argon (Ar)-plasma surface treatments on the physical and chemical structures of p-type tin oxide thin-films and the electrical performance of p-type tin oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). From the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement, we found that SnO was the dominant phase in the deposited tin oxide thin-film, and the Ar-plasma treatment partially transformed the tin oxide phase from SnO to SnO2 by oxidation. The resistivity of the tin oxide thin-film increased with the plasma-treatment time because of the reduced hole concentration. In addition, the root-mean-square roughness of the tin oxide thin-film decreased as the plasma-treatment time increased. The p-type oxide TFT with an Ar-plasma-treated tin oxide thin-film exhibited excellent electrical performance with a high current on–off ratio (5.2 × 106) and a low off-current (1.2 × 10−12 A), which demonstrates that the low-temperature Ar-plasma treatment is a simple and effective method for improving the electrical performance of p-type tin oxide TFTs.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1361-6641/aa72b8/pdf

Demonstration of high-performance p-type tin oxide thin-film transistors using argon-plasma surface treatments

The present work investigated the electrical characteristics of Corbino structure p-type tin monoxide (SnO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) and demonstrated a high-performance complementary logic inverter composed of Corbino p-type SnO and n-type indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) TFTs. Experimental data showed that the Corbino p-type SnO TFT exhibited an almost infinite output resistance beyond pinch-off in the outer drain condition. The observed phenomenon was mainly attributed to the scaling down of the effective channel width in proportion to the effective channel length. By using the very high output resistance of the Corbino structure TFTs, we fabricated the high-gain complementary logic inverter composed of Corbino p-type SnO and n-type IGZO TFTs. The Corbino TFT-based complementary logic inverter showed a voltage gain of 92.4 at a supplied voltage of 10 V, which was significantly higher than that of 18.7 obtained from the complementary logic inverter composed of the conventional rectangular shaped TFTs.

Soo-Hun Kwon

Papers

Highly sensitive and selective room-temperature NO2 gas-sensing characteristics of SnOX-based p-type thin-film transistor

Low temperature NO2 sensing properties of RF-sputtered SnO-SnO2 heterojunction thin-film with p-type semiconducting behavior

Demonstration of high-performance p-type tin oxide thin-film transistors using argon-plasma surface treatments

High-Gain Complementary Inverter Based on Corbino p-Type Tin Monoxide and n-Type Indium-Gallium-Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Transistors

Effects of simultaneous ultraviolet and thermal treatments on physical and chemical properties of RF-sputtered p-type SnO thin-films