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Performance Enhancement of P-type Tellurium Thin-Film Transistors via Ultralow-Temperature Deposition and Al2O3 Passivation
Professor I-Chun Cheng
Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University
臺灣大學光電所 陳奕君教授
Tellurium (Te), a group VI-A quasi-two-dimensional material, has recently garnered renewed interest as a promising p-type elemental semiconductor for transistor applications, owing to its relatively low processing temperature and excellent electronic properties. However, when Te is used as a transistor channel layer, rapid and uncontrollable nucleation during deposition often leads to the formation of small, randomly oriented crystals, which can degrade device performance. In this work, we demonstrate Te thin-film transistors (TFTs) with enhanced performance by depositing Te channel at ultralow temperature and introducing Al2O3 backchannel passivation. Fig. 1 shows the schematic diagram and optical micrograph of the inverted-staggered bottom-gate p-type Te TFT. The fabrication process began with the deposition of a 50 nm-thick Mo layer on a glass substrate, patterned via a lift-off technique to form the gate electrode. A 50 nm-thick HfO2 layer was subsequently deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) to serve as the gate dielectric. The Te channel layer was then deposited by thermal evaporation at ultralow substrate temperatures, with its pattern defined using a lift-off process. A second 50 nm-thick Mo layer was deposited by DC magnetron sputtering and patterned to form the source and drain electrodes. Finally, a 10 nm-thick Al2O3 layer was deposited by ALD to serve as the back-channel passivation layer. Fig. 2(a) show the transfer characteristics of the Te TFTs with various channel thicknesses. The associated on/off current ratios and field-effect mobilities as functions of channel thickness are plotted in Fig. 2(b). A distinct trade-off is observed. As the channel thickness increases, the field-effect mobility improves, while the on/off current ratio decreases. The TFT with a 7 nm-thick channel exhibits a field-effect mobility of 18.1 cm2V-1s-1, on/off current ratio of 5.5
´ 103, and threshold voltage of 4.65 V. The grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis, shown in Fig. 2(c), confirms that the ultralow-temperature deposition promotes favorable crystallographic orientation (100), contributing to enhanced electronic transport properties. These results highlight the potential of Te TFTs for low-temperature processed CMOS applications, particularly in emerging fields such as flexible and wearable electronics.
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Fig. 1. Schematic diagram and optical micrograph of the inverted-staggered bottom-gate p-type Te TFT.
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Fig. 2. (a) Transfer characteristics of Te TFTs with various channel thicknesses. (b) Extracted on/off current ratio and field-effect mobility as functions of channel thickness. (c) GIXRD patterns of 7 nm Te thin films.
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Umbrella-like dual-axis mirror scanner fabricated with FDM 3D printing
Professor Jui-che Tsai
Graduate Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics, National Taiwan University
臺灣大學光電所 蔡睿哲教授
We present a low-cost mirror scanner design of umbrella-like architecture. The primary structures are 3D-printed using PLA (polylactic acid) as the material. A 400 mm2 aluminum-deposited silicon chip is fixed on the mirror frame, which is part of the 3D-printed assembly, and serves as the reflective mirror. Miniature permanent magnets are embedded in the mirror frame so that the mirror can then be electromagnetically driven. Our latest-version scanner reaches optical scan angles of 7.8 and 7.4 degrees for the x- and y-scans at their resonant frequencies (37 Hz and 49 Hz), respectively. Under DC actuation, a full optical scan range of 10.1 degrees in the x- direction can be achieved when the voltage is tuned from +12 V (+0.089 A) to -12 V (-0.089 A). Additionally, we also demonstrate the integration of a mirror scanner with a smart phone camera to achieve a dynamic FOV (field of view).
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Fig. (a) Schematic drawing and (b) photo of the umbrella-like scanner (miniature permanent magnets not inserted yet). The “shaft” is hidden under the “umbrella panel”, i.e. mirror frame. (c) Lissajous scanning with the frequencies for the x and y directions being 37 and 49 Hz, respectively.
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© IEEE
Ming-Te Chiang, Yi-Wen Cheng, Wei-An Tsui, Pin-Hung Yeh, Ching-Kai Shen, and Jui-che Tsai, “Umbrella-Like Dual-Axis Mirror Scanner Fabricated With FDM 3D Printing and Its Application in Realizing a Dynamic FOV Camera,” IEEE Photonics Journal, VOL. 17, NO. 2, 6600506, Apr. 2025.
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