Contact-Enhanced Transparent Silver Nanowire Network for All Solution-Based Top-Contact Metal-Oxide Thin-Film Transistors

In this paper, we investigate contact-enhanced transparent silver nanowire (Ag NW) network for solution-processed metal-oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs). Mechanical roll pressing was applied to a bar-coated Ag NW film to enhance the inter-nanowire connectivity. As a result, the sheet resistance of the Ag NW film was decreased from 119.5 Omega/square to 92.4 Omega/square, and more stable and enhanced TFT characteristics were achieved when the roll-pressed Ag NW was employed as source/drain electrodes. In addition, a non-acidic wet etching method was developed to pattern the Ag NW electrodes to construct top-contact geometry indium-gallium-zinc oxide TFTs. From the results, it is believed that the mechanical roll pressing and non-acidic wet etching method may be utilized in realizing all solution-based transparent metal-oxide TFTs.