Selenium-alloyed tellurium oxide for amorphous p-channel transistors

Ao Liu; Yong-Sung Kim; Min Gyu Kim; Youjin Reo; Taoyu Zou; Taesu Choi; Sai Bai; Huihui Zhu; Yong-Young Noh

doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07360-w

Selenium-alloyed tellurium oxide for amorphous p-channel transistors

Nature. 2024 Apr 10. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07360-w. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Ao Liu^{1

2

3}, Yong-Sung Kim^{4

5}, Min Gyu Kim⁶, Youjin Reo⁷, Taoyu Zou⁷, Taesu Choi⁷, Sai Bai⁸, Huihui Zhu^{9

10

11}, Yong-Young Noh¹²

Affiliations

¹ Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. ao.liu@uestc.edu.cn.
² Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea. ao.liu@uestc.edu.cn.
³ Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. ao.liu@uestc.edu.cn.
⁴ Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
⁵ Department of Nano Science, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
⁶ Beamline Research Division, Pohang Accelerator Laboratory, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
⁷ Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea.
⁸ Institute of Fundamental and Frontier Sciences, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
⁹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea. hhzhu@uestc.edu.cn.
¹⁰ Department of Chemistry, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA. hhzhu@uestc.edu.cn.
¹¹ School of Physics, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China. hhzhu@uestc.edu.cn.
¹² Department of Chemical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Republic of Korea. yynoh@postech.ac.kr.

PMID: 38599238
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07360-w

Abstract

Compared to polycrystalline semiconductors, amorphous semiconductors offer inherent cost-effective, simple and uniform manufacturing. Traditional amorphous hydrogenated Si falls short in electrical properties, necessitating the exploration of new materials. The creation of high-mobility amorphous n-type metal oxides, such as a-InGaZnO (ref. ¹), and their integration into thin-film transistors (TFTs) have propelled advancements in modern large-area electronics and new-generation displays^2-8. However, finding comparable p-type counterparts poses notable challenges, impeding the progress of complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technology and integrated circuits^9-11. Here we introduce a pioneering design strategy for amorphous p-type semiconductors, incorporating high-mobility tellurium within an amorphous tellurium suboxide matrix, and demonstrate its use in high-performance, stable p-channel TFTs and complementary circuits. Theoretical analysis unveils a delocalized valence band from tellurium 5p bands with shallow acceptor states, enabling excess hole doping and transport. Selenium alloying suppresses hole concentrations and facilitates the p-orbital connectivity, realizing high-performance p-channel TFTs with an average field-effect hole mobility of around 15 cm² V^-1 s^-1 and on/off current ratios of 10⁶-10⁷, along with wafer-scale uniformity and long-term stabilities under bias stress and ambient ageing. This study represents a crucial stride towards establishing commercially viable amorphous p-channel TFT technology and complementary electronics in a low-cost and industry-compatible manner.