Study on the Performance Enhancement of ZnO Nanoparticles Thin-Film Transistors

Abstract

Due to the electrical, sensory and optical properties the interest on ZnO-based devices including thin-film transistors (TFT) aroused. The main concerns, when using ZnO nanoparticles (NP-ZnO) in TFT, are the low charge carrier mobility and the hysteresis when poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVP) is used as gate dielectric. It is well-known that the mobility in NP-ZnO films can be enhanced by the subsequent hydrothermal decomposition of zinc salts. The electrical behavior as a function of time and temperature is investigated, taking the NP-ZnO without addition of zinc acetate as reference. The addition of zinc acetate leads to a device with better performance, with increased drain current level and without the presence of the hysteresis in the transfer characteristic. The formation reaction was performed at a temperature of 200°C, which enables process compatibility to some plastic substrates.