Deformation‐induced stress/strain mapping and performance evaluation of a‐IGZO thin‐film transistors for flexible electronic applications

Abstract

AbstractIn the flexible electronics sector, there is an urgent need for higher performance, and hence, many new technologies are emerging in recent years. The field of organic and printed electronics allows low production costs and large areas. The silicon technology allows nanometric resolutions and better performance. A new technology CAD (TCAD)‐based design methodology is needed to combine both mechanical flexibility and high performance. This work presents a predictive TCAD calibration methodology for indium‐gallium‐zinc‐oxide thin‐film transistors (TFTs), employing physics‐based modeling to support and enhance simulation‐based device development. In this work, based on the nonlinear finite element technique, a TCAD framework has been developed to introduce different types of large deformations and obtain the local stress/strain profiles (mapping) inside the devices. The impacts of various kinds of deformations on the electrical characteristics of the strained TFTs are studied. The feasibility (via predictions) for amorphous‐indium‐gallium‐zinc‐oxide (a‐IGZO) TFTs, combining considerable mechanical flexibility, high electrical performance, and finally, excellent stability under deformation, may be useful for mechanical deformation‐aware design and modeling for highly flexible electronics. To the best of our knowledge, the highest cutoff frequency (fT > 690 MHz) possible for strain‐engineered a‐IGZO TFTs is predicted in entirely flexible technologies that can be used to realize active transceivers operating in the MHz regime.