Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices

A special issue of Micromachines (ISSN 2072-666X). This special issue belongs to the section "D1: Semiconductor Devices".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 26733

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Special Issue Editor

Department of Electronic Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: thin film electronic devices; active addressing technologies for flat panel displays (FPDs) and nonvolatile memories (NVMs)
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Thin film electronic devices have been attracting more and more attention because they can be used in many industrial fields, such as flat panel displays, energy devices, sensors, memories, and so on. From fabrication points of view, thin-film electronic devices can be prepared on not only rigid substrates (including glass, wafer, etc.), but also flexible substrates (including polymer, paper, etc.), which means that thin film electronic devices can be potentially used in some quickly advancing fields, such as the Internet of Things and medical electronics. This Special Issue plans to give an overview of the most recent advances in thin film electronic devices in the abovementioned fields. This Special Issue is aimed at providing selected contributions on advances in the physics, processing, design, characterization, and applications of novel thin film electronic devices. Potential topics include, but are not limited to: thin film transistors; thin film solar cells; thin film sensors; thin film memories; device physics about novel thin film electronic devices; process development of novel devices; characterization of novel thin films and devices; design of novel devices and circuits.

Prof. Dr. Chengyuan Dong
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • thin film electronic devices
  • thin film transistors
  • thin film solar cells
  • thin film sensors
  • thin film memories
  • stability
  • flexibility

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Published Papers (12 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 162 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial for the Special Issue on Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices
by Chengyuan Dong
Micromachines 2022, 13(9), 1445; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13091445 - 01 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 994
Abstract
Thin film electronic devices have been attracting more and more attention because of their applications in many industry fields, such as in flat panel displays (FPDs), energy devices, sensors, memories, and so on [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)

