Professor resolves two decades of oxide semiconductor challenges
Summary
The challenge in enhancing p-type materials has primarily stemmed from their inherent defects, which have historically stymied the advancement of complementary bipolar semiconductors (CMOS) essential for electronics and integrated circuits. Professor Nohs team made a discovery that the charge of tellurium oxide increases in oxygen-deficient environments, due to the creation of an acceptor level that can accommodate electrons. The TFTs developed by the POSTECH team have demonstrated unprecedented hole mobility (15 cm²V⁻¹s⁻¹) and on/off current ratios (10⁶-10⁷), rivalling the performance of conventional n-type oxide semiconductors. Furthermore, these TFTs exhibited exceptional stability under various external conditions, such as voltage and humidity fluctuations, showcasing uniform performance when fabricated on wafers. Professor Yong-Young Noh commented on the implications of this research, stating: “This milestone holds significant implications for next-generation display technologies such as OLED TVs, VR, and AR devices as well as for research on low-power CMOS and DRAM memory.” He also noted the potential for this technology to drive value creation across multiple industries.