Fabrication and Electrical Characterization of MgZnO/ZTO Thin-Film Transistors

To enhance the electrical performance of MgZnO-TFTs, this study employed radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering to fabricate MgZnO/ZTO thin films. Using these films as the channel layer, bottom-gate top-contact MgZnO/ZTO-TFT devices were constructed. The thin films were characterized using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). After optimization, the MgZnO/ZTO-TFT exhibited a high field-effect mobility of 16.80 cm2·V−1·s−1, high Ion/off of 7.63 × 108, threshold voltage of −1.60 V, and subthreshold swing as low as 0.74 V·dec−1. Bias stress stability tests were conducted under positive bias stress (PBS) and negative bias stress (NBS) conditions with a source-drain voltage of 20 V and gate bias stresses (VGS) of +10 V and −10 V, respectively, for a duration of 1000 s. The resulting threshold voltage shifts were only +0.58 V and −0.15 V, respectively, indicating excellent bias stability. These results suggest that the ZTO film, serving as the lower channel layer, effectively enhances carrier transport at the MgZnO/ZTO interface, thereby improving the field-effect mobility and on/off current ratio. Meanwhile, the MgZnO film as the upper channel layer adjusts the device’s threshold voltage and enhances its bias stability.