Oxide Semiconductor Thin‐Film Transistors: A Review of Recent Advances
TL;DR: The recent progress in n- and p-type oxide based thin-film transistors (TFT) is reviewed, with special emphasis on solution-processed andp-type, and the major milestones already achieved with this emerging and very promising technology are summarizeed.
Abstract: Transparent electronics is today one of the most advanced topics for a wide range of device applications. The key components are wide bandgap semiconductors, where oxides of different origins play an important role, not only as passive component but also as active component, similar to what is observed in conventional semiconductors like silicon. Transparent electronics has gained special attention during the last few years and is today established as one of the most promising technologies for leading the next generation of flat panel display due to its excellent electronic performance. In this paper the recent progress in n- and p-type oxide based thin-film transistors (TFT) is reviewed, with special emphasis on solution-processed and p-type, and the major milestones already achieved with this emerging and very promising technology are summarizeed. After a short introduction where the main advantages of these semiconductors are presented, as well as the industry expectations, the beautiful history of TFTs is revisited, including the main landmarks in the last 80 years, finishing by referring to some papers that have played an important role in shaping transparent electronics. Then, an overview is presented of state of the art n-type TFTs processed by physical vapour deposition methods, and finally one of the most exciting, promising, and low cost but powerful technologies is discussed: solution-processed oxide TFTs. Moreover, a more detailed focus analysis will be given concerning p-type oxide TFTs, mainly centred on two of the most promising semiconductor candidates: copper oxide and tin oxide. The most recent data related to the production of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices based on n- and p-type oxide TFT is also be presented. The last topic of this review is devoted to some emerging applications, finalizing with the main conclusions. Related work that originated at CENIMAT|I3N during the last six years is included in more detail, which has led to the fabrication of high performance n- and p-type oxide transistors as well as the fabrication of CMOS devices with and on paper.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of nitrogen incorporation on a-IGZO TFT stability and developed Ar/O2/N2 atmosphere to improve the stability under stressing in different conditions.
Abstract: Instability of amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) remains an obstacle for commercialization. Here, we systematically discuss the effect of nitrogen incorporation on a-IGZO TFT stability and developed Ar/O2/N2 atmosphere to improve the stability under stressing in different conditions. Based on X-ray photoelectron spectrometer results, it is revealed that the positive gate bias stress (PGBS) stability is significantly improved due to microscopically passivated metal–oxygen bonds. Yet, the negative gate bias and light stress (NBLS) stability is seriously deteriorated with heavily nitrogen incorporation probably due to the bandgap narrowing effect. By optimizing a mixed O2/N2 atmosphere, the subgap states are finely tuned to afford optimal performance and stability. The developed IGZO TFTs exhibit mobility (12.67 cm2/Vs), small shift of threshold voltage under PGBS (reduced by 64% as compared with the pristine a-IGZO TFTs), and good negative gate bias stability and with NBLS stability as well.
14 citations
TL;DR: It was verified that this novel behavior originates from a specific distribution of dopants and the corresponding light–matter interactions in a nanometric space, which are allowed by the existence of such a dopant distribution.
Abstract: Giant polarization rotation in a ZnO single crystal was experimentally demonstrated based on a novel phenomenon occurring at the nanometric scale. The ZnO crystal was doped with N+ and N2+ ions serving as p-type dopants. By applying an in-plane current using a unique arrangement of electrodes on the device, current-induced polarization rotation of the incident light was observed. From the results of experimental demonstrations and discussions, it was verified that this novel behavior originates from a specific distribution of dopants and the corresponding light–matter interactions in a nanometric space, which are allowed by the existence of such a dopant distribution.
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of channel layer thickness on effective mobility was investigated in the sub-10nm regime of amorphous indium-gallium-zincoxide thin-film transistors (IGZO TFTs).
