Spectroscopic Analysis\nof Electrical Phenomena and\nOxygen Vacancy Generation for Self-Aligned Fully Solution-Processed\nOxide Thin-Film Transistors

This work unveils critical insights through spectroscopic\nanalysis\nhighlighting electrical phenomena and oxygen vacancy generation in\nself-aligned fully solution-processed oxide thin-film transistors\n(TFTs). Ar inductively coupled plasma treatment was conducted to fabricate\nan amorphous indium zinc oxide (a-InZnO) TFT in a self-aligned process.\nResults showed that the Ar plasma-activated a-InZnO regions became\nconductive, which means that a homogeneous layer can act as both channel\nand electrode in the device. Several techniques were employed to probe\nspecific aspects of the source–drain–channel interface\nin the fully solution-processed TFTs. X-ray absorption near-edge structure\nand Extended X-ray absorption fine structure were conducted to investigate\nthe existence of oxygen vacancies, which is the main driving factor\nin inducing a conductive region. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy\nwas also used to explain the oxygen refilling mechanism. Ultraviolet\nPhotoelectron Spectroscopy was conducted to analyze the valence band\nmaximum and work function. Integration of these results facilitated\nthe construction of the energy band diagram at the interface, wherein\na Schottky barrier height of ∼0.37 eV was observed. By leveraging\nthese techniques, insights into the electronic properties and performance\nof next-generation transistors are gained, enabling their future widespread\nadoption.