Electrical characteristics of ZnO nanowire-based field-effect transistors on flexible plastic substrates

ZnO nanowire field effect transistors were fabricated on flexible substrates of poly(ether sulfone) (PES) by bottom-up and photolithographic processes and their electrical characteristics were investigated. The fabrication of the flexible devices was achieved at a processing temperature of 150 degrees C. A representative top-gate ZnO nanowire field effect transistor (FET) on a flexible substrate exhibits a peak transconductance of 179 nS, a field effect mobility of 10.7 cm(2) V-1 s(-1), and an I-on/I-off ratio of 10(6). When the PES substrate is bent under a strain of 0.77%, the decrement of the drain current for the FET at V-Gs = 10 V is less than 3%.