Title :
Replacement and Rearrangement of an Oxide Lattice by Germanium Doping in Solution-Processed Indium–Zinc-Oxide Thin-Film Transistors
Author :
Tae Soo Jung ; Si Joon Kim ; Chul Ho Kim ; Joohye Jung ; Jaewon Na ; Sabri, Mardhiah Muhamad ; Hyun Jae Kim
Author_Institution :
Sch. of Electr. & Electron. Eng., Yonsei Univ., Seoul, South Korea
Abstract :
Germanium (Ge) doping effects on solution-processed indium-zinc-oxide (IZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) were investigated. Ge doping increased the carrier concentration of Ge-doped IZO (Ge:IZO) thin films from 3.32 × 1014 to 3.13 × 1015 cm3 by Ge substitution for zinc (Zn). Ge easily substituted for Zn in the IZO active layer, due to its comparably small atomic radius. By this substitution, Ge doping provided additional valence electrons to the active layer, resulting in a value for the field-effect mobility of a Ge:IZO TFT that was almost two times greater than that of a pristine IZO TFT. Consequently, despite the Ge:IZO TFT being a quaternary system, it displayed a better electrical performance and stability at low processing temperatures, thus demonstrating the feasibility of this device for flexible displays.
Keywords :
carrier density; germanium; indium compounds; semiconductor doping; semiconductor thin films; thin film transistors; Ge substitution; Ge-doped IZO thin films; InZnO:Ge; carrier concentration; field effect mobility; flexible displays; germanium doping; oxide lattice; solution-processed indium-zinc-oxide thin-film transistors; valence electrons; Annealing; Doping; Ions; Temperature measurement; Thin film transistors; Zinc; Amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS); germanium (Ge) doping; solution process; substitution process; thin-film transistors (TFTs); thin-film transistors (TFTs).;
Journal_Title :
Electron Devices, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/TED.2015.2455558
