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The development of flexible and stretchable devices is crucial for realizing future electronics. In particular, for dielectric layer, conventional inorganic materials are limited by their brittle nature, while organic materials suffer from a low dielectric constant. Here, a novel intrinsically photopatternable high‐k Parylene‐based thin film (Parylene‐OH) is fabricated via a chemical vapor deposition process based on the Gorham method, which provides pin‐hole free, conformal polymeric film on any type of surface. Parylene‐OH can be photo‐patterned by UV crosslinking without further lithography processes and dielectric constant of Parylene‐OH increases from 6.05 to 7.53 after crosslinking, without degrading other parameters, making it comparable to conventional high‐k dielectric, Al2O3. Flexible In─Ga─Zn─O (IGZO) thin‐film transistors (TFTs) with patterned dielectric layers can withstand higher strain owing to the localized pattern of each unit. A CMOS inverter integrated with n‐type IGZO and p‐type Te TFTs is successfully fabricated. Parylene‐OH can be used in the future of state‐of‐the‐art flexible electronic devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing anode materials with high specific capacity and cycling stability is vital for improving thin‐film lithium‐ion batteries. Thin‐film zinc oxide (ZnO) holds promise due to its high specific capacity, but it suffers from volume changes and structural stress during cycling, leading to poor battery performance. In this research, we ingeniously combined polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with ZnO using a radio frequency (RF) magnetron co‐sputtering method, ensuring a strong bond in the thin‐film composite electrode. PTFE effectively reduced stress on the active material and mitigated volume change effects during Li+ ion intercalation and deintercalation. The composite thin films are thoroughly characterized using advanced techniques such as X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy for investigating correlations between material properties and electrochemical behaviors. Notably, the ZnO/PTFE thin‐film electrode demonstrated an impressive specific capacity of 1305 mAh g−1 (=7116 mAh cm−3) at a 0.5C rate and a remarkable capacity retention of 82% from the 1st to the 100th cycle, surpassing the bare ZnO thin film (50%). This study provides valuable insights into using binders to stabilize active materials in thin‐film batteries, enhancing battery performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review aims to provide a technical roadmap and an overview of recent progress in the development of backplane thin film transistors (TFTs) for organic light-emitting diodes flat panel displays and next-generation flexible displays. In the introduction, we provide a general overview of the research trends for backplane TFTs. The main part describes the current technical level and prospects for amorphous metal oxide semiconducting, metal halide perovskites, and 2D transition metal dichalcogenides TFTs. The summary and prospects are provided in the conclusion section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with a 1 um channel length were successfully fabricated by i-line lithography with a stepper process, resulting in high throughput. The a-IGZO TFT with a channel length of 1 μm exhibits high mobility of 8.77 cm2/Vs with an on/off current ratio of >3 × 1010. The stepper lithography process is capable of defect-free patterning given its precise layer-to-layer alignment and high image resolutions of the types required for large-area high-PPI displays. Consequently, IGZO TFTs can be fabricated on an 8-inch wafer with only minor electrical property deviations in the turn-on voltage, mobility, and on/off ratio. These results indicate that i-line lithography with a stepper process is a promising process for use in cutting-edge large-area electronics industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Amin et al. introduced a projection filtering method for excising constant amplitude FM jammers from DSSS communications, with minimal distortion to the PN sequence. In this paper, we show that this approach can be applied to AM-FM jammers as well, with a simple modification. Theoretical performance measures (correlator SNR) of the AM-FM projection method are derived, and demonstrate that near ideal performance is achieved for unbiased estimates of the jammer parameters. Results showing the effects of estimation errors in the AM and FM of the jammer on SNR are also provided. In general, FM errors cause greater performance degradation than the same level of error in estimating the AM.

A self-organized n+/n homojunction is proposed to achieve ultrahigh performance of thin film transistors (TFTs) based on an amorphous (Zn,Ba)SnO3 (ZBTO) semiconductor with sufficiently limited scattering centers. A deposited Al layer can induce a highly O-deficient (n+) interface layer in the back channel of a-ZBTO without damaging the front channel layer via the formation of a metal-oxide interlayer between the metal and back channel. The n+ layer can significantly improve the field-effect mobility by providing a relatively high concentration of free electrons in the front n-channel ZBTO, where the scattering of carriers is already controlled. In comparison with a Ti layer, the Al metal layer is superior, as confirmed by first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations, due to the stronger metal-O bonds, which make it easier to form a metal oxide AlOx interlayer through the removal of oxygen from ZBTO. The field-effect mobility of a-ZBTO with an Al capping layer can reach 153.4 cm2/Vs, which is higher than that of the pristine device, i.e., 20.8 cm2/Vs. This result paves the way for the realization of a cost-effective method for implementing indium-free ZBTO devices in various applications, such as flat panel displays and large-area electronic circuits. Thin-film transistors: A metal cap improves performance A layer of aluminum improves the performance of electronic devices useful for high-resolution flat displays, according to researchers in South Korea. Thin-film transistors are ultrafast electrical switches comprising stacked layers of semiconductors, metals and oxide materials. Their tiny size and planar architecture make them useful for large-area electronics and displays. A key performance metric for these devices is mobility: a measure of how quickly a charged particle can move through the semiconductor. Ji-Min Park from Chungnam National University in Daejeon and colleagues have shown how adding a capping layer of a highly oxidizing metal such as aluminum can greatly enhance the mobility of zinc barium tin oxide thin-film transistors. This cost-effective and useful improvement was achieved without introducing significant defects into the semiconductor. The formation of the conductive region (n+ layer) in (Zn,Ba)SnO3 (ZBTO) semiconductor is proposed to achieve high performance of thin-film transistors (TFTs). The aluminum metal capping layer is adopted to enhance the field-effect mobility of ZBTO TFTs. The capped Al layer takes out oxygen in the back-channel region, where the AlOx interlayer is formed. As a result, the field-effect mobility of Al-capped ZBTO TFTs is remarkably increased from 20.8 to 153.4 cm2/Vs. Furthermore, the Al-capped ZBTO TFTs are stable even when exposed to air for 3 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]