Effects of yttrium doping on the electrical performances and stability of ZnO thin-film transistors

In this paper, we have investigated the effects of yttrium (Y) doping on the electrical performance and stability of ZnO thin film transistors (TFTs). Here, Y-doped ZnO TFTs were fabricated by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering at 150 °C. As a result, the 1% Y-doped ZnO TFT exhibits a small threshold voltage shifts of 2.5 V under positive bias stress and −2.8 V under negative bias stress as well as desirable device performance with field effect mobility of 9.8 cm2/V s, a subthreshold swing of 320 mV/decade and on/off current ratio of 107, respectively. Based on the XPS analysis and electrical characterizations, the improvement in stability and electrical properties of ZnO TFTs were attributed to the appropriate Y doping concentration, which not only could control the carrier concentration and broaden the band gap of ZnO film, but also suppress the oxygen vacancy defects and passivate the trap density at the SiO2/ZnO interfaces. Consequently, the high stability and excellent electrical performances of Y-doped ZnO TFTs show great potential for use in flat panel displays.