Rapid laser-induced photochemical conversion of sol-gel precursors to In2O3 layers and their application in thin-film transistors

TL;DR

This paper introduces a rapid, single-step laser photochemical process to convert sol-gel precursors into In2O3 layers for thin-film transistors, enabling low-cost, temperature-sensitive, large-area electronics fabrication.

Contribution

It demonstrates a novel laser-induced conversion method for sol-gel precursors to In2O3, eliminating thermal annealing and simplifying transistor fabrication.

Findings

Achieved electron mobility up to 13 cm2/Vs in transistors

Process compatible with temperature-sensitive substrates

Reduces fabrication steps and costs

Abstract

We report the development of indium oxide (In2O3) transistors via a single step laser-induced photochemical conversion process of a sol-gel metal oxide precursor. Through careful optimization of the laser annealing conditions we demonstrated successful conversion of the precursor to In2O3 and its subsequent implementation in n-channel transistors with electron mobility up to 13 cm2/Vs. Importantly, the process does not require thermal annealing making it compatible with temperature sensitive materials such as plastic. On the other hand, the spatial conversion/densification of the sol-gel layer eliminates additional process steps associated with semiconductor patterning and hence significantly reduces fabrication complexity and cost. Our work demonstrates unambiguously that laser-induced photochemical conversion of sol-gel metal oxide precursors can be rapid and compatible with large-area electronics manufacturing.