Design and Fabrication of Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Thin Films Using Molecular-Atomic Layer Deposition for Electronic Device Applications

Abstract

The hybrid organic-inorganic superlattices, with periodically uniform structure components, are expected as promising materials to take the maximal advantages of their constituents. Especially unique and enhanced properties, which can be also arisen as a result of the high quality interface between the organic and inorganic components, are interested for future electronic applications. By using a combination of atomic layer deposition and molecular layer deposition techniques, we have designed and fabricated various organic-inorganic hybrid superlattice thin films, which acquires ideal complementary effects between organic and inorganic nanolayers to produce multi-channel, multi-state phenomena toward various applications for high-performance thin-film transistors and multivalued logic transistors, respectively. The dissertation includes five chapters. Chapter 1 and Chapter 5 give a brief introduction containing fundamental background knowledge and a conclusion with a summary of important scientific findings, respectively. The actual research work of this dissertation is mainly provided in three chapters (Chapter 2-4). Specifically, Chapter 1 presents fundamentals of hybrid materials, followed by an introduction of atomic layer deposition and molecular layer deposition techniques, and closed with physical fundamentals of field effect transistors. The detailed discussion of fabrication procedures and experimental processes are also carefully described in Experimental Sections for each chapter. Research works in this dissertation can be followed as a single research story. Chapter 2 is focused on the design and fabrication of a complementary ZnO/Zn4MP hybrid superlattice thin film by controlling the thickness of components to produce high performance and stable field-effect transistors due to multiple channels and mutual stabilization effect. Chapter 3 continues the research through a different approach using ZnO/Al4MP hybrid superlattices to demonstrate a prototype of multivalued logic transistors with excellent operation stability and reliability, especially adjustable immediate current level. A unique quantized conducting state due to mobility edge quantization of the inorganic ZnO composite nanolayer is proposed to interpret the current-saturation behavior. Chapter 4 extends further and deeper the research from the previous Chapter 3 based on quantized conducting state of ZnO composite nanolayer and proposed new phase of semiconducting material for high-performance field-effect transistors. The final chapter 5 encloses this dissertation by Conclusions Chapter, which summary all research results, as well as important scientific discovers.