Electronic Defects in Amorphous Oxide Semiconductors: A Review

Amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOSs) have been commercialized since 2012 as thin‐film transistor (TFT) backplanes in flat‐panel displays. This review first provides a brief history and current status of AOS technology, and then introduces electronic defects in AOSs reported to date that are critically important for understanding and controlling the instability of TFTs that is the most serious issue in the development of the AOS technology. In particular, it is important to know that many AOS defects are related to oxygen and hydrogen impurities, though oxygen is the major constituent of AOS and hydrogen is not intentionally incorporated. Instability issues and their underlying mechanisms are also discussed in relation to these defects.