Metal oxide semiconductor thin-film transistor backplanes for displays and imaging

Oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors are becoming a key backplane technology for active-matrix flat panel displays and imagers. The oxide semiconductor has a wide band gap, hence, low OFF current, and reduced trap density, leading to devices with higher effective mobility, steeper sub-threshold slope and lower threshold voltage. However, the transistor performance and lifetime are constrained by issues related to temporal and spatial nonuniformity as well as electrically and illumination-induced instability. This article will review oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors and their applications in pixelated active-matrix arrays for organic light-emitting diode displays and x-ray imagers, along with selected examples. We present material and device shortcomings and how they are mitigated in the manufacturing process, and discuss design considerations pertinent to circuits and systems, addressing device–circuit interactions. Graphical Abstract