Rational Design of ZnO:H/ZnO Bilayer Structure for High Performance Thin-Film Transistors

The intriguing properties of zinc oxide-based semiconductors are being extensively studied as they are attractive alternatives to current silicon-based semiconductors for applications in transparent and flexible electronics. Although they have promising properties, significant improvements on performance and electrical reliability of ZnO-based thin film transistors (TFTs) should be achieved before they can be applied widely in practical applications. This work demonstrates a rational and elegant design of TFT, composed of poly crystalline ZnO:H/ZnO bilayer structure without using other metal elements for doping. The field-effect mobility and gate bias stability of the bilayer structured devices have been improved. In this device structure, the hydrogenated ultrathin ZnO:H active layer (similar to 3 nm) could provide suitable carrier concentration and decrease the interface trap density, while thick pure-ZnO layer could control channel conductance. Based on this novel structure, a high field-effect mobility of 42.6 cm2 V-1 s-1, a high on/off current ratio of 108 and a small subthreshold swing of 0.13 V dec-1 have been achieved. Additionally, the bias stress stability of the bilayer structured devices is enhanced compared to the simple single channel layer ZnO device. These results suggest that the bilayer ZnO:H/ZnO TFTs have a great potential for low-cost thin-film electronics.