Annealing effects of In2O3 thin films on electrical properties and application in thin film transistors

Considering practical applications in electronic devices, we studied the growth of In2O3 thin films on amorphous glasses by magnetron sputtering at room temperature and annealing effect on the structural and electrical properties. The vacuum annealed In2O3 thin films display a grain size enlargement and preferential orientation. Electrical characterization shows that the vacuum annealed In2O3 thin films exhibit a significant enhancement of both electron density and mobility, while air ambient annealing leads to a remarkable drop. The mechanism of the electrical characteristic changes in In2O3 thin films by annealing is explored by using different scattering mechanisms. Finally, a thin film transistor device using vacuum annealed In2O3 nanometer thin films as active channel material is demonstrated. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.