Self-formed copper oxide contact interlayer for high-performance oxide thin film transistors
Oxide thin film transistor employing copper source/drain electrodes shows a small turn on voltage and reduced hysteresis. Cross-sectional high-resolution transmission electron microscopy image confirmed the formation of ∼4 nm CuO{sub x} related interlayer. The lower bond-dissociation energy of Cu-O compared to Si-O and In-O suggests that the interlayer was formed by adsorbing oxygen molecules from surrounding environment instead of getting oxygen atoms from the semiconductor film. The formation of CuO{sub x} interlayer acting as an acceptor could suppress the carrier concentration in the transistor channel, which would be utilized to control the turn on voltage shifts in oxide thin film transistors.