Research

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16 pages, 4163 KiB  
Article
Effect of the Deposition Time on the Structural, 3D Vertical Growth, and Electrical Conductivity Properties of Electrodeposited Anatase–Rutile Nanostructured Thin Films
by Moisés do Amaral Amâncio, Yonny Romaguera-Barcelay, Robert Saraiva Matos, Marcelo Amanajás Pires, Ariamna María Dip Gandarilla, Marcus Valério Botelho do Nascimento, Francisco Xavier Nobre, Ştefan Ţălu, Henrique Duarte da Fonseca Filho and Walter Ricardo Brito
Micromachines 2022, 13(8), 1361; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13081361 - 21 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1282
Abstract
TiO2 time-dependent electrodeposited thin films were synthesized using an electrophoretic apparatus. The XRD analysis revealed that the films could exhibit a crystalline structure composed of ~81% anatase and ~6% rutile after 10 s of deposition, with crystallite size of 15 nm. AFM [...] Read more.
TiO2 time-dependent electrodeposited thin films were synthesized using an electrophoretic apparatus. The XRD analysis revealed that the films could exhibit a crystalline structure composed of ~81% anatase and ~6% rutile after 10 s of deposition, with crystallite size of 15 nm. AFM 3D maps showed that the surfaces obtained between 2 and 10 s of deposition exhibit strong topographical irregularities with long-range and short-range correlations being observed in different surface regions, a trend also observed by the Minkowski functionals. The height-based ISO, as well as specific surface microtexture parameters, showed an overall decrease from 2 to 10 s of deposition, showing a subtle decrease in the vertical growth of the films. The surfaces were also mapped to have low spatial dominant frequencies, which is associated with the similar roughness profile of the films, despite the overall difference in vertical growth observed. The electrical conductivity measurements showed that despite the decrease in topographical roughness, the films acquired a thickness capable of making them increasingly insulating from 2 to 10 s of deposition. Thus, our results prove that the deposition time used during the electrophoretic experiment consistently affects the films’ structure, morphology, and electrical conductivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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17 pages, 6411 KiB  
Article
A Reconfigurable Surface-Plasmon-Based Filter/Sensor Using D-Shaped Photonic Crystal Fiber
by S. Selvendran, J. Divya, A. Sivanantha Raja, A. Sivasubramanian and Srikanth Itapu
Micromachines 2022, 13(6), 917; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13060917 - 09 Jun 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1769
Abstract
A reconfigurable surface-plasmon-based filter/sensor using D-shaped photonic crystal fiber is proposed. Initially a D-shaped PCF is designed and optimized to realize the highly birefringence and by ensuring the single polarization filter. A tiny layer of silver is placed on the flat surface of [...] Read more.
A reconfigurable surface-plasmon-based filter/sensor using D-shaped photonic crystal fiber is proposed. Initially a D-shaped PCF is designed and optimized to realize the highly birefringence and by ensuring the single polarization filter. A tiny layer of silver is placed on the flat surface of the D-shaped fiber with a small half-circular opening to activate the plasmon modes. By the surface plasmon effect a maximum confinement loss of about 713 dB/cm is realized at the operating wavelength of 1.98 µm in X-polarized mode. At this wavelength the proposed fiber only allows Y-polarization and filters the X-polarization using surface plasmon resonance. It is also exhibiting maximum confinement loss of about 426 dB/cm at wavelength 1.92 µm wavelength for Y-polarization. At this 1.92 µm wavelength the proposed structure attenuated the Y-polarization completely and allowed X-polarization alone. The proposed PCF polarization filter can be extended as a sensor by adding an analyte outside this filter structure. The proposed sensor can detect even a small refractive index (RI) variation of analytes ranging from 1.34–1.37. This sensor provides the maximum sensitivity of about 5000 nm/RIU; it enables this sensor to be ideally suited for various biosensing and industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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12 pages, 1920 KiB  
Article
Impact of the Semiconductor Defect Density on Solution-Processed Flexible Schottky Barrier Diodes
by Julio C. Tinoco, Samuel A. Hernandez, María de la Luz Olvera, Magali Estrada, Rodolfo García and Andrea G. Martinez-Lopez
Micromachines 2022, 13(5), 800; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13050800 - 21 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1786
Abstract
Schottky barrier diodes, developed by low-cost techniques and low temperature processes (LTP-SBD), have gained attention for different kinds of novel applications, including flexible electronic fabrication. This work analyzes the behavior of the IV characteristic of solution processed, ZnO Schottky barrier diodes, [...] Read more.
Schottky barrier diodes, developed by low-cost techniques and low temperature processes (LTP-SBD), have gained attention for different kinds of novel applications, including flexible electronic fabrication. This work analyzes the behavior of the IV characteristic of solution processed, ZnO Schottky barrier diodes, fabricated at a low temperature. It is shown that the use of standard extraction methods to determine diode parameters in these devices produce significant dispersion of the ideality factor with values from 2.2 to 4.1, as well as a dependence on the diode area without physical meaning. The analysis of simulated IV characteristic of LTP-SBD, and its comparison with experimental measurements, confirmed that it is necessary to consider the presence of a density of states (DOS) in the semiconductor gap, to understand specific changes observed in their performance, with respect to standard SBDs. These changes include increased values of Rs, as well as its dependence on bias, an important reduction of the diode current and small rectification values (RR). Additionally, it is shown that the standard extraction methodologies cannot be used to obtain diode parameters of LTP-SBD, as it is necessary to develop adequate parameter extraction methodologies for them. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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11 pages, 2444 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Nitrogen-Doping Effect on Sub-Gap Density of States in a-IGZO TFTs by TCAD Simulation
by Zheng Zhu, Wei Cao, Xiaoming Huang, Zheng Shi, Dong Zhou and Weizong Xu
Micromachines 2022, 13(4), 617; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13040617 - 14 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3961
Abstract
In this work, the impact of nitrogen doping (N-doping) on the distribution of sub-gap states in amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is qualitatively analyzed by technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. According to the experimental characteristics, the numerical simulation results reveal that the [...] Read more.
In this work, the impact of nitrogen doping (N-doping) on the distribution of sub-gap states in amorphous InGaZnO (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is qualitatively analyzed by technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation. According to the experimental characteristics, the numerical simulation results reveal that the interface trap states, bulk tail states, and deep-level sub-gap defect states originating from oxygen-vacancy- (Vo) related defects can be suppressed by an appropriate amount of N dopant. Correspondingly, the electrical properties and reliability of the a-IGZO TFTs are dramatically enhanced. In contrast, it is observed that the interfacial and deep-level sub-gap defects are increased when the a-IGZO TFT is doped with excess nitrogen, which results in the degeneration of the device’s performance and reliability. Moreover, it is found that tail-distributed acceptor-like N-related defects have been induced by excess N-doping, which is supported by the additional subthreshold slope degradation in the a-IGZO TFT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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10 pages, 4171 KiB  
Article
N-Type Nanosheet FETs without Ground Plane Region for Process Simplification
by Khwang-Sun Lee and Jun-Young Park
Micromachines 2022, 13(3), 432; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13030432 - 11 Mar 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3832
Abstract
This paper proposes a simplified fabrication processing for nanosheet Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) part of beyond-3-nm node technology. Formation of the ground plane (GP) region can be replaced by an epitaxial grown doped ultra-thin (DUT) layer on the starting wafer prior to Six [...] Read more.
This paper proposes a simplified fabrication processing for nanosheet Field-Effect Transistors (FETs) part of beyond-3-nm node technology. Formation of the ground plane (GP) region can be replaced by an epitaxial grown doped ultra-thin (DUT) layer on the starting wafer prior to Six/SiGe1−x stack formation. The proposed process flow can be performed in-situ, and does not require changing chambers or a high temperature annealing process. In short, conventional processes such as ion implantation and subsequent thermal annealing, which have been utilized for the GP region, can be replaced without degrading device performance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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12 pages, 3092 KiB  
