Characterization of amorphous zinc tin oxide semiconductors

Amorphous zinc tin oxide (ZTO) was investigated to determine the effect of deposition and postannealing conditions on film structure, composition, surface contamination, and thin-film transistor (TFT) performance. X-ray diffraction results indicated that the ZTO films remain amorphous even after annealing to 600 degrees C. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry indicated that the bulk Zn:Sn ratio of the sputter-deposited films were slightly tin rich compared to the composition of the ceramic sputter target. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that residual surface contamination depended strongly on the sample postannealing conditions where water, carbonate, and hydroxyl species were adsorbed to the surface. Electrical characterization of ZTO TFTs indicated that the best devices had mobilities of 17 cm(2)/Vs, threshold voltages of -1.5 V, subthreshold slopes of 0.9 V/dec, turn-on voltages of -12 V, and on-to-off ratio of >10(7). Annealing ZTO in vacuum assisted in the removal of adsorbed species, which may reduce defects in the films and improve device performance.