High-Performance Nd: AIZO/Al₂O₃ Dual Active Layer Design Without Thermal Annealing: High-Speed Electron Transport and Defect Modification in Thin Film Transistors

Flexible wearable electronics have been developing rapidly in recent years, and one of its core devices, thin-film transistor (TFT), is also attracting attention. Current TFT preparation processes usually require high annealing temperatures (>350 degrees C), which is not conducive to their application on most flexible substrates (PET, PEN, nanopaper, etc.). In this article, a strategy for the room temperature preparation of Nd:AIZO/Al2O3 dual-layer TFT devices is proposed, which has appreciable electrical properties without additional annealing treatment. Taguchi orthogonal experimental methods are used to investigate the effects of three essential process parameters on the performance of the films and devices. As Nd:AIZO deposition time decreases and Al2O3 oxygen percentage and time during deposition increase, the mu(sat) and SS of TFT devices are improved. With the preferred combination of parameters applied to the device preparation, the device exhibits a saturation mobility mu(sat) of 24.3 cm(2) V-1 s(-1), a threshold voltage V-th of -1.4 V, a subthreshold swing SS of 0.21 V decade(-1) and an I-on/I-off ratio of 4.26 x 10(8). The ultra-thin Al2O3 layer act as defect modification and form high-speed electron transport in channel layer. The room temperature preparation of the dual-layer TFT process proposed in this article is compatible with large-size low-cost flexible substrates. It has great potential for application in green flexible wearable electronics.
(TR Abstract Type: graphical; Abstract Language: en) The annealing process limits metal oxide semiconductor materials in flexible electronics. This work proposes a Nd:AIZO/Al2O3-thin-film transistor (TFT) that requires no additional annealing and offers impressive electrical performance, including a mu(sat) of 24.3 cm(2)V(-1)s(-1) and a threshold voltage of -1.4 V. The Al2O3 layer achieves high-speed electron transport by modifying defects, which is expected to be applied in green flexible electronics.