High performance p-type NiOx thin-film transistor by Sn doping

Major obstacles towards power efficient complementary electronics employing oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) lie in the lack of equivalent well performing p-channel devices. Here, we report a significant performance enhancement of solution-processed p-type nickel oxide (NiOx) TFTs by introducing Sn dopant. The Sn-doped NiOx (Sn-NiOx) TFTs annealed at 280 degrees C demonstrate substantially improved electrical performances with the increase in the on/off current ratio (I-on/I-off) by similar to 100 times, field-effect mobility (mu(lin)) by similar to 3 times, and the decrease in subthreshold swing by half, comparing with those of pristine NiOx TFTs. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction results confirm that Sn atoms tend to substitute Ni sites and induce more amorphous phase. A decrease in density of states in the gap of NiOx by Sn doping and the shift of Fermi level (E-F) into the midgap lead to the improvements of TFT performances. As a result, Sn-NiOx can be a promising material for the next-generation, oxide-based electronics. Published by AIP Publishing.