Abstract: We investigate the effect of channel layer thickness on effective mobility ( $\mu _{\text {eff}}$ ) in the sub-10-nm regime of amorphous indium–gallium–zinc–oxide thin-film transistors ( $\alpha $ -IGZO TFTs). TFT devices with extremely scaled channel thickness ${t} _{{\alpha}-{\text {IGZO}}}$ of 3.6 nm were realized, exhibiting low subthreshold swing (SS) of 74.4 mV/decade and the highest effective mobility $\mu _{\text {eff}}$ of 34 cm2/ $V\cdot s $ at a carrier density ${N} _{Carrier}$ of $\sim 5 \times 10^{12}$ cm−2 for any kind of $\alpha $ -IGZO TFTs having sub-10-nm ${t} _{{\alpha}-{\text {IGZO}}}$ . No significant degradation of $\mu _{\text {eff}}$ is observed as $\alpha $ -IGZO thickness reduced from 6 to 3.6 nm. By scaling down the channel length ${L} _{\text {CH}}$ to 38 nm, high extrinsic transconductance ( ${G} _{m, \max}$ ) of $125~\mu \text{s}/\mu \text{m}$ (at ${V}_{\text {DS}}$ of 1 V) and ON-state current ${I} _{\text {ON}}$ of $350~\mu \text{A}/\mu \text{m}$ at ${V}_{\text {GS}}$ – ${V} _{T}$ of 3 V with ${V}_{\text {DS}}$ of 2.5 V are achieved.
14 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented fabrication and characterization of transparent Ru-Si-O/In-Ga-Zn-O MESFETs on flexible substrates, where the use of transparent conducting oxide, namely, Ru−Si−O, as Schottky gate electrode, allows for processing the devices at room temperature, enabling the utilization of such low-temperature substrates as polyethylene terephthalate foil and paper.
Abstract: With the development of novel device applications, e.g., in the field of Internet of Things or point-of-care personalized diagnostic systems, came an increased demand for MESFETs for fast and low-power consumption integrated circuits and active-matrix displays. In this paper, we present fabrication and characterization of transparent Ru–Si–O/In–Ga–Zn–O MESFETs on flexible substrates. The use of transparent conducting oxide, namely, Ru–Si–O, as Schottky gate electrode, allows for processing the devices at room temperature, enabling the utilization of such low-temperature substrates as polyethylene terephthalate foil and paper. It was shown that tuning the device geometry allows realization of transistors providing on-current up to 2 mA, while the highest on-to-off current ratio equals $2\times 10^{\mathrm { {5}}}$ , with off-current below 1 nA, carrier mobility in the channel exceeds 9 cm $^{\mathrm { {2}}}\cdot \text{V}^{\mathrm { {-1}}}\cdot \text{s}^{\mathrm { {-1}}}$ , and subthreshold swing is below 250 mV $\cdot $ decade $^{\mathrm { {-1}}}$ .
14 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the compositional effects of amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were strategically investigated for thin film transistor applications.
Abstract: Cationic compositional effects of amorphous In–Ga–Zn–O (a-IGZO) prepared by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were strategically investigated for thin film transistor applications. The atomic compositions (In : Ga : Zn) of ALD-IGZO films were varied to 1 : 1 : 1, 1 : 1 : 3, and 1 : 1 : 5 by controlling the ALD cyclic ratios. The relative content of oxygen vacancies and temperature-dependent electrical conductivities among the films markedly varied with the In/Zn ratio. The device employing the 1 : 1 : 5 composition exhibited inferior characteristics owing to the excessive Zn content in the IGZO channel. With increasing In/Zn ratio, the density of subgap states near both the conduction and valence bands increased, resulting in a higher degree of bias-stress instability. The device employing the 1 : 1 : 3 composition exhibited the most promising device characteristics including excellent stabilities under positive bias-stress at 60 °C and a negative bias-illumination-stress condition using a green wavelength, in which the threshold voltage shifts were estimated to be as low as +0.8 and −1.5 V, respectively.
14 citations
References
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TL;DR: A novel semiconducting material is proposed—namely, a transparent amorphous oxide semiconductor from the In-Ga-Zn-O system (a-IGZO)—for the active channel in transparent thin-film transistors (TTFTs), which are fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate sheets and exhibit saturation mobilities and device characteristics are stable during repetitive bending of the TTFT sheet.