Article
Efficient Multi-Material Structured Thin Film Transfer to Elastomers for Stretchable Electronic Devices
by Xiuping Ding and Jose M. Moran-Mirabal
Micromachines 2022, 13(2), 334; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13020334 - 20 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2037
Abstract
Stretchable electronic devices must conform to curved surfaces and display highly reproducible and predictable performance over a range of mechanical deformations. Mechanical resilience in stretchable devices arises from the inherent robustness and stretchability of each component, as well as from good adhesive contact [...] Read more.
Stretchable electronic devices must conform to curved surfaces and display highly reproducible and predictable performance over a range of mechanical deformations. Mechanical resilience in stretchable devices arises from the inherent robustness and stretchability of each component, as well as from good adhesive contact between functional and structural components. In this work, we combine bench-top thin film structuring with solvent assisted lift-off transfer to produce flexible and stretchable multi-material thin film devices. Patterned wrinkled thin films made of gold (Au), silicon dioxide (SiO2), or indium tin oxide (ITO) were produced through thermal shrinking of pre-stressed polystyrene (PS) substrates. The wrinkled films were then transferred from the PS to poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) substrates through covalent bonding and solvent-assisted dissolution of the PS. Using this approach, different materials and hybrid structures could be lifted off simultaneously from the PS, simplifying the fabrication of multi-material stretchable thin film devices. As proof-of-concept, we used this structuring and transfer method to fabricate flexible and stretchable thin film heaters. Their characterization at a variety of applied voltages and under cyclic tensile strain showed highly reproducible heating performance. We anticipate this fabrication method can aid in the development of flexible and stretchable electronic devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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10 pages, 34350 KiB  
Article
An Artificial Synapse Based on CsPbI3 Thin Film
by Jia-Ying Chen, Xin-Gui Tang, Qiu-Xiang Liu, Yan-Ping Jiang, Wen-Min Zhong and Fang Luo
Micromachines 2022, 13(2), 284; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13020284 - 10 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1724
Abstract
With the data explosion in the intelligent era; the traditional von Neumann computing system is facing great challenges of storage and computing speed. Compared to the neural computing system, the traditional computing system has higher consumption and slower speed. However; the feature size [...] Read more.
With the data explosion in the intelligent era; the traditional von Neumann computing system is facing great challenges of storage and computing speed. Compared to the neural computing system, the traditional computing system has higher consumption and slower speed. However; the feature size of the chip is limited due to the end of Moore’s Law. An artificial synapse based on halide perovskite CsPbI3 was fabricated to address these problems. The CsPbI3 thin film was obtained by a one-step spin-coating method, and the artificial synapse with the structure of Au/CsPbI3/ITO exhibited learning and memory behavior similar to biological neurons. In addition, the synaptic plasticity was proven, including short-term synaptic plasticity (STSP) and long-term synaptic plasticity (LTSP). We also discuss the possibility of forming long-term memory in the device through changing input signals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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8 pages, 3669 KiB  
Article
Power Reduction in Punch-Through Current-Based Electro-Thermal Annealing in Gate-All-Around FETs
by Min-Kyeong Kim, Yang-Kyu Choi and Jun-Young Park
Micromachines 2022, 13(1), 124; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13010124 - 13 Jan 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1501
Abstract
Device guidelines for reducing power with punch-through current annealing in gate-all-around (GAA) FETs were investigated based on three-dimensional (3D) simulations. We studied and compared how different geometric dimensions and materials of GAA FETs impact heat management when down-scaling. In order to maximize power [...] Read more.
Device guidelines for reducing power with punch-through current annealing in gate-all-around (GAA) FETs were investigated based on three-dimensional (3D) simulations. We studied and compared how different geometric dimensions and materials of GAA FETs impact heat management when down-scaling. In order to maximize power efficiency during electro-thermal annealing (ETA), applying gate module engineering was more suitable than engineering the isolation or source drain modules. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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14 pages, 4896 KiB  
Article
Non-Contact Optical Detection of Foreign Materials Adhered to Color Filter and Thin-Film Transistor
by Fu-Ming Tzu, Shih-Hsien Hsu and Jung-Shun Chen
Micromachines 2022, 13(1), 101; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi13010101 - 08 Jan 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1439
Abstract
This paper describes the non-contact optical detection of debris material that adheres to the substrates of color filters (CFs) and thin-film transistors (TFTs) by area charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and laser sensors. One of the optical detections is a side-view illumination by an area [...] Read more.
This paper describes the non-contact optical detection of debris material that adheres to the substrates of color filters (CFs) and thin-film transistors (TFTs) by area charge-coupled devices (CCDs) and laser sensors. One of the optical detections is a side-view illumination by an area CCD that emits a coherency light to detect debris on the CF. In contrast to the height of the debris material, the image is acquired by transforming the geometric shape from a square to a circle. As a result, the side-view illumination from the area CCD identified the height of the debris adhered to the black matrix (BM) as well as the red, green, and blue of a CF with 95, 97, 98, and 99% accuracy compared to the golden sample. The uncertainty analysis was at 5% for the BM, 3% for the red, 2% for the green, and 1% for the blue. The other optical detection, a laser optical interception with a horizontal alignment, inspected the material foreign to the TFT. At the same time, laser sensors intercepted the debris on the TFT at a voltage of 3.5 V, which the five sets of laser optics make scanning the sample. Consequently, the scanning rate reached over 98% accuracy, and the uncertainty analysis was within 5%. Thus, both non-contact optical methods can detect debris at a 50 μm height or lower. The experiment presents a successful design for the efficient prevention of a valuable component malfunction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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10 pages, 3123 KiB  
Article
Atmosphere Effect in Post-Annealing Treatments for Amorphous InGaZnO Thin-Film Transistors with SiOx Passivation Layers
by Wen Zhang, Zenghui Fan, Ao Shen and Chengyuan Dong
Micromachines 2021, 12(12), 1551; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi12121551 - 12 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2853
Abstract
We investigated the electrical performance and positive bias stress (PBS) stability of the amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) with SiOx passivation layers after the post-annealing treatments in different atmospheres (air, N2, O2 and vacuum). Both the chamber atmospheres [...] Read more.
We investigated the electrical performance and positive bias stress (PBS) stability of the amorphous InGaZnO thin-film transistors (a-IGZO TFTs) with SiOx passivation layers after the post-annealing treatments in different atmospheres (air, N2, O2 and vacuum). Both the chamber atmospheres and the device passivation layers proved important for the post-annealing effects on a-IGZO TFTs. For the heat treatments in O2 or air, the larger threshold voltage (VTH) and off current (IOFF), smaller field-effect mobility (μFE), and slightly better PBS stability of a-IGZO TFTs were obtained. The X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) measurement results indicated that the oxygen atoms from the ambience led to less oxygen vacancies (VO) and more oxygen-related defects in a-IGZO after the heat treatments in O2 or air. For the annealing processes in vacuum or N2, the electrical performance of the a-IGZO TFTs showed nearly no change, but their PBS stability evidently improved. After 4500 seconds’ stressing at 40 V, the VTH shift decreased to nearly 1 V. In this situation, the SiOx passivation layers were assumed to effectively prevent the oxygen diffusion, keep the VO concentration unchanged and refuse the oxygen-related defects into the a-IGZO films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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Review

