Seonpil Jang

High-Speed, Inkjet-Printed Carbon Nanotube/Zinc Tin Oxide Hybrid Complementary Ring Oscillators

The materials combination of inkjet-printed single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and zinc tin oxide (ZTO) is very promising for large-area thin-film electronics. We compare the characteristics of conventional complementary inverters and ring oscillators measured in air (with SWCNT p-channel field effect transistors (FETs) and ZTO n-channel FETs) with those of ambipolar inverters and ring oscillators comprised of bilayer SWCNT/ZTO FETs. This is the first such comparison between the performance characteristics of ambipolar and conventional inverters and ring oscillators. The measured signal delay per stage of 140 ns for complementary ring oscillators is the fastest for any ring oscillator circuit with printed semiconductors to date.

Low voltage, high performance inkjet printed carbon nanotube transistors with solution processed ZrO2 gate insulator

High-performance single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin-film transistors are fabricated by single-pass inkjet printing of SWCNTs on high-κ solution-processed ZrO2 gate dielectric. We demonstrate that an ultraviolet ozone treatment of the ZrO2 substrate is critical in achieving a uniform dispersion of sorted SWCNTs in the semiconducting channel. The resulting devices exhibit excellent performance with mobility and on/off current ratio exceeding 30 cm2 V−1 s−1 and 105, respectively, at low operating voltages (<5 V). The single-pass inkjet printing process demonstrated in this letter shows great promise as a reliable and scalable method for SWCNT based high performance electronics.

Fluoropolymer coatings for improved carbon nanotube transistor device and circuit performance

We report on the marked improvements in key device characteristics of single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) field-effect transistors (FETs) by coating the active semiconductor with a fluoropolymer layer such as poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE). The observed improvements include: (i) A reduction in off-current by about an order of magnitude, (ii) a significant reduction in the variation of threshold voltage, and (iii) a reduction in bias stress-related instability and hysteresis present in device characteristics. These favorable changes in device characteristics also enhance circuit performance and the oscillation amplitude, oscillation frequency, and increase the yield of printed complementary 5-stage ring oscillators. The origins of these improvements are explored by exposing SWCNT FETs to a number of vapor phase polar molecules which produce similar effects on the FET characteristics as the PVDF-TrFE. Coating of the active SWCNT semiconductor layer with a fluoropolymer will be adv...

Inkjet printed ambipolar transistors and inverters based on carbon nanotube/zinc tin oxide heterostructures

We report ambipolar field-effect transistors (FETs) consisting of inkjet printed semiconductor bilayer heterostructures utilizing semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and amorphous zinc tin oxide (ZTO). The bilayer structure allows for electron transport to occur principally in the amorphous oxide layer and hole transport to occur exclusively in the SWCNT layer. This results in balanced electron and hole mobilities exceeding 2 cm2 V−1 s−1 at low operating voltages ( 10). This work provides a pathway for realizing solution processable, inkjet printable, large area electronic devices, and systems based on SWCNT-amorphous oxide heterostructures.

Short Channel Field-Effect-Transistors with Inkjet-Printed Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes

Short channel field-effect-transistors with inkjet-printed semiconducting carbon nanotubes are fabricated using a novel strategy to minimize material consumption, confining the inkjet droplet into the active channel area. This fabrication approach is compatible with roll-to-roll processing and enables the formation of high-performance short channel device arrays based on inkjet printing.

Inkjet printed carbon nanotubes in short channel field effect transistors: influence of nanotube distortion and gate insulator interface modification

We report on the effects of mechanical distortion and gate insulator-semiconductor interface modification on the electronic transport characteristics of inkjet printed short channel length single walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) transistors with Al2O3 top gate insulators. In these transistors, which are typically ambipolar, the average nanotube length is greater than the source-drain (S/D) spacing resulting in individual SWCNTs spanning the entire channel length. Mechanical distortion of the nanotubes due to bending near source and drain contacts when they are not recessed is found to suppress electron transport and transform the ambipolar transistors into p-type devices. Inclusion of printed interfacial polymer layers such as poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) between the SWCNTs and Al2O3 also results in p-type doping and reductions in electron transport. We discuss mechanisms responsible for these effects.