Scalable, High-Performance Printed InO_x Transistors Enabled by Ultraviolet-Annealed Printed High-k AlO_x Gate Dielectrics

Inorganic transparent metal oxides represent one of the highest performing material systems for thin-film flexible electronics. Integrating these materials with low-temperature processing and printing technologies could fuel the next generation of ubiquitous transparent devices. In this work, we investigate the integration of UV-annealing with inkjet printing, demonstrating how UV-annealing of high-k AlOx dielectrics facilitates the fabrication of high-performance InOx transistors at low processing temperatures and improves bias-stress stability of devices with all-printed dielectrics, semiconductors, and source/drain electrodes. First, the influence of UV-annealing on printed metal–insulator–metal capacitors is explored, illustrating the effects of UV-annealing on the electrical, chemical, and morphological properties of the printed gate dielectrics. Utilizing these dielectrics, printed InOx transistors were fabricated which achieved exceptional performance at low process temperatures (<250 °C), with linear mobility μlin ≈ 12 ± 1.6 cm2/V s, subthreshold slope <150 mV/dec, Ion/Ioff > 107, and minimal hysteresis (<50 mV). Importantly, detailed characterization of these UV-annealed printed devices reveals enhanced operational stability, with reduced threshold voltage (Vt) shifts and more stable on-current. This work highlights a unique, synergistic interaction between low-temperature-processed high-k dielectrics and printed metal oxide semiconductors.