Water-Induced Nanometer-Thin Crystalline Indium-Praseodymium Oxide Channel Layers for Thin-Film Transistors

We report water-induced nanometer-thin crystalline indium praseodymium oxide (In-Pr-O) thin-film transistors (TFTs) for the first time. This aqueous route enables the formation of dense ultrathin (~6 nm) In-Pr-O thin films with near-atomic smoothness (~0.2 nm). The role of Pr doping is investigated by a battery of experimental techniques. It is revealed that as the Pr doping ratio increases from 0 to 10%, the oxygen vacancy-related defects could be greatly suppressed, leading to the improvement of TFT device characteristics and durability. The optimized In-Pr-O TFT demonstrates state-of-the-art electrical performance with mobility of 17.03 ± 1.19 cm2/Vs and on/off current ratio of ~106 based on Si/SiO2 substrate. This achievement is due to the low electronegativity and standard electrode potential of Pr, the high bond strength of Pr-O, same bixbyite structure of Pr2O3 and In2O3, and In-Pr-O channel’s nanometer-thin and ultrasmooth nature. Therefore, the designed In-Pr-O channel holds great promise for next-generation transistors.