US Patent 9761732 Tunnel thin film transistor with hetero-junction structure

This disclosure provides thin film transistors (TFTs) including p-n hetero-junction structures. A p-n hetero-junction structure may include a junction between a narrow bandgap material and a wide bandgap material. The narrow bandgap material, which may be an oxide, nitride, selenide, or sulfide, is the active channel material of the TFT and may provide relatively high carrier mobility. The hetero-junction structures facilitate band-to-band tunneling and suppression of TFT off-currents. In various implementations, the TFTs may be formed on flexible substrates and have low temperature processing capabilities.