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Fabrication of a Solution-gated Indium-Tin-Oxide-based One-piece Transistor Enabling Sensitive Biosensing
Published on: August 29, 2025
Decoupling Reversible Interface Trapping and Irreversible Bulk Transitions in Solution-Processed Indium Zinc Oxide
Dongwook Kim1, Hyunji Shin2, Hyeonju Lee1
1School of Semiconductor and Display Technology, Hallym University, Chun-Choen 24252, Republic of Korea.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 27, 2026
Summary
This study distinguishes between reversible and irreversible degradation in indium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). Understanding these processes, governed by charge transitions and bulk trapping, is key to designing more stable semiconductor devices.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Semiconductor Physics
- Device Engineering
Background:
- Indium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) are crucial for electronic displays.
- Bias-stress instability is a major challenge for TFT performance and longevity.
- Understanding degradation mechanisms is essential for improving device stability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically decouple reversible charge recombination and irreversible bulk trapping in indium zinc oxide TFTs.
- To investigate the impact of positive- and negative-bias-stress (PBS and NBS) on TFT degradation.
- To develop a comprehensive model for bias-stress instabilities in amorphous oxide semiconductor TFTs.
Main Methods:
- Solution-processed indium zinc oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) were fabricated with varying indium molarities.
- Time-dependent transfer characteristics and saturation leakage currents were evaluated under PBS and NBS.
- Threshold voltage shifts were analyzed to quantify trapped charges and defect kinetics.
Main Results:
- PBS-induced instability is linked to reversible electrostatic neutralization of acceptor-like states at the dielectric/semiconductor interface.
- NBS-induced degradation stems from irreversible bulk trapping via ionization of donor-like oxygen vacancies.
- Calculated trapped charges correlate with gap-state distributions, revealing defect kinetics.
Conclusions:
- A density of state-energy band alignment model was proposed, incorporating thermal activation energies and flat-band voltages.
- Composition-dependent Fermi level positioning dictates bias-stress instabilities in amorphous oxide semiconductor TFTs.
- These findings offer insights for designing highly stable amorphous oxide semiconductor TFTs.
Keywords:
density of state–energy band alignmentindium zinc oxideirreversible bulk trappingreversible recombinationthin-film transistorMore Related Videos
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