Enhancement of the electrical characteristics of indium–zinc tin-oxide thin-film transistors utilizing dual-channel layers

• Thin film transistors with indium–zinc tin-oxide (IZTO) dual-channel layers were fabricated.
• AFM images showed that the surfaces of the IZTO thin films were smooth.
• Transmittance of the IZTO thin films was approximately 80% in the visible range.
• Threshold voltage value of the IZTO TFTs shifted from −4.9–15.7 V.
• Dual-channel IZTO TFTs showed excellent TFT characteristics.

Thin film transistors (TFTs) with indium–zinc tin-oxide (IZTO) dual-channel layers were fabricated on heavily-doped p-type Si substrates by using a tilted dual-target radio-frequency magnetron sputtering system. The number of oxygen vacancies in the IZTO channel layer decreased with increasing oxygen partial pressure, resulting in a decrease in the conductivity. The threshold voltage (Vth) shifted toward positive gate-source voltage with increasing oxygen partial pressure for the growth of the IZTO layer because of a decrease in the carrier concentration. The Vth, the mobility, the on/off-current ratio, and the subthreshold swing of the dual-channel IZTO TFTs were 3.5 V, 7.1 cm2/V s, 1.3 V/decade, and 8.2 × 106, respectively, which was enhanced by utilizing dual-channel layers consisting of a top channel deposited at a high oxygen partial pressure and a bottom channel deposited at a low oxygen partial pressure.