Radiation Stability of the p-Type SnO_x TFT with Al₂O₃ and HfO₂ Passivation Layers

Tin monoxide (SnO), as a p-type semiconductor material, has received widespread attention in oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs) due to its excellent electrical properties. Passivation layers, including alumina (Al 2 O 3 ) and hafnium oxide (HfO 2 ), have demonstrated effective suppression of the phase instability in SnO, thereby enhancing its electrical properties. However, research on the radiation stability of SnO TFTs with different passivation layers in harsh ionizing radiation environments is still lacking. In this work, SnO x TFTs with no passivation, Al 2 O 3, or HfO 2 passivation layer were manufactured and subjected to 50 keV proton irradiation with a dose range of 10 13 –10 15 cm –2 to investigate the influence of the passivation layer on the radiation stability of SnO x TFTs. The results showed that the passivated SnO x TFTs demonstrated significantly improved stability compared to their unpassivated counterparts under both before and after irradiation conditions. And the passivated SnO x TFTs exhibited excellent radiation hardness up to a dose of 10 15 cm –2 despite a negative shift in the threshold voltage. Among them, the Al 2 O 3 -passivated SnO x TFTs showed superior radiation stability compared to the HfO 2 -passivated ones, with a smaller threshold voltage shift under unbiased and negatively biased stress conditions after proton irradiation. This study provides valuable insights into the radiation stability of SnO x TFTs and serves as a reference for enhancing their reliability in radiation-prone environments.