Abstract:
Controlling growth, doping, crystallization, thickness of thin films of thin film transistor (TFT) channel materials is required in order to improve and control physical properties, primarily electronic conductivity and optical transparency. With the advent of flexible electronics and curved TFT-based display panels, low cost, solution-processed methods are important and provide scalable coating methods on a range of substrates. This work demonstrates the changes to the morphology, crystalline structure, optical reflectivity and electrical conductance of solution-processed ZnO thin films by the inclusion of an aluminium dopant during spin-coating. The measurements also determine the compositional chemical state of the Al:ZnO structures compared to ZnO using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in conjunction with detailed X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy examination of the film morphology.
