Andrew Zhao

What do heavily doped semiconductors, i.e. transparent conducting oxides, hold for us in the future of transistor technology?

Started June 27, 2022

Abstract or project description

Transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) are heavily doped semiconductors that play a major role in allowing for devices such as solar panels and display screens to work. Usually when you think about materials that conduct electricity, they all lack transparency, i.e., light is not able to pass through them. However, with TCOs, we are able to achieve a state where the semiconductor may become transparent due to their unique material properties. TCOs will enable many new forms of smart technologies such as smart glasses, smart windows, due to the idea of invisible transistors or computers. Additionally, TCOs will also help optimize many current day devices. However, present day TCOs come with many drawbacks: the most commonly used TCO, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), utilizes atomic elements that are scarce in nature, while other TCOs just aren’t practical enough to be successfully incorporated into devices. Therefore, a new TCO material platform is needed in order to provide the benefits that these materials offer. In this paper, we intend to explore the conductive and transparent nature of these new materials and consider their applications in next generation transparent transistor technology.