Al modification layer method for enhancing InAlZnO transistors

[Display omitted] •IAZO transistors and inverters with Al modification layer were developed.•The conduction mechanism of IAZO films without and with Al modification layer were characterized.•The performance and stability of IAZO transistors were boosted by using an Al modification layer. In this work, a surface engineering method is proposed to boost electrical performance and stability of the InAlZnO (IAZO) transistors, of which an Al modification layer is deposited on surface of the IAZO channel layer. Through analysed by transmission electron microscope and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the IAZO thin film with Al modification layer undergoes a reduction reaction to generate more oxygen vacancies. Hall effects measurement further demonstrates that IAZO thin films with Al modification layer exhibit higher carrier concentrations than the ones without Al modification layer. The IAZO transistors with Al modification layer exhibit better performance and stability, including a field-effect mobility of 4.36 cm2 V−1s−1 (an improvement of about three-fold), a small subthreshold swing of 105.23 mV/decade, a high on-to-off current ratio greater than 107, and a threshold voltage shift of less than 0.50 V under positive and negative gate bias stress. Moreover, the IAZO transistors with Al modification layer demonstrate high thermal stability under 400 °C for 120 min in air atmosphere. Based on this method, the IAZO inverters have been implemented with high voltage gain of 87.55 V/V. This surface engineering technology paves the way for application of high-performance oxide transistors for advanced monolithic three-dimensional integration.