Abstract
Thin-film transistors (TFTs) based on amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) have proved promising features for flexible and lightweight electronics. To achieve technological maturity for commercial and industrial applications, their stability under extreme environmental conditions is highly required. The combined effects of temperature (T) from −30.0°C to 50.0°C and relative humidity (RH) stress from 0 to 95% on a-IGZO TFT is presented. The TFT performances and the parameters variation were analysed in two different experiments. First, the TFT response was extracted while undergoing the most extreme climate conditions on Earth, ranging from the African Desert (50.0°C, 22%) to Antarctic (−30.0°C, 0%). Afterwards, the device functionality was demonstrated in three parts of the human body (forehand, arm and foot) at low (35%), medium (60%) and high (95%) relative humidity for on-skin and wearable applications. The sensitivity to T/RH variations suggests the suitability of these TFTs as sensing element for epidermal electronics and artificial skin.
Highlights
The increased interest in flexible and imperceptible electronics has positively impacted on different applications, such as smart textiles Cherenack et al (2010), epidermal electronics for healthcare Gao et al (2016), and display technologies Geng et al (2017)
Among the different thin-film transistors (TFTs) technologies, oxide semiconductors, and in particular amorphous Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide (a-IGZO), have proved several advantages to fulfill the requirements for state-of-the-art applications, such as high electrical performance with mobility greater than 10 cm2/Vs, large-area processability, transparency and low deposition temperatures Yabuta et al (2006), Nomura et al (2004), Salvatore et al (2014)
The results showed the suitability of IGZO TFTs as active electronics and sensor conditioning platform for both wearable and e-skin applications
Summary
The increased interest in flexible and imperceptible electronics has positively impacted on different applications, such as smart textiles Cherenack et al (2010), epidermal electronics for healthcare Gao et al (2016), and display technologies Geng et al (2017). In addition to the mechanical stability, the electrical stability at any environmental condition (light exposure, moisture, temperature (T), relative humidity (RH)) is a key aspect for the employment of a-IGZO TFTs on a large scale Costa et al (2019). (2018), Kim et al (2017), no common trend in the variations of the other parameters was observed The dependence of these variations on several parameters, such as light-excitation Zhou et al (2014), Dong et al (2019), Knobelspies et al (2018), traps density Kim et al (2011) and defects formation Lee and Jeong (2018), Park et al (2008), fabrication process Hoshino et al (2013), Corsino et al (2020), have been investigated. The results showed the suitability of IGZO TFTs as active electronics and sensor conditioning platform for both wearable and e-skin applications
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