Effects of electron-beam irradiation on structural, electrical, and optical properties of amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide thin films

• E-beam irradiation improved the short-range arrangement of IGZO thin films.
• The drastic increase in electron concentration was observed after the irradiation.
• The generation of defect states was revealed by photoluminescence.

High-energy electron-beam irradiation of indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) films improved the short-range arrangement. The increase in band gap was used as an indication of such improvement. X-ray diffraction confirmed that the films treated with a DC voltage of 2–4.5 kV for duration of up to 35 min are in the amorphous state or nanocrystalline phase. Higher energy electron-beam irradiation led to increased conductivity, which mainly comes from the drastic increase in electron concentration. Electron-beam treatment could be a viable route to improve the contact resistance between the source/drain and channel layer in thin-film transistor devices.