Abstract: Transparent electronic devices formed on flexible substrates are expected to meet emerging technological demands where silicon-based electronics cannot provide a solution. Examples of active flexible applications include paper displays and wearable computers1. So far, mainly flexible devices based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)2,3,4,5 and organic semiconductors2,6,7,8,9,10 have been investigated. However, the performance of these devices has been insufficient for use as transistors in practical computers and current-driven organic light-emitting diode displays. Fabricating high-performance devices is challenging, owing to a trade-off between processing temperature and device performance. Here, we propose to solve this problem by using a novel semiconducting material—namely, a transparent amorphous oxide semiconductor from the In-Ga-Zn-O system (a-IGZO)—for the active channel in transparent thin-film transistors (TTFTs). The a-IGZO is deposited on polyethylene terephthalate at room temperature and exhibits Hall effect mobilities exceeding 10 cm2 V-1 s-1, which is an order of magnitude larger than for hydrogenated amorphous silicon. TTFTs fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate sheets exhibit saturation mobilities of 6–9 cm2 V-1 s-1, and device characteristics are stable during repetitive bending of the TTFT sheet.
7,301 citations
Book•
04 Jul 1990
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a characterization of the resistivity of a two-point-versus-four-point probe in terms of the number of contacts and the amount of contacts in the probe.
Abstract: Preface to Third Edition. 1 Resistivity. 1.1 Introduction. 1.2 Two-Point Versus Four-Point Probe. 1.3 Wafer Mapping. 1.4 Resistivity Profiling. 1.5 Contactless Methods. 1.6 Conductivity Type. 1.7 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 1.1 Resistivity as a Function of Doping Density. Appendix 1.2 Intrinsic Carrier Density. References. Problems. Review Questions. 2 Carrier and Doping Density. 2.1 Introduction. 2.2 Capacitance-Voltage (C-V). 2.3 Current-Voltage (I-V). 2.4 Measurement Errors and Precautions. 2.5 Hall Effect. 2.6 Optical Techniques. 2.7 Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS). 2.8 Rutherford Backscattering (RBS). 2.9 Lateral Profiling. 2.10 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 2.1 Parallel or Series Connection? Appendix 2.2 Circuit Conversion. References. Problems. Review Questions. 3 Contact Resistance and Schottky Barriers. 3.1 Introduction. 3.2 Metal-Semiconductor Contacts. 3.3 Contact Resistance. 3.4 Measurement Techniques. 3.5 Schottky Barrier Height. 3.6 Comparison of Methods. 3.7 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 3.1 Effect of Parasitic Resistance. Appendix 3.2 Alloys for Contacts to Semiconductors. References. Problems. Review Questions. 4 Series Resistance, Channel Length and Width, and Threshold Voltage. 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 PN Junction Diodes. 4.3 Schottky Barrier Diodes. 4.4 Solar Cells. 4.5 Bipolar Junction Transistors. 4.6 MOSFETS. 4.7 MESFETS and MODFETS. 4.8 Threshold Voltage. 4.9 Pseudo MOSFET. 4.10 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 4.1 Schottky Diode Current-Voltage Equation. References. Problems. Review Questions. 5 Defects. 5.1 Introduction. 5.2 Generation-Recombination Statistics. 5.3 Capacitance Measurements. 5.4 Current Measurements. 5.5 Charge Measurements. 5.6 Deep-Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS). 5.7 Thermally Stimulated Capacitance and Current. 5.8 Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS). 5.9 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 5.1 Activation Energy and Capture Cross-Section. Appendix 5.2 Time Constant Extraction. Appendix 5.3 Si and GaAs Data. References. Problems. Review Questions. 6 Oxide and Interface Trapped Charges, Oxide Thickness. 6.1 Introduction. 6.2 Fixed, Oxide Trapped, and Mobile Oxide Charge. 6.3 Interface Trapped Charge. 6.4 Oxide Thickness. 6.5 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 6.1 Capacitance Measurement Techniques. Appendix 6.2 Effect of Chuck Capacitance and Leakage Current. References. Problems. Review Questions. 7 Carrier Lifetimes. 7.1 Introduction. 7.2 Recombination Lifetime/Surface Recombination Velocity. 7.3 Generation Lifetime/Surface Generation Velocity. 7.4 Recombination Lifetime-Optical Measurements. 7.5 Recombination Lifetime-Electrical Measurements. 7.6 Generation Lifetime-Electrical Measurements. 7.7 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 7.1 Optical Excitation. Appendix 7.2 Electrical Excitation. References. Problems. Review Questions. 8 Mobility. 8.1 Introduction. 8.2 Conductivity Mobility. 8.3 Hall Effect and Mobility. 8.4 Magnetoresistance Mobility. 8.5 Time-of-Flight Drift Mobility. 8.6 MOSFET Mobility. 8.7 Contactless Mobility. 