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Solution Combustion Synthesis: Low‐Temperature Processing for p‐Type Cu:NiO Thin Films for Transparent Electronics
Author(s) -
Liu Ao,
Zhu Huihui,
Guo Zidong,
Meng You,
Liu Guoxia,
Fortunato Elvira,
Martins Rodrigo,
Shan Fukai
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.201701599
Subject(s) - materials science , non blocking i/o , thin film transistor , optoelectronics , thin film , diode , doping , semiconductor , transistor , nanotechnology , voltage , layer (electronics) , electrical engineering , catalysis , biochemistry , chemistry , engineering
Low‐temperature solution processing opens a new window for the fabrication of oxide semiconductors due to its simple, low cost, and large‐area uniformity. Herein, by using solution combustion synthesis (SCS), p‐type Cu‐doped NiO (Cu:NiO) thin films are fabricated at a temperature lower than 150 °C. The light doping of Cu substitutes the Ni site and disperses the valence band of the NiO matrix, leading to an enhanced p‐type conductivity. Their integration into thin‐film transistors (TFTs) demonstrates typical p‐type semiconducting behavior. The optimized Cu 5% NiO TFT exhibits outstanding electrical performance with a hole mobility of 1.5 cm 2 V −1 s −1 , a large on/off current ratio of ≈10 4 , and clear switching characteristics under dynamic measurements. The employment of a high‐ k ZrO 2 gate dielectric enables a low operating voltage (≤2 V) of the TFTs, which is critical for portable and battery‐driven devices. The construction of a light‐emitting‐diode driving circuit demonstrates the high current control capability of the resultant TFTs. The achievement of the low‐temperature‐processed Cu:NiO thin films via SCS not only provides a feasible approach for low‐cost flexible p‐type oxide electronics but also represents a significant step toward the development of complementary metal–oxide semiconductor circuits.