# Electrical Performance of ZTO Thin-Film Transistors and Inverters

## TL;DR

This study explores how annealing temperature affects the performance of zinc-tin oxide transistors and inverters, finding that optimal conditions improve electrical properties.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is demonstrating VO engineering to optimize both TFT and inverter performance without rare elements.

## Key findings

- Annealing at 600°C optimizes VO concentration, achieving a mobility of 12.39 cm²/V·s and a voltage gain of 11.77.
- Excess or deficiency in VO concentration reduces gain and increases power consumption.
- VO engineering enables low-cost, flexible, and transparent electronic devices.

## Abstract

In this study, zinc–tin oxide (ZTO) thin films were prepared via radio-frequency magnetron sputtering to examine the influence of annealing temperature on the performance of thin-film transistors (TFTs) and their resistive-load inverters. The findings reveal that annealing modulates the concentration and spatial distribution of oxygen vacancies (VO), which directly affect carrier density and interface trap density, ultimately determining the electrical behavior of inverters. At the optimal annealing temperature of 600 °C, the VO concentration was effectively moderated, resulting in a TFT with a mobility of 12.39 cm2 V−1 s−1, a threshold voltage of 6.13 V, an on/off current ratio of 1.09 × 108, and a voltage gain of 11.77 in the corresponding inverter. However, when the VO concentration deviated from this optimal range, whether in excess or deficiency, the gain was reduced and power consumption increased. This VO engineering strategy enables the simultaneous optimization of both TFT and inverter performance without relying on rare elements, offering a promising pathway toward the development of low-cost, large-area, flexible, and transparent electronic devices.