Solution-processed ternary p-type CuCrO2 semiconductor thin films and their application in transistors

In this study, transparent p-type CuCrxOy semiconductor thin films were fabricated using spin coating and integrated as channel layers in thin-film transistors (TFTs). The structural, morphological components, and optical properties of CuCrxOy thin films, together with device performance, were systematically investigated. The phase conversion from a mixture of CuCr2O4 and CuO to pure CuCrO2 was achieved when the annealing temperature (Ta) was higher than 700 °C. The electrical performance of the CuCrxOy TFTs on SiO2 dielectric is improved with increasing Ta from 500 °C to 800 °C. The optimized CuCrO2 TFT exhibits an on/off current ratio of ∼105 and a hole mobility of 0.59 cm2 V−1 s−1, which is much better than those previous works on solution-processed binary CuxO TFTs. To our best knowledge, this work demonstrates the ternary p-type CuCrO2 TFTs fabricated via a low-cost solution process for the first time, which represents an important advancement towards the development of all-oxide, low-cost p–n junctions and CMOS logic circuits.