Complementary Inverter Circuits on Flexible Substrates

Abstract

Flexible electronics requires the integration of thin-film transistors (TFTs) at much lower temperatures than traditional Si technology. Here we present an integration routine for complementary inverter structures on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate, which provides a high degree of freedom in the choice of the individual contact metals for the p-and n-type TFTs. It is therefore suitable for organic, inorganic or hybrid semiconductor systems. The developed integration process enables two different metallization layers to be structured into contact electrodes (drain and source) for thin film transistors on a common flexible substrate. This enables the adaptation of the work function of metals and semiconductors, and thus the performance of the individual TFTs can be optimized. The TFTs are integrated in bottom-gate bottom-contact setup.