Alkali Metal Doping on Sol–Gel-Derived Copper Oxide for Performance Enhancement of Thin-Film Transistors

In recent years, copper oxide (CuxO) has emerged as a promising p-type oxide semiconductor owing to its high Hall mobility. However, its inherent drawbacks, such as the substantial native defects and uncontrolled stoichiometry, limit its application in thin-film transistors (TFTs) for energy-efficient complementary devices. In this study, we employ the sol-gel synthetic approach for facile doping to investigate the doping effects of alkali metals (Li, Na, and K) on the electrical performance of CuxO TFTs. The results demonstrate that doping, particularly with lithium (Li), significantly improves the electrical performance of CuxO TFTs. The similarity in ionic radius facilitates efficient hole transport, which considerably enhances the field-effect mobility (
$4.7\times 10^{-3}$
cm2/Vs), subthreshold swing (SS) (8.3 V/dec), and on-off current ratio (~104) with minimized hysteresis. The structural analysis of the Li-doped CuxO films using X-ray diffraction (XRD) does not exhibit any significant lattice distortion and an increase in the grain size implies the reduction of trap sites. Consequently, the successful fabrication of Li-doped CuxO TFTs on polyimide substrates, using ZrOx as a gate dielectric layer, demonstrates its compatibility with flexible electronics. This approach enhances the electrical performance of p-type CuxO TFTs and presents a scalable and efficient pathway for the development of advanced TFT technology in flexible electronics.