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We introduced an organic interlayer into the Schottky contact interface to control the contact property. After inserting an 11-nm-thick polyethylenimine (PEI) interlayer between the aluminum (Al) source/drain electrode and the cuprous oxide (Cu

Copper(I) oxide (Cu2O), which is obtained from copper(II) oxide (CuO) through a reduction process, is a p-type oxide material with a band gap of 2.1–2.4 eV. However, the switching performance of ty...

P-type copper oxide (CuxO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) with enhanced switching characteristics were fabricated by introducing a sputter-processed capping layer capable of controlling the back-channel phase (labeled as phase-controlling layer, PCL). By optimizing the processing conditions (the deposition power and postdeposition annealing parameters), the switching characteristics of the TFTs achieved a subthreshold swing of 0.11 V dec-1, an on/off current ratio (Ion/Ioff) of 2.81 × 108, and a field-effect mobility (μFET) of 0.75 cm2 V-1 s-1, a considerable enhancement in performance compared to that of CuxO TFTs without the PCL. Through optical/electrical analyses and technology computer-aided design simulations, we determined that the performance improvements were because of the CuxO back-channel phase reconstruction through PCL deposition and subsequent annealing. The two factors that occurred during the process, sputtering damage and heat treatment, played key roles in creating the phase reconstruction by inducing a local phase transition that sharply reduced the off-current via controlling back-channel hole conduction. As a sample application, we fabricated a complementary metal oxide semiconductor inverter based on our optimized CuxO TFT and an InGaZnO TFT that demonstrated a large inverter voltage gain of >14. The proposed approach opens up advancements in low-power circuit design by expanding the utilization range of oxide TFTs.

We investigated a method to simultaneously improve the mobility and reliability of solution-processed zinc tin oxide thin film transistors (ZTO TFTs) using a dual-functional potassium superoxide precursor. Potassium cations in the potassium superoxide (KO2) precursor act as carrier suppliers in the ZTO thin film to improve the carrier (electron) concentration, which allows the potassium-doped ZTO TFT to exhibit high mobility. The anions in the precursor exist as superoxide radicals that reduce oxygen vacancies during the formation of thin oxide film. Consequently, the KO2-treated ZTO TFTs exhibited improved mobility and reliability compared with pristine ZTO TFTs, with an increase in field effect mobility from 5.57 to 8.74 cm2/V s and a decrease in the threshold voltage shift from 7.18 to 3.85 V, after a positive bias temperature stress test conducted over 5000 s.

We explored the effects of hypochlorous acid (HClO) oxidation on p-type oxide semiconductors. HClO generates oxygen radicals (O·) (strong reactive oxygen species) that affect the chemical state of p-type copper oxide (CuOx) thin films by reacting with CuOx. On robust oxidation by HClO, the numbers of Cu–O bonds increased and the numbers of copper vacancies serving as hole carriers decreased. In the modified CuOx thin-film transistors (TFTs), switching was evident. The subthreshold swing was 0.70 V/dec, the on-/off-current ratio was 4.86 × 104, and the field effect mobility was 2.83 × 10–3 cm2/V·s. Pristine CuOx TFTs did not exhibit switching.

Solution-processed amorphous metal-oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) utilizing an intermixed interface between a metal-oxide semiconductor and a dielectric layer are proposed. In-depth physical characterizations are carried out to verify the existence of the intermixed interface that is inevitably formed by interdiffusion of cations originated from a thermal process. In particular, when indium zinc oxide (IZO) semiconductor and silicon dioxide (SiO2) dielectric layer are in contact and thermally processed, a Si4+ intermixed IZO (Si/IZO) interface is created. On the basis of this concept, a high-performance Si/IZO TFT having both a field-effect mobility exceeding 10 cm2 V–1 s–1 and a on/off current ratio over 107 is successfully demonstrated.

Parallel aligned mesopore arrays in pyramidal-shaped GaN are fabricated by using an electrochemical anodic etching technique, followed by inductively coupled plasma etching assisted by SiO2 nanosphere lithography, and used as a promising photoelectrode for solar water oxidation. The parallel alignment of the pores of several tens of micrometers scale in length is achieved by the low applied voltage and prepattern guided anodization. The dry etching of single-layer SiO2 nanosphere-coated GaN produces a pyramidal shape of the GaN, making the pores open at both sides and shortening the escape path of evolved gas bubbles produced inside pores during the water oxidation. The absorption spectra show that the light absorption in the UV range is ∼93% and that there is a red shift in the absorption edge by 30 nm, compared with the flat GaN. It also shows a remarkable enhancement in the photocurrent density by 5.3 times, compared with flat GaN. Further enhancement (∼40%) by the deposition of Ni was observed due to the generation of an electric field, which increases the charge separation ratio.