(Invited) Low-Temperature Sol-Gel Derived Ultra-Flexible Metal-Oxide Thin-Film-Transistors and Their Applications

Abstract

Amorphous metal-oxide semiconductors have emerged as potential replacements for organic and silicon materials in thin-film electronics. The high carrier mobility in amorphous state and excellent large-area uniformity have extended their applications to active-matrix electronics including displays, sensor arrays, and X-ray detectors. Moreover, their solution processability and optical transparency have opened new horizons for low-cost printable and transparent electronics including wearable applications. However, metal oxide formation by sol-gel route requires a crucial annealing step at relatively-high temperature which impedes their incorporation onto the conventional polymeric substrates and thus high-performance flexible electronics. In this presentation, high performance solution-processed metal-oxide semiconductors as well as advancements in lowering processing temperature for thin-film-transistors (TFTs) and their applications for wearable electronics will be demonstrated. Additionally, the developments of advanced technologies for low-cost solution-processed metal-oxide TFT based sensor arrays and integrated circuits will be addressed.