Solution Processed Metal Oxide High‐κ Dielectrics for Emerging Transistors and Circuits

Abstract The electronic functionalities of metal oxides comprise conductors, semiconductors, and insulators. Metal oxides have attracted great interest for construction of large‐area electronics, particularly thin‐film transistors (TFTs), for their high optical transparency, excellent chemical and thermal stability, and mechanical tolerance. High‐permittivity (κ) oxide dielectrics are a key component for achieving low‐voltage and high‐performance TFTs. With the expanding integration of complementary metal oxide semiconductor transistors, the replacement of SiO 2 with high‐κ oxide dielectrics has become urgently required, because their provided thicker layers suppress quantum mechanical tunneling. Toward low‐cost devices, tremendous efforts have been devoted to vacuum‐free, solution processable fabrication, such as spin coating, spray pyrolysis, and printing techniques. This review focuses on recent progress in solution processed high‐κ oxide dielectrics and their applications to emerging TFTs. First, the history, basics, theories, and leakage current mechanisms of high‐κ oxide dielectrics are presented, and the underlying mechanism for mobility enhancement over conventional SiO 2 is outlined. Recent achievements of solution‐processed high‐κ oxide materials and their applications in TFTs are summarized and traditional coating methods and emerging printing techniques are introduced. Finally, low temperature approaches, e.g., ecofriendly water‐induced, self‐combustion reaction, and energy‐assisted post treatments, for the realization of flexible electronics and circuits are discussed.