Low-Voltage Electronics Based on Carbon Nanotube Thin-Film Transistors with Hybrid Nanodielectric

Abstract

Solution-processable electronics has been widely hailed as an attractive platform for emerging application domains such as the Internet of Things and for place-and-forget devices for health monitoring. This study specifically addresses the need for easy-to-make solution-processable electronics that can function with the low supply voltage available from flexible batteries or compact energy harvesters. By combining printed semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotube networks (SWCNTNs) with a hybrid nanodielectric, thin film transistors (TFTs) are realized that are capable of operating with a supply voltage in the range of 1 V. The adopted device stack enables balanced ambipolar characteristics, with good symmetry in their key device parameters and with carrier mobility values in the range of 10–15 cm2 V−1 s−1. On the basis of their well-conditioned ambipolar characteristics, these TFTs are integrated in CMOS fashion into inverter gates. Such inverters can operate with a supply voltage of 1 V, exhibiting complementary-like characteristics with adequate symmetry and with a gain of 35 V/V. In virtue of its ability to deliver low-voltage circuit operation, this approach constitutes a promising avenue for solution-processable electronics that can address the low-voltage requirements of emerging application domains.