Low-temperature and high-performance ZnSnO thin film transistor activated by lightwave irradiation

Abstract

Ultra-high-resolution and flexible display applications require high-performance oxide thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated at low temperatures. This study fabricated low-temperature and solution-processed high-mobility ZnSnO (ZTO) thin films and TFTs by a lightwave-activation annealing process. The effect of Sn content on the microstructures and electrical properties of lightwave-activated ZTO (LW-ZTO) films and TFTs was investigated. The lightwave-activation process triggered the efficient decomposition of chloride-based precursors and enhanced the performance of ZTO TFTs at a low temperature (230 °C). The optimized ZTO TFTs exhibited excellent electrical properties, including a high saturation mobility of 45.1 cm2/Vs and an on-current/off-current ratio of 105-106 at a low operating voltage of 3 V. Furthermore, the LW-ZTO devices demonstrated high operational stability with a small Vth shift of 0.231 V under bias stress for 5400 s. The performance of the ZTO TFTs was attributed to the low-temperature lightwave-activation process, stemming from the synergic effects of light and heat. These promising results highlight the potential applications of low-temperature lightwave-activated oxide transistors in next-generation cost-effective and low-power flexible electronics.