Nitrogen-plasma treatment of parallel-aligned SnO2-nanowire field-effect transistors

Nitrogen (N 2 )-plasma treatment and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) passivation were carried out to stabilize the electrical properties of parallel-aligned tin-dioxide (SnO 2 )-nanowire field-effect transistors. Treatment led to a positive shift in the threshold voltage, V th , with a reduction in the hysteresis in the transfer curves of more than 30% compared to the case without treatment. Passivation was carried using a PMMA coating to prevent changes in the electrical properties over time. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy were employed to determine the chemical mechanisms that resulted in the changes in the electrical properties over time, those changes being attributed to the recombination of oxygen vacancies and carbon contaminants on the surface of the SnO 2 nanowires with oxygen in the ambient air.