Water-Induced Nanometer-Thin Crystalline Indium-Praseodymium Oxide Channel Layers for Thin-Film Transistors
Wangying Xu,
Chuyu Xu,
Zhibo Zhang,
Weicheng Huang,
Qiubao Lin,
Shuangmu Zhuo,
Fang Xu,
Xinke Liu,
Deliang Zhu,
Chun Zhao
Affiliations
Wangying Xu
Department of Physics, School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Chuyu Xu
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
Zhibo Zhang
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
Weicheng Huang
Department of Physics, School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Qiubao Lin
Department of Physics, School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Shuangmu Zhuo
Department of Physics, School of Science, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China
Fang Xu
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Ultraintense Laser and Advanced Material Technology, Center for Advanced Material Diagnostic Technology, and College of Engineering Physics, Shenzhen Technology University, Shenzhen 518118, China
Xinke Liu
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
Deliang Zhu
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518000, China
Chun Zhao
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China
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.
