Nanocomposites of polyimide and mixed oxide nanoparticles for high performance nanohybrid gate dielectrics in flexible thin film transistors

Organic gate dielectrics in thin film transistors (TFTs) for flexible display have advantages of high flexibility yet have the disadvantage of low dielectric constant (low-k). To supplement low-k characteristics of organic gate dielectrics, an organic/inorganic nanocomposite insulator loaded with high-k inorganic oxide nanoparticles (NPs) has been investigated but high loading of high-k NPs in polymer matrix is essential. Herein, compositing of over-coated polyimide (PI) on self-assembled (SA) layer of mixed HfO2 and ZrO2 NPs as inorganic fillers was used to make dielectric constant higher and leakage characteristics lower. A flexible TFT with lower the threshold voltage and high current on/off ratio could be fabricated by using the hybrid gate dielectric structure of the nanocomposite with SA layer of mixed NPs on ultrathin atomic-layer deposited Al2O3.