Metal-insulator-semiconductor diodes based on solution-processed ZrO2 and ZnO thin films fabricated on plastic substrates

• MIS diodes based on solution-processed ZrO 2 and ZnO on PET plastic substrates. • FTIR spectra exhibit associated peaks to Zr – O, which confirms the formation of ZrO 2 . • The rectification ratio is higher than 6 orders of magnitude. • The transport mechanism identified was space-charge limited conduction. In this work, metal–insulator-semiconductor (MIS) diodes based on solution-processed zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ) and zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films deposited by spray pyrolysis were achieved on PET plastic substrates. The fabrication process required maximum temperature lower than 200 °C, making it relevant for large-scale production. Capacitors were fabricated to evaluate their current–voltage, capacitance–voltage and frequency–voltage characteristics. The MIS diodes show transport mechanism with space-charge limited conduction.