Enhancing the mobility of p-type SnO_x thin-film transistors through doping and plasma treatment

P-type semiconductors are less common than their n-type counterparts, and their performance often lags in comparison, which hinders the efficiency of electronic devices. In this study, we demonstrate a two-step approach to enhance the performance of tin oxide based thin-film transistors (TFTs) by combining aluminum (Al) doping and hydrogen plasma treatment. The Al doping significantly enhanced the field-effect mobility of the SnO_x films, while the hydrogen plasma treatment enabled the transition to p-type conductivity. The fabricated p-type Al-doped SnO_x TFTs exhibited a threshold voltage of −5.2 V, a field-effect mobility of 1.17 cm²/V·s, and I_on/I_off of 10⁵. This work provides a novel strategy for optimizing the performance of p-type SnO_x semiconductors, contributing to the development of low-power complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technologies.