An 80 nm thick zinc aluminate thin film was deposited on a glass substrate via radio-frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering and heat treated to analyze changes in the wetting angles due to a surface modification. The thin films were modified from hydrophilic to hydrophobic by a simple thermal treatment. The surface modification from a heat treatment increased the wetting angles up to 111°, which was explained by the relationship with the excess surface area. The wetting angles of the annealed thin films decreased with increasing exposure time under ambient conditions, which was attributed to the oxygen vacancies in the films that were introduced during deposition. The annealed thin films were treated by ionized oxygen via oxygen plasma. After the oxygen plasma treatment, the decreased wetting angles were maintained at ~95° for 11 days.

The effect of low temperature (250℃) heat treatment after electron irradiation (irradiation time = 30, 180, 300s) on the chemical bonding and electrical properties of ZnO thin films prepared using a sol-gel process were examined. XPS (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) analysis showed that the electron beam irradiation decreased the concentration of M-O bonding and increased the OH bonding. As a result of the electron beam irradiation, the carrier concentration of ZnO films increased. The on/off ratio was maintained at ~10⁵ and the VTH values shifted negatively from 11 to 1 V. As the irradiation time increased from 0 to 300s, the calculated S. S. (subthreshold swing) of ZnO TFTs increased from 1.03 to 3.69 V/decade. These values are superior when compared the sample heat-treated at 400℃ representing on/off ratio of ~10² and S. S. value of 10.40 V/decade.

The conduction behavior and electron concentration change in a-IGZO thin-films according to the RTA (rapid thermal annealing) were studied. The electrical characteristics of TFTs (thin-film-transistors) annealed by different temperatures were measured. The sheet resistance, electron concentration, and oxygen vacancy of a-IGZO film were measured by the four-point-probe-measurement, hall-effect-measurement, and XPS analysis. The RTA process increased the driving current of IGZO TFTs but the VTH shifted to the negative direction at the same time. When the RTA temperature is higher than 250℃, the leakage current at off-state increased significantly. This is attributed to the increase of oxygen vacancy resulting in the increase of electron concentration. We demonstrate that the RTA is a promising process to adjust the VTH of TFT because the RTA process can easily modify the electron concentration and control the conductivity of IGZO film with short process time.

We have investigated the structural and electrical properties of Si-Zn-Sn-O (SZTO) thin filmsdeposited by RF magnetron sputtering at various deposition temperatures from RT to 350℃. All theSZTO thin fims are amorphous structure. The mobility of SZTO thin film has been changed dependingon the deposition temperature. SZTO thin film transistor shows mobility of 8.715 ㎠/Vs at roomtemperature. We performed the electrical stress test by applying gate and drain voltage. SZTO thin filmtransistor shows good stability deposited at room temperature while showing poor stability deposited at350℃. As a result, the electrical performance and stability have been changed depending on depositiontemperature mainly because high deposition temperature loosened the amorphous structure generatingmore oxygen vacancies.

In this paper, we prepared Cu(In,Ga)Se2 thin films by using co-evaporation method, and analyzed the properties of the thin films. During the thin film preparation process, we confirmed InGaSe2 phase was formed at 400℃ in first stage, and also confirmed the thin films showed the vacancy decrease. In second and third stage,we confirmed the density increase of crystalline structure at over 480℃ and the formation of Cu(In0.7Ga0.3)Se2phase. As the result of SEM and XRD analysis of the films which were before and after heat-treated, we confirmed the disappearance of Cu2Se2 and the formation of Cu(In0.7Ga0.3)Se2 single phase after the heat-treatment,We, therefore, confirmed the heat-treatment did not affect the absorbency spectra of the thin films.