Flexible and transparent electronics enable the integration of innovative cost-efficient products. One of the outstanding aspects of this technology is its wide range of applications; from flexible and transparent displays to wearable electronics and RFID (radio-frequency identification) tags for sensor networks employed, for instance, in health monitoring systems. In this area, thin-film transistors (TFTs) are the key elements which drivethe electrical currents in the devices. Conjointly, hybrid systems, combining high performance silicon-based transistors for data processing and thin-film transistors for enhanced user interactivity, emerge profiting from the synergy of both technologies. In this study, ZnO-based TFTs for flexible and transparent electronics were integrated and characterized. The fabrication processes were limited to cost-efficient and low-temperature methods compatible to large area flexible substrates; therefore, solution-based techniques were primary applied. For the active semiconductor, ZnO precursors and dispersions containing nanostructures of the material were evaluated; the latter depicting better compatibility with the integration process as well as higher performance and reliability. As gate dielectric, poly(4-vinylphenol) (PVP) and a high-k nanocomposite were employed. The transistors were structured in both inverted staggered and inverted coplanar setups. On the one hand, the staggered structures depict larger contact area between the drain/source electrodes and the active semiconducting layer, hence higher charge carrier injection. On the other hand, their coplanar counterparts profit from the late semiconductor deposition, which enables an effective analysis of the instabilities concerning the transistor. To investigate the performance metrics and reliability issues, an extensive characterization of the transistors was performed. |