Sol-Gel Composites-Based Flexible and Transparent Amorphous Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide Thin-Film Synaptic Transistors for Wearable Intelligent Electronics

Abstract

In this study, we propose the fabrication of sol-gel composite-based flexible and transparent synaptic transistors on polyimide (PI) substrates. Because a low thermal budget process is essential for the implementation of high-performance synaptic transistors on flexible PI substrates, microwave annealing (MWA) as a heat treatment process suitable for thermally vulnerable substrates was employed and compared to conventional thermal annealing (CTA). In addition, a solution-processed wide-bandgap amorphous In-Ga-Zn (2:1:1) oxide (a-IGZO) channel, an organic polymer chitosan electrolyte-based electric double layer (EDL), and a high-k Ta2O5 thin-film dielectric layer were applied to achieve high flexibility and transparency. The essential synaptic plasticity of the flexible and transparent synaptic transistors fabricated with the MWA process was demonstrated by single spike, paired-pulse facilitation, multi-spike facilitation excitatory post-synaptic current (EPSC), and three-cycle evaluation of potentiation and depression behaviors. Furthermore, we verified the mechanical robustness of the fabricated device through repeated bending tests and demonstrated that the electrical properties were stably maintained. As a result, the proposed sol-gel composite-based synaptic transistors are expected to serve as transparent and flexible intelligent electronic devices capable of stable neural operation.