Carbon Nanotube Thin Film Transistor with Semiconductor Fragments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thin film transistors with semiconductor materials like metal sulfides or transition metal oxides face challenges in forming a conductive network between electrodes due to high thickness, making them unsuitable for large-scale production.
Innovation Solution
A thin film transistor design utilizing semiconductor fragments with a few layers, typically 1 to 10 layers, that form a conductive network between source and drain electrodes, combined with a carbon nanotube layer for improved conductivity and reduced thickness, allowing for better modulation by the gate electrode.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional semiconductor materials (metal sulfides or transition metal oxides) are used with hundreds of layers, then the material provides sufficient coverage, but the thickness becomes high and conductive network formation between electrodes becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the conventional thick semiconductor layer into multiple thin semiconductor layers, each comprising only a few layers of semiconductor material. These segmented thin layers are arranged in a stacked configuration to form the semiconductor structure between source and drain electrodes, enabling proper conductivity while reducing overall thickness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite semiconductor structure by stacking multiple thin semiconductor layers with different orientations and compositions. This composite approach allows each thin layer to contribute to the overall conductive network while maintaining controlled thickness, solving the contradiction between sufficient material coverage and excessive thickness
2Illumination intensity
If thick semiconductor layers are used, then material coverage is sufficient, but transparency is reduced and material cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the thick semiconductor layer into multiple thin layers, the patent reduces the total amount of semiconductor material required while maintaining functional coverage. The thin layers are strategically positioned to provide necessary electrical properties without excessive material accumulation, thereby improving transparency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin film semiconductor layers instead of thick bulk material. These thin films provide the necessary electrical functionality while being sufficiently transparent to light, directly addressing the contradiction between material quantity and transparency
3Reliability
If hundreds of layers of semiconductor material are deposited, then coverage is adequate, but the complexity of forming conductive networks increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the semiconductor structure into a manageable number of thin layers with specific orientations, making the formation of conductive networks more controllable and less complex than dealing with hundreds of random layers. Each thin layer serves a specific function in the conductive pathway
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different characteristics to different thin semiconductor layers, such as varying orientations and material compositions, to optimize local conductive properties. This localized optimization simplifies the overall structure by giving each layer a specific role rather than requiring uniform complexity throughout
Data Source
AI summary
A thin film transistor based on carbon nanotubes comprises a source electrode, a drain electrode, a semiconducting layer, an insulating layer and a gate electrode. The drain electrode is spaced apart from the source electrode. The semiconductor layer is electrically connected with the source electrode and the drain electrode. The gate electrode is insulated from the source electrode, the drain electrode, and the semiconductor layer by the insulating layer. The semiconductor layer includes a number of semiconductor fragments, each of the number of semiconductor fragments includes multilayer semiconductor molecular layers, and a quantity of layers of the number of semiconductor molecular layers ranges from about 1 to about 20.