Open AccessExtremely Sensitive Dependence of SnOx Film Properties on Sputtering Power
Author(s) -
Yunpeng Liu,
Qian Xin,
Lulu Du,
Yunxiu Qu,
Limin He,
Xinggong Kong,
Qingpu Wang,
Aimin Song
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/srep36183
Subject(s) - sputtering , materials science , thin film transistor , x ray photoelectron spectroscopy , optoelectronics , drop (telecommunication) , thin film , analytical chemistry (journal) , nanotechnology , chemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance , electrical engineering , physics , layer (electronics) , engineering , chromatography
An extremely sensitive dependence of the electronic properties of SnO x film on sputtering deposition power is discovered experimentally. The carrier transport sharply switches from n-type to p-type when the sputtering power increases by less than 2%. The best n-type carrier transport behavior is observed in thin-film transistors (TFTs) produced at a sputtering power just below a critical value (120 W). In contrast, at just above the critical sputtering power, the p-type behavior is found to be the best with the TFTs showing the highest on/off ratio of 1.79 × 10 4 and the best subthreshold swing among all the sputtering powers that we have tested. A further increase in the sputtering power by only a few percent results in a drastic drop in on/off ratio by more than one order of magnitude. Scanning electron micrographs, x-ray diffraction spectra, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, as well as TFT output and transfer characteristics are analyzed. Our studies suggest that the sputtering power critically affects the stoichiometry of the SnO x film.