(Invited) Recent Advances in Oxide-TFT Technology for Next-Generation Sustainable Electronics

Metal-oxide semiconductors and the relevant electronic devices, particularly thin-film transistor technology are nowadays acknowledged as promising elements for the development of next-generation ubiquitous sustainable electronics. Due to their superior characteristics, such as high electron mobility even in disordered structures, wide-bandgap nature, and low-temperature processability, these technologies offer high-performance, low-power device operation, and cost-effective fabrication processes. A n-channel oxide-TFT using amorphous In-Ga-Zn-O (a-IGZO) channel has already been successfully commercialized as a pixel TFT back-plane in several state-of-art displays such as high-resolution active-matrix flat panel display (AMFPD), large-sized liquid-crystal display (LCD), and high-resolution organic light-emitting display (OLED). Oxide electronics continues to explore new device applications, extending beyond display technologies to areas such as sensors and back-end-of-line (BEOL) transistors, paving the way for next-generation electronics. Here I present recent advancements of oxide-TFT technology, mainly based on our research activity. Firstly, we will assess the advancements made in n-channel/p-channel oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) technology and address the outstanding challenges that need to be resolved for the development of next-generation electronics. We will also discuss various types of oxide-TFT-based circuit applications, such as NMOS (n-channel metal-oxide semiconductor), PMOS (p-channel metal-oxide semiconductor), and CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor).