Abstract
Thin-film transistors (TFTs) with zirconium-doped indium oxide (ZrInO) semiconductor were successfully fabricated by an all-DC-sputtering method at room temperature. The ZrInO TFT without any intentionally annealing steps exhibited a high saturation mobility of 25.1 cm2V−1s−1. The threshold voltage shift was only 0.35 V for the ZrInO TFT under positive gate bias stress for 1 hour. Detailed studies showed that the room-temperature ZrInO thin film was in the amorphous state with low carrier density because of the strong bonding strength of Zr-O. The room-temperature process is attractive for its compatibility with almost all kinds of the flexible substrates, and the DC sputtering process is good for the production efficiency improvement and the fabrication cost reduction.
Highlights
There have been growing interests in transparent oxide semiconductors (TOSs) for their potential application in thin-film transistors (TFTs) backplanes of flat-panel displays (FPDs) such as active matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLEDs)[1,2,3] and liquid-crystal displays (LCDs)[4,5]
The gate dielectric layer of the zirconium-doped indium oxide (ZrInO) Thin-film transistors (TFTs) was prepared by room-temperature anodization, rather than by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) which requires another expensive vacuum instrument and would cause environment pollution due to the requirement of expensive, toxic, flammable, and explosive gases
The Zr element of ZrInO is considered to be a superior oxygen binder to suppress the formation of oxygen vacancies for its low electronegativity (1.4)[24] and strong bonding strength with oxygen[32]
Summary
The same phenomena were observed in the spin-orbit split XPS data of In 3d5/2 and Zr 3d5/2, as shown, respectively Both of the peaks of In 3d5/2 and Zr 3d5/2 in ZrInO thin film shifted toward the high binding energy direction as the annealing temperature increased, indicating an increase of the coordination number of the Zr or In with the increasing annealing temperature. It is clearly to see that ZrInO TFT without passivation layer exhibited excellent electrical stability with a threshold voltage shift of only 0.35 V, indicating that the ZrInO material was insensitive to air (H2O or O2) It suggests that the room-temperature, all DC-sputtered ZrInO TFTs is stable enough for the backplanes of AMOLEDs. In conclusion, ZrInO thin film prepared by DC magnetron sputtering were investigated as an active channel layer for TFTs. The structural properties of ZrInO thin films were analyzed using XRD, SEM and TEM, which showed an increase in the crystallinity as the annealing temperature increased. The room-temperature processes without any intentionally annealing steps show a great potential for the applications in the flexible displays, and the DC sputtering method is good for the production efficiency improvement and cost reduction
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
