Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronics
Abstract Flexible electronics has attracted considerable attention owing to its enormous potential for practical applications in various fields. However, the massive strain produced during bending degrades the device. Especially at grain boundaries, due to the accumulation of defects, this degradati...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2022-09-01
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| Series: | Nano Convergence |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40580-022-00336-4 |
| _version_ | 1797998330156941312 |
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| author | Yeon Soo Kim Harry Chung Suhyoun Kwon Jihyun Kim William Jo |
| author_facet | Yeon Soo Kim Harry Chung Suhyoun Kwon Jihyun Kim William Jo |
| author_sort | Yeon Soo Kim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Flexible electronics has attracted considerable attention owing to its enormous potential for practical applications in various fields. However, the massive strain produced during bending degrades the device. Especially at grain boundaries, due to the accumulation of defects, this degradation is exacerbated in flexible electronic devices. The importance of electrically inactivated grain boundaries increases as devices scale down to the nanoscale. Here, we propose an HfO2-x thin film that can be used as an excellent material for flexible electronics with versatile functionality, especially for grain boundary passivation. Various electrical phases of HfO2-x thin films with conducting to insulating behavior, which originates from oxygen deficiency, have been fabricated on flexible substrates. Furthermore, owing to the most stable charge state of oxygen vacancies, oxygen-deficient HfO2-x shows p-type conductivity. Current mapping by conductive atomic force microscopy reveals that current flow is hindered at grain boundaries due to the formation of potential barriers. This phenomenon is also observed in bent flexible thin films on convex and concave molds, leading to tensile and compressive strains, respectively. Although the defect concentration increases because of lattice deformation during bending, more holes are trapped at the grain boundaries, resulting in an increased hole barrier height. We believe that grain boundary passivation through hole barrier modulation during bending would pave the way for advances in hafnia-based nanoscale flexible electronics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:46:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97c396cdc7094c1e9dc1fc9f316356dc |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2196-5404 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:46:56Z |
| publishDate | 2022-09-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nano Convergence |
| spelling | doaj.art-97c396cdc7094c1e9dc1fc9f316356dc2022-12-22T04:29:01ZengSpringerOpenNano Convergence2196-54042022-09-019111310.1186/s40580-022-00336-4Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronicsYeon Soo Kim0Harry Chung1Suhyoun Kwon2Jihyun Kim3William Jo4New and Renewable Energy Research Center (NREC), Ewha Womans UniversityNew and Renewable Energy Research Center (NREC), Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Physics, Ewha Womans UniversityDepartment of Physics, Ewha Womans UniversityNew and Renewable Energy Research Center (NREC), Ewha Womans UniversityAbstract Flexible electronics has attracted considerable attention owing to its enormous potential for practical applications in various fields. However, the massive strain produced during bending degrades the device. Especially at grain boundaries, due to the accumulation of defects, this degradation is exacerbated in flexible electronic devices. The importance of electrically inactivated grain boundaries increases as devices scale down to the nanoscale. Here, we propose an HfO2-x thin film that can be used as an excellent material for flexible electronics with versatile functionality, especially for grain boundary passivation. Various electrical phases of HfO2-x thin films with conducting to insulating behavior, which originates from oxygen deficiency, have been fabricated on flexible substrates. Furthermore, owing to the most stable charge state of oxygen vacancies, oxygen-deficient HfO2-x shows p-type conductivity. Current mapping by conductive atomic force microscopy reveals that current flow is hindered at grain boundaries due to the formation of potential barriers. This phenomenon is also observed in bent flexible thin films on convex and concave molds, leading to tensile and compressive strains, respectively. Although the defect concentration increases because of lattice deformation during bending, more holes are trapped at the grain boundaries, resulting in an increased hole barrier height. We believe that grain boundary passivation through hole barrier modulation during bending would pave the way for advances in hafnia-based nanoscale flexible electronics.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40580-022-00336-4Flexible electronicsHfO2-xGrain boundaryPassivationKPFM |
| spellingShingle | Yeon Soo Kim Harry Chung Suhyoun Kwon Jihyun Kim William Jo Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronics Nano Convergence Flexible electronics HfO2-x Grain boundary Passivation KPFM |
| title | Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronics |
| title_full | Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronics |
| title_fullStr | Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronics |
| title_short | Grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in HfO2-x for nanoscale flexible electronics |
| title_sort | grain boundary passivation via balancing feedback of hole barrier modulation in hfo2 x for nanoscale flexible electronics |
| topic | Flexible electronics HfO2-x Grain boundary Passivation KPFM |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40580-022-00336-4 |
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