Perspective of zinc oxide based thin film transistors: a comprehensive review

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive review on development and future trends in zinc oxide thin film transistors (ZnO TFTs). This paper presents the development of TFT technology starting from amorphous silicon, poly-Si to ZnO TFTs. This paper also discusses about transport and device modeling of ZnO TFT and provides a comparative analysis with other TFTs on the basis of performance parameters. Design/methodology/approach It highlights the need of high–k dielectrics for low leakage and low threshold voltage in ZnO TFTs. This paper also explains the effect of grain boundaries, trap densities and threshold voltage shift on the performance of ZnO TFT. Moreover, it also addresses the challenges like requirement of stable p-type ZnO semiconductor for various electronic applications and high value of ZnO mobility to meet growing demand of high-definition light emitting diode TV (HD-LED TV). Findings This review will motivate the readers to further investigate the conduction mechanism, best alternate for gate-dielectric and the deposition technique optimization for the enhancement of the performance of ZnO TFTs. Originality/value This is a literature review. The technological evolution of TFT in general and ZnO TFT in particular is presented in this paper.

Zinc Oxide Defect Microstructure and Surface Chemistry Derived from Oxidation of Metallic Zinc: Thin‐Film Transistor and Sensor Behavior of ZnO Films and Rods

“…Zinc oxide is an important semiconducting and piezoelectric material, which has gained considerable attentiono ver the last decadea sapromising candidate for various microelectronic, optoelectronic, and sensing applications. [1][2][3] Thus, impressive chargec arrier mobilities above 50 cm 2 V À1 s À1 have been observedi nthin-filmt ransistors (TFTs) obtained from sputter depositiono fZ nO. [4,5] That said, zinc oxide layers fabricated by meanso fs olution deposition, which is hailed as ac ost-efficient approache nabling coating under temperatures suitable for sensitives ubstrates, frequently exhibit ratherp oor performances.…”

“…[18] In-depth studies attempting to correlate the electronic properties of TFTsw ith the corresponding thin-film microstructure and point defects are still scarce. [2] The present work will address the latter point by employing positrona nnihilation spectroscopy,t hat is, lifetimes pectra (PALS), 3g/2g spectroscopy,a sw ell as coincidence Doppler broadening (DB-PAS). [19,20] Thisa pproachi su nique, and will help to understand the semiconducting behavior of the films.…”

“…Zinc oxide is an important semiconducting and piezoelectric material, which has gained considerable attention over the last decade as a promising candidate for various microelectronic, optoelectronic, and sensing applications [1–3] . Thus, impressive charge carrier mobilities above 50 cm 2 V −1 s −1 have been observed in thin‐film transistors (TFTs) obtained from sputter deposition of ZnO [4, 5] .…”

“…In‐depth studies attempting to correlate the electronic properties of TFTs with the corresponding thin‐film microstructure and point defects are still scarce [2] …”

Magnetotransport Properties of Microstructured ZnO Thin Films Grown on a‐ and r‐Plane Sapphire Substrates

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The transparent semiconductor ZnO has attracted substantial interest in the research community because of its potential applications as a transparent thin film, [1][2][3] transistor, [4][5][6] optoelectronic devices, [7][8][9] light-emitting diode, [10,11] among others. Another promising, non-inherent property is its roomtemperature ferromagnetism, which was first theoretically predicted to occur through doping with transition magnetic ions such as Fe, Co, or Ni.

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