Reliability Improvement in Solution-Processed ZrO₂ Dielectrics Due to Addition of H₂O₂

In this study, we investigated the effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) on solution-processed zirconium oxide (ZrO2) dielectric materials. The addition of H2O2 into ZrO2 dielectric showed a reduction in hysteresis capacitance-voltage characteristics (from 393 mV to 96 mV). This resulted in a reduction in border trap density (Nbt) of the ZrO2 film (ZrO2: 2.24 × 1011 cm-2, ZrO2 + H2O2: 3.96 × 1010 cm-2). In addition, use of H2O2 in the ZrO2 dielectric improved the interface quality. Specifically, the reduced number of trap sites improved the reliability of the device under a negative bias stress (NBS). The 350 °C annealed ZrO2 dielectric with H2O2 showed excellent leakage current properties (6.7 × 10-9 A/cm2 at gate voltage of -10 V). Based on these results, we fabricated IGZO/ZrO2 + H2O2 TFTs, which showed a high saturation mobility of 6.10 cm2/V · s and excellent switching properties. This study suggests that incorporation of H2O2 into ZrO2 effectively reduced oxygen vacancies through strong oxidation and minimized residual organics that cause impurities or structural defects, such as pores or pin holes, compared to a virgin ZrO2 film.