Ink-jet printed ZnO nanowire field effect transistors

Semiconducting nanowires provide routes for realizing high-performance electronic devices, but for many applications of such devices low-cost manufacturing techniques are needed. The authors demonstrate here top-gated zinc oxide nanowire field effect transistors (NW-FETs) fabricated by ink-jet printing. High resolution submicrometer gold gaps between source and drain electrodes were defined by a self-aligned ink-jet printing technique, and the nanowires were deposited from solution onto these electrode arrays and gated from the top using a spin-coated poly(methyl methacrylate) gate dielectric. The typical NW-FETs exhibited a mobility of 2-4 cm(2)/V s, a current on/off ratio of 10(4), and a transconductance of 20.5 nS. The process provides a pathway for fabrication of NW-FETs by low-cost, large-area solution processing and direct printing techniques. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.