Effect of oxygen partial pressure on the performance of homojunction amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O thin-film transistors

Abstract

In this study, the homojunction thin-film transistors (TFTs) with amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) as active channel layers and source/drain electrodes were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering. The effect of oxygen partial pressure on the phase, microstructure, optical and electrical properties of IGZO thin films was investigated. The results showed that amorphous IGZO thin films always exhibit a high transmittance above 90% and wide band gaps of around 3.9 eV. The resistivity increases as the IGZO thin films are deposited at a higher oxygen partial pressure due to the depletion of oxygen vacancies. In addition, the electrical behaviors in homojunction IGZO TFTs were analyzed. When the active channel layers were deposited with an oxygen partial pressure of 1.96%, the homojunction IGZO TFTs exhibited optimal transfer and output characteristics with a field-effect mobility of 13.68 cm²V^-1s^-1. Its sub-threshold swing, threshold voltage and on/off ratio are 0.6 V/decade, 0.61 V and 10⁷, respectively.

Keywords: homojunction; indium gallium zinc oxide; oxygen partial pressure; thin film transistors.