ZnO nanoparticle thin-film transistors on flexible substrate using spray-coating technique

•ZnO nanoparticle TFTs were integrated on a freestanding flexible substrate (PET).•Resolution (photolithography) of 1 μm with multiple layers was achieved.•Integration process allows the fabrication of complex circuits.•Maximum process temperature of 115 °C.•Electrical and optical characteristics of the TFTs were evaluated.

Nowadays, transparent and flexible electronics allow the fabrication of several innovative products, from flexible displays to radio-frequency identification tags and wearable electronics. For this reason, this technology has gained the interest of several companies including the scientific community. In flexible microelectronic systems, thin-film transistors (TFTs) are the active elements switching the driving currents. Therefore, we present inverted coplanar ZnO nanoparticle TFTs on a freestanding polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate. For the active semiconductor deposition a spray-coating technique was used availing the process to large area substrates. The maximum process temperature was limited to 115 °C. Subsequently to the integration process, the electrical and optical characteristics of the transistors were evaluated.

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