High-performance staggered top-gate thin-film transistors with hybrid-phase microstructural ITO-stabilized ZnO channels

In this paper, the ITO-stabilized ZnO thin films with a hybrid-phase microstructure were introduced, where a number of nanocrystals were embedded in an amorphous matrix. The microstructural and optical properties of thin films were investigated. It was found that the grain boundary and native defect issues in the pristine polycrystalline ZnO could be well suppressed. Meanwhile, such thin films also possessed relatively smooth surface and high transmittance in the visible range. Afterwards, the corresponding staggered top-gate thin-film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated at a temperature of 300 °C and exhibited fairly high electrical characteristics, especially with a field-effect mobility of nearly 20 cm² V^-1 s^-1 and a subthreshold swing as low as 0.115 V/decade. In addition, the electrical uniformity and the stability of devices were also examined to be excellent. It is expected that the staggered top-gate TFTs with hybrid-phase microstructural ITO-stabilized ZnO channels are promising in the next-generation active-matrix flat panel displays.