8.8 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 8.1 Semiconductor Bulk Mobilities. Appendix 8.2 Semiconductor Surface Mobilities. Appendix 8.3 Effect of Channel Frequency Response. Appendix 8.4 Effect of Interface Trapped Charge. References. Problems. Review Questions. 9 Charge-based and Probe Characterization. 9.1 Introduction. 9.2 Background. 9.3 Surface Charging. 9.4 The Kelvin Probe. 9.5 Applications. 9.6 Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM). 9.7 Strengths and Weaknesses. References. Problems. Review Questions. 10 Optical Characterization. 10.1 Introduction. 10.2 Optical Microscopy. 10.3 Ellipsometry. 10.4 Transmission. 10.5 Reflection. 10.6 Light Scattering. 10.7 Modulation Spectroscopy. 10.8 Line Width. 10.9 Photoluminescence (PL). 10.10 Raman Spectroscopy. 10.11 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 10.1 Transmission Equations. Appendix 10.2 Absorption Coefficients and Refractive Indices for Selected Semiconductors. References. Problems. Review Questions. 11 Chemical and Physical Characterization. 11.1 Introduction. 11.2 Electron Beam Techniques. 11.3 Ion Beam Techniques. 11.4 X-Ray and Gamma-Ray Techniques. 11.5 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 11.1 Selected Features of Some Analytical Techniques. References. Problems. Review Questions. 12 Reliability and Failure Analysis. 12.1 Introduction. 12.2 Failure Times and Acceleration Factors. 12.3 Distribution Functions. 12.4 Reliability Concerns. 12.5 Failure Analysis Characterization Techniques. 12.6 Strengths and Weaknesses. Appendix 12.1 Gate Currents. References. Problems. Review Questions. Appendix 1 List of Symbols. Appendix 2 Abbreviations and Acronyms. Index.
6,573 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the literature in the area of alternate gate dielectrics is given, based on reported results and fundamental considerations, the pseudobinary materials systems offer large flexibility and show the most promise toward success.
Abstract: Many materials systems are currently under consideration as potential replacements for SiO2 as the gate dielectric material for sub-0.1 μm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology. A systematic consideration of the required properties of gate dielectrics indicates that the key guidelines for selecting an alternative gate dielectric are (a) permittivity, band gap, and band alignment to silicon, (b) thermodynamic stability, (c) film morphology, (d) interface quality, (e) compatibility with the current or expected materials to be used in processing for CMOS devices, (f) process compatibility, and (g) reliability. Many dielectrics appear favorable in some of these areas, but very few materials are promising with respect to all of these guidelines. A review of current work and literature in the area of alternate gate dielectrics is given. Based on reported results and fundamental considerations, the pseudobinary materials systems offer large flexibility and show the most promise toward success...
5,711 citations
IBM1
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present new insight into conduction mechanisms and performance characteristics, as well as opportunities for modeling properties of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) and discuss progress in the growing field of n-type OTFTs.
Abstract: Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) have lived to see great improvements in recent years. This review presents new insight into conduction mechanisms and performance characteristics, as well as opportunities for modeling properties of OTFTs. The shifted focus in research from novel chemical structures to fabrication technologies that optimize morphology and structural order is underscored by chapters on vacuum-deposited and solution-processed organic semiconducting films. Finally, progress in the growing field of the n-type OTFTs is discussed in ample detail. The Figure, showing a pentacene film edge on SiO2, illustrates the morphology issue.
4,804 citations
TL;DR: An outlook is presented on what will be required to drive this young photovoltaic technology towards the next major milestone, a 10% power conversion efficiency, considered by many to represent the efficiency at which OPV can be adopted in wide-spread applications.
Abstract: Solution-processed bulk-heterojunction solar cells have gained serious attention during the last few years and are becoming established as one of the future photovoltaic technologies for low-cost power production. This article reviews the highlights of the last few years, and summarizes today's state-of-the-art performance. An outlook is given on relevant future materials and technologies that have the potential to guide this young photovoltaic technology towards the magic 10% regime. A cost model supplements the technical discussions, with practical aspects any photovoltaic technology needs to fulfil, and answers to the question as to whether low module costs can compensate lower lifetimes and performances.
3,084 citations