Inorganic-organic hybrid thin-film transistors using inorganic semiconducting films

• US 20080017854A1
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Published: 01/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northwestern University
• Original Assignee: Northwestern University
• Inventors: Wang, Lian, Marks, Tobin, Yang, Yu, Facchetti, Antonio, Yoon, Myung-Han
• Granted Patent: US 8,097,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/43
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78681 having a semiconductor body comprising AIIIBV or AIIBVI or AIVBVI semiconductor materials, or Se or Te
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7869 having a semiconductor body comprising an oxide semiconductor material, e.g. zinc oxide, copper aluminium oxide, cadmium stannate
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/486 the channel region comprising two or more active layers, e.g. forming pn heterojunctions

Abstract

Inorganic semiconducting compounds, composites and compositions thereof, and related device structures.

Claims

1. A thin film transistor device comprising a thin film composition, the thin film composition comprising an inorganic semiconductor component coupled to a dielectric component, wherein the inorganic semiconductor component comprises a metal oxide, wherein the metal is selected from a Group 12 metal, a Group 13 metal, a Group 14 metal, and a Group 15 metal.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the semiconductor component is selected from In₂O₃ and ZnO.

3. The device of claim 1 comprising an organic dielectric component.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the organic dielectric component comprises a dielectric polymer.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the dielectric polymer is selected from poly(vinylphenol), polystyrene, and copolymers thereof.

6. The device of claim 3, wherein the organic dielectric component comprises a multi-layered composition, the multi-layered composition comprising periodically alternating layers, the alternating layers comprising one or more layers comprising a silyl moiety, and one or more layers comprising a π

-polarizable moiety.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein at least some of the alternating layers are coupled to an adjacent layer by a coupling layer comprising a siloxane matrix.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the alternating layers further comprise one or more layers comprising an inorganic moiety, the inorganic moiety comprising one or more main groups and/or transition metals selected from a Group 3 metal, a Group 4 metal, a Group 5 metal, and a Group 13 metal.

9. The device of claim 1 comprising an inorganic dielectric component.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the inorganic dielectric component comprises SiO₂.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the thin film composition is coupled to a substantially transparent substrate.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the dielectric component is coupled to a gate substrate, and the semiconductor component is an n-channel layer coupled to the dielectric component.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is a transparent thin film transistor.

14. A thin film transistor device comprising a thin film composition, the thin film composition comprising an inorganic semiconductor component coupled to an organic dielectric component, wherein the dielectric component comprises a polymeric component, a π

-polarizable component, or a combination thereof, and the inorganic semiconductor component comprises one or more metals independently selected from a Group 12 metal, a Group 13 metal, a Group 14 metal, and a Group 15 metal, and and the one or more metals are independently in the form of an oxide, a nitride, a phosphide, an arsenide, or a chalcogenide.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the semiconductor component is a Group II metal oxide or a Group III metal oxide.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the semiconductor component is selected from In₂O₃ and ZnO.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the π

-polarizable component is coupled to at least one of a silyl moiety and a siloxane moiety.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the π

-polarizable moiety comprises a non-linear optical chromophore.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the thin film composition is coupled to a substrate selected from glass, silicon, an indium oxide material, and a flexible plastic material.

20. A method of fabricating a thin film field effect transistor, the method comprising applying a dielectric layer on a substrate, applying an inorganic semiconductor layer on the dielectric layer, and applying source and drain contacts on the semiconductor layer, wherein the application of the dielectric layer, the application of the semiconductor layer, and the application of the source and drain contacts are conducted at room temperature.