Inverter circuits on freestanding flexible substrate using ZnO nanoparticles for cost-efficient electronics. (November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vidor, Fábio F.; Meyers, Thorsten; Müller, Kathrin; Wirth, Gilson I.; Hilleringmann, Ulrich
• Is Part Of: Solid-state electronics. Volume 137(2017)
• Page Start: 16
• Page End: 21
• Publication Date: 2017-11
• Subjects: Flexible electronics -- ZnO nanoparticles -- Inverter circuits -- Thin-film transistor -- Cost-efficient; Semiconductors -- Periodicals; Semiconducteurs -- Périodiques; 621.38152
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sse.2017.07.011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0038-1101

Abstract

Highlights: ZnO nanoparticle thin-film transistors and inverters for flexible electronics are shown. Inverter circuits integrated on freestanding flexible substrate (PET) are demonstrated. The transfer process from inverted coplanar to inverted staggered setup are studied. The influence on the TFT and inverter performance depending on the configuration are evaluated. TFT's layer/elements are defined by photolithographic processes. Abstract: Driven by the Internet of Things (IoT), flexible and transparent smart systems have been intensively researched by the scientific community and by several companies. This technology is already available for consumers in a wide range of innovative products, e.g., flexible displays, radio-frequency identification tags and wearable electronic skins which, for instance, collect and analyze data for medical applications. For these systems, thin-film transistors (TFTs) are the key elements responsible for the driving currents. Solution-based materials such as nanoparticle dispersions avail the fabrication on large-area substrates with high throughput processes. In this study, we discuss the integration of ZnO nanoparticle thin-film transistors and inverter circuits on freestanding polymeric substrates enclosing the main issues concerning the transfer of the integration process from a rigid substrate to a flexible one. The TFTs depict V ON between −0.2 and 1 V, I ON / I OFF > 10 4 and field-effect mobility >0.5 cm 2 V −1 s −1 . Additionally, in order to enhance the transistors and inverters performance, an adaptation on the device configuration, from an inverted coplanar to an inverted staggered setup, was conducted and analyzed. By employing the inverted staggered setup a considerable increase in the contact quality between the semiconductor and the drain and source electrodes was observed. As the integrated devices depict electrical characteristics which enable the fabrication of electronic circuits for the low-cost sector, inverters were fabricated and characterized, evaluating the circuit's gain as function of the applied supply voltage and circuit's geometric ratio.