| Solution-processable materials offer enormous opportunity in designing lightweight, flexible, and low-cost electronic technologies. Dielectric materials and the different classes of semiconductors (derived from organics, inorganics, or nanomaterials) comprise the two most important components in transistors, which are the basic building blocks of all modern electronic devices. New semiconductors such as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and inorganic amorphous oxide semiconductors (AOSs), including indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), are envisioned for high performance applications as a possible replacement for silicon within integrated circuits, display backplane technologies, or high throughput inkjet printing technologies that can be low in cost and waste. These new semiconductors, amongst others, require corresponding advances in gate dielectric materials to support optimum device function. Herein we describe research surrounding the advancement of organic-inorganic hybrid gate dielectric materials for use in thin-film transistor (TFT) architectures. We describe the reasoning, the strategy, and the properties of a new hafnium oxide-based self-assembled nanodielectric (Hf-SAND), and examine in detail the chemical structure/formation, and electronic performance. Record setting capacitance can be achieved by using thin multilayers of Hf-SAND (1.1 &mgr;F/cm2). Application of this new dielectric to the aforementioned SWCNT and IGZO semiconductors in an effort to demonstrate technological feasibility, yield record field-effect mobilities (20-130 cm2V-1s-1) and large ON state transconductances (up to 5 mS) at very low operating voltages (< 3 V), while retaining the ability to be processed completely from solution and in ambient atmosphere. These TFT performance metrics are examined in detail, and placed in perspective in relation to the Hf-SAND dielectric properties. Finally, we present some forward looking statements to help identify further opportunities for research and development of SAND gate dielectrics for unconventional electronics applications. |
