Effects of humidity on performance of electric-double-layer oxide-based thin-film transistors gated by nanogranular SiO2 solid electrolyte

Electric-double-layer oxide-based thin-film transistors gated by nanogranular SiO2 solid electrolyte have been fabricated at room temperature. The effects of humidity on performances are investigated. At the relative humidity of 65 %, the measured capacitance is 10 mu F/cm(2), and the device shows I-on/off ratio of 8.93 x 10(7), field-effect mobility of 5.9 cm(2)/Vs. As relative humidity declines, the measured capacitance decreases, which gives rise to the degradation in performance. Especially, at the relative humidity of 0%, the capacitance of 0.01 mu F/cm(2) is measured, so the device cannot be turned off. The reason may be that humidity can promote H2O molecules to permeate into solid electrolyte, which can cause charges accumulation. (C) 2013 Author(s). All article content, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.