Present status of electric-double-layer thin-film transistors and their applications

Abstract

As thin-film transistors (TFTs) are the workhorse of thin-film electronics, a great deal of focus has been placed upon improving their performance. One major avenue of investigation is the use of electrolyte dielectrics, which can form high capacitance electric-double layers (EDLs). The high capacitance of the EDL enables low-voltage TFT operation by inducing high carrier densities in the channel at low operating voltages. Moreover, due to the diverse range of electrolyte materials under investigation, many EDL TFTs meet the requirements for use in flexible and printable electronics. Here, the basic principles of TFTs and EDLs are introduced along with the advantages and disadvantages of different types of electrolytes. The present status of EDL TFTs is assessed with respect to different channel materials, e.g. oxide semiconductors and organic semiconductors. An overview of the potential uses of EDL is also given, including research into insulator-to-metal and insulator-to-superconductor transitions as well as incorporation into both chemical and thermal sensors. Beyond the basic EDL TFT building blocks, logic circuits for low-power electronic devices, such as memories, sensors, and neuromorphic circuits, which take advantage of the unusual properties of the EDL to mimic neural networks, are also summarized. Finally, the outlook and challenges for EDL TFTs are discussed.

Dielectrics for Two-Dimensional Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Applications

“…65−67 They are ionic conductors but electronically insulating dielectrics that can form electric double layers from the accumulation of space charges at interfaces. 68,69 A key advantage is their high specific capacitance (typically >1 μFcm −2 ) enabling energy efficient device operation at low voltages. Low temperature, large-area solution processing is also possible, and their compatibility with flexible substrates is useful for flexible electronic applications.…”

“…Ion-gels are composite electrolyte materials composed of polymer networks integrated with an ionic liquids and combine the excellent electrical properties of ionic liquids and the flexible mechanical properties of polymers (Figure g). − They are ionic conductors but electronically insulating dielectrics that can form electric double layers from the accumulation of space charges at interfaces. , A key advantage is their high specific capacitance (typically >1 μFcm –2 ) enabling energy efficient device operation at low voltages. Low temperature, large-area solution processing is also possible, and their compatibility with flexible substrates is useful for flexible electronic applications.…”

Performance enhancement of solution-processed InZnO thin-film transistors by Al doping and surface passivation

“…To fabricate Al-doped IZO TFTs, first, precursors with different Al doping percentages were spin-coated on 100 nm thick SiO 2 or AlO x films at 3000 rpm for 30 s, followed by an immediate annealing at 120 °C for 1 min and another 1 h annealing at 350 °C in air. Similar to what were reported previously, an intermediate annealing was done here in order to remove the residual solvent and/or rearrange the constituent elements within the layer [12,13] . The films are measured to be 12.37 ± 0.15, 12.45 ± 0.02, 12.64 ± 0.04 and 13.45 ± 0.18 nm for Al doping percentages of 0%, 1%, 3% and 5%, respectively.…”

Molecular Dynamics and Machine Learning in Catalysts

“…Finally, the model is trained, and the machine learning potential is achieved. Several machine learning models are chosen to acquire the machine learning potentials, such as neural networks [130,131] and gaussian process regression [132][133][134][135][136][137][138][139]. Ulissi et al [140] studied the active sites of bimetallic catalysts.…”