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14 pages, 3824 KiB  
Review
Application of Laser Treatment in MOS-TFT Active Layer Prepared by Solution Method
by Nanhong Chen, Honglong Ning, Zhihao Liang, Xianzhe Liu, Xiaofeng Wang, Rihui Yao, Jinyao Zhong, Xiao Fu, Tian Qiu and Junbiao Peng
Micromachines 2021, 12(12), 1496; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/mi12121496 - 30 Nov 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2402
Abstract
The active layer of metal oxide semiconductor thin film transistor (MOS-TFT) prepared by solution method, with the advantages of being a low cost and simple preparation process, usually needs heat treatment to improve its performance. Laser treatment has the advantages of high energy, [...] Read more.
The active layer of metal oxide semiconductor thin film transistor (MOS-TFT) prepared by solution method, with the advantages of being a low cost and simple preparation process, usually needs heat treatment to improve its performance. Laser treatment has the advantages of high energy, fast speed, less damage to the substrate and controllable treatment area, which is more suitable for flexible and large-scale roll-to-roll preparation than thermal treatment. This paper mainly introduces the basic principle of active layer thin films prepared by laser treatment solution, including laser photochemical cracking of metastable bonds, laser thermal effect, photoactivation effect and laser sintering of nanoparticles. In addition, the application of laser treatment in the regulation of MOS-TFT performance is also described, including the effects of laser energy density, treatment atmosphere, laser wavelength and other factors on the performance of active layer thin films and MOS-TFT devices. Finally, the problems and future development trends of laser treatment technology in the application of metal oxide semiconductor thin films prepared by solution method and MOS-TFT are summarized. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Thin Film Electronic Devices)
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