Polyol Reduction: A Low-Temperature Eco-Friendly Solution Process for p-Channel Copper Oxide-Based Transistors and Inverter Circuits

An optimized polyol reduction method was proposed for p-type CuxO deposition using a spin-coating method at low temperatures. The film characterizations and the electrical properties of integrated thin-film transistors (TFTs) were investigated as a function of annealing temperature and polyol type. The CuxO TFTs derived from propylene glycol showed the optimal performance with an average field-effect hole mobility of 0.15 cm2 V–1 s–1, an on/off current ratio of ∼104, and a threshold voltage of −7 V at a low temperature of 220 °C. Considering few investigations on the operational/air stability of solution-processed p-type oxide TFTs, we carried out systematical studies and revealed different roles of O2 and H2O on the device performance. The low activation energy (0.16 eV) for hole transport and high voltage gain (37) of the composed complementary inverter highlight great potential for the construction of all oxide-based transparent flexible electronics and circuits.