New strategies toward high-performance and low-temperature processing of solution-based metal oxide TFTs

Solution-based synthesis of metal oxides has been attracting a lot of attention due to the low-cost, high-throughput, and efficient control over chemical composition. These materials also have outstanding properties such as high optical transparency, chemical and thermal stability, and mechanical toughness. In addition, facile tailoring of physical and chemical attributes of these materials leads to multifunctionality that allows their applications in different areas, like sensing, energy, and flexible displays. Particularly for large-area electronics, the exploration of crucial components, the thin film transistor (TFT) and their key material constituents, e.g., the semiconductor, the dielectric, the conductor as well as substrates opens up enormous opportunity to bring forth next generation devices. This chapter focuses on recent low-temperature approaches, such as combustion synthesis and (UV, NIR) irradiation treatments which allow realization of printable flexible TFTs. Moreover, special attention is given to solution-based preparation of high-k oxide dielectrics that play a critical role to achieve efficient TFTs. Finally, a detailed discussion on emerging printing techniques and current challenges is undertaken.