Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor Applications
Indium-based oxide semiconductors have been commercialized because of their excellent electrical properties, but the high cost, limited availability, and environmental toxicity of indium necessitate the development of alternative materials. Among the most promising candidates, zinc–tin oxide (ZTO) i...
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2025-07-01
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| author | Yong-Jae Kim Young-Jik Lee Yeon-Hee Kim Byung Seong Bae Woon-Seop Choi |
| author_facet | Yong-Jae Kim Young-Jik Lee Yeon-Hee Kim Byung Seong Bae Woon-Seop Choi |
| author_sort | Yong-Jae Kim |
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| description | Indium-based oxide semiconductors have been commercialized because of their excellent electrical properties, but the high cost, limited availability, and environmental toxicity of indium necessitate the development of alternative materials. Among the most promising candidates, zinc–tin oxide (ZTO) is an indium-free oxide semiconductor with considerable potential, but its relatively low carrier mobility and inherent limitations in thin-film quality demand further performance enhancements. This paper proposes a new approach to overcome these challenges by incorporating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as conductive fillers into the ZTO matrix and using a layer-by-layer multiple coating process to construct nanocomposite thin films. As a result, ZTO/SWNTs (0.07 wt.%) thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated with three coating cycles exhibited a high saturation mobility of 18.72 cm<sup>2</sup>/V·s, a threshold voltage of 0.84 V, and a subthreshold swing of 0.51 V/dec. These values represent an approximately four-fold improvement in mobility compared to ZTO TFT, showing that the multiple-coating-based nanocomposite strategy can effectively overcome the fundamental limitations. This study confirms the feasibility of achieving high-performance oxide semiconductor transistors without indium, providing a sustainable pathway for next-generation flexible electronics and display technologies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-03b567881f494b76b7c24bd2e8ce2613 |
| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-03b567881f494b76b7c24bd2e8ce26132025-08-20T03:36:12ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2025-07-0116782510.3390/mi16070825Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor ApplicationsYong-Jae Kim0Young-Jik Lee1Yeon-Hee Kim2Byung Seong Bae3Woon-Seop Choi4Department of Semiconductor Engineering, Hoseo University, Asan 31499, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Semiconductor Engineering, Hoseo University, Asan 31499, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Semiconductor Engineering, Hoseo University, Asan 31499, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Semiconductor Engineering, Hoseo University, Asan 31499, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Semiconductor Engineering, Hoseo University, Asan 31499, Republic of KoreaIndium-based oxide semiconductors have been commercialized because of their excellent electrical properties, but the high cost, limited availability, and environmental toxicity of indium necessitate the development of alternative materials. Among the most promising candidates, zinc–tin oxide (ZTO) is an indium-free oxide semiconductor with considerable potential, but its relatively low carrier mobility and inherent limitations in thin-film quality demand further performance enhancements. This paper proposes a new approach to overcome these challenges by incorporating single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) as conductive fillers into the ZTO matrix and using a layer-by-layer multiple coating process to construct nanocomposite thin films. As a result, ZTO/SWNTs (0.07 wt.%) thin-film transistors (TFTs) fabricated with three coating cycles exhibited a high saturation mobility of 18.72 cm<sup>2</sup>/V·s, a threshold voltage of 0.84 V, and a subthreshold swing of 0.51 V/dec. These values represent an approximately four-fold improvement in mobility compared to ZTO TFT, showing that the multiple-coating-based nanocomposite strategy can effectively overcome the fundamental limitations. This study confirms the feasibility of achieving high-performance oxide semiconductor transistors without indium, providing a sustainable pathway for next-generation flexible electronics and display technologies.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/825oxide TFTsingle-walled carbon nanotubeslayer by layerhybrid films |
| spellingShingle | Yong-Jae Kim Young-Jik Lee Yeon-Hee Kim Byung Seong Bae Woon-Seop Choi Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor Applications Micromachines oxide TFT single-walled carbon nanotubes layer by layer hybrid films |
| title | Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor Applications |
| title_full | Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor Applications |
| title_fullStr | Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor Applications |
| title_short | Layer-by-Layer Engineered Zinc–Tin Oxide/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube (ZTO/SWNT) Hybrid Films for Thin-Film Transistor Applications |
| title_sort | layer by layer engineered zinc tin oxide single walled carbon nanotube zto swnt hybrid films for thin film transistor applications |
| topic | oxide TFT single-walled carbon nanotubes layer by layer hybrid films |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/7/825 |
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