title: Direct electron injection into an oxide insulator using a cathode buffer layer.
abstract: Injecting charge carriers into the mobile bands of an inorganic oxide insulator (for example, SiO2, HfO2) is a highly complicated task, or even impossible without external energy sources such as photons. This is because oxide insulators exhibit very low electron affinity and high ionization energy levels. Here we show that a ZnO layer acting as a cathode buffer layer permits direct electron injection into the conduction bands of various oxide insulators (for example, SiO2, Ta2O5, HfO2, Al2O3) from a metal cathode. Studies of current-voltage characteristics reveal that the current ohmically passes through the ZnO/oxide-insulator interface. Our findings suggests that the oxide insulators could be used for simply fabricated, transparent and highly stable electronic valves. With this strategy, we demonstrate an electrostatic discharging diode that uses 100-nm SiO2 as an active layer exhibiting an on/off ratio of ∼10(7), and protects the ZnO thin-film transistors from high electrical stresses.
authors: Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
authors: Eungkyu
authors: E
authors: Lee
authors: Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
authors: Jinwon
authors: J
authors: Lee
authors: Department of Physics, Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Kyung-Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.
authors: Ji-Hoon
authors: JH
authors: Kim
authors: Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
authors: Keon-Hee
authors: KH
authors: Lim
authors: Department of Physics, Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Kyung-Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Seok Byun
authors: Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.
authors: Jieun
authors: J
authors: Ko
authors: Department of Physics, Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Kyung-Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.
authors: Young
authors: Y
authors: Dong Kim
authors: Department of Physics, Research Institute for Basic Sciences, Kyung-Hee University, Seoul 130-701, Republic of Korea.
authors: Yongsup
authors: Y
authors: Park
authors: Program in Nano Science and Technology, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea.|Green Battery Innovation Research Center, Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology, Gyeonggi-do 443-270, Republic of Korea.
authors: Youn Sang
authors: YS
authors: Kim