Low-voltage ZnO thin-film transistors operating at 2.0 V gated with mesoporous SiO2 dielectric processed at room-temperature

Low-voltage thin-film transistors (TFTs) with ZnO nanocrystal channel layers and mesoporous SiO2 gate dielectric are fabricated on glass substrates at room-temperature. The resulting n-type TFTs operate at a low voltage of 2.0 V. The equivalent field-effect electron mobility, current on/off ratio and subthreshold voltage swing is estimated to be 28.8 cm2 V−1 s−1, 3×106 and 84 mV/decade, respectively. The possible mechanism for low-voltage operation is discussed based on the electric double layer effect. Such room-temperature-processed low-voltage TFTs are very promising for low-power macroelectronics on temperature-sensitive substrates.