Electrical performance of La-doped In₂O₃ thin-film transistors prepared using a solution method for low-voltage...

In this paper, La-doped In₂O₃ thin-film transistors (TFTs) were prepared by using a solution method, and the effects of La doping on the structure, surface morphology, optics, and performance of In₂O₃ thin films and TFTs were systematically investigated. The oxygen defects concentration decreased from 27.54% to 17.93% when La doping was increased to 10 mol%, and La served as a carrier suppressor, effectively passivating defects such as oxygen defects. In fact, the trap density at the dielectric/channel interface and within the active layer can be effectively reduced using this approach. With the increase of La concentration, the mobility of LaInO TFTs decreases gradually; the threshold voltage is shifted in the positive direction, and the TFT devices are operated in the enhanced mode. The TFT device achieved a subthreshold swing (SS) as low as 0.84 V dec^-1, a mobility (μ) of 14.22 cm² V^-1 s^-1, a threshold voltage (V_TH) of 2.16 V, and a current switching ratio of I_on/I_off of 10⁵ at a low operating voltage of 1 V. Therefore, regulating the doping concentration of La can greatly enhance the performance of TFT devices, which promotes the application of such devices in high-performance, large-scale, and low-power electronic systems.