Solution deposition of inorganic materials and electronic devices made comprising the inorganic materials

A method for making a semiconductor material by solution deposition, and not suspension deposition, of inorganic compounds, comprising:

• providing a first solution consisting of an aprotic solvent and at least a first inorganic material selected from a Group Ia, IIa, IIIa, IVa, Va, Ib, IIb, IIIb, IVb, Vb, VIb, VIIb, or VIIIb metal halide, metal carbonyl, metal carbonyl halide, metal acetate, metal sulfate, metal phosphate, or mixtures thereof;
• depositing the solution onto a substrate using a digital fabrication process;
• evaporating solvent, or allowing solvent to evaporate, under ambient condition to provide a layer comprising the first inorganic material, the layer having a thickness of from greater than 0 nanometers to 300 nanometers;
• exposing the layer to water;
• and
• annealing in the presence of oxygen or an oxygen-containing reactive species after exposing the precursor material to water, thereby forming an amorphous semiconducting thin film comprising a metal oxide suitable as a channel layer for thin film transistors with a field effect mobility value higher than 1 cm2/V·s.

A method for making a semiconductor material by solution deposition, and not suspension deposition, of inorganic compounds, comprising:

• providing a second solution consisting of an aprotic solvent and at least a first metal halide, wherein the metal is selected from a group Ia, IIa, IIIa, IVa, Va, Ib, IIb, IIIb, IVb, Vb, VIb, VIIb, or VIIIb metal, or mixtures thereof;
• depositing the first and second solutions on a substrate using a process selected from inkjet printing, spin coating, gravure, micro-pen, nano-fountain pen, dip-pen, screen printing, spray coating, slide coating, slot coating, curtain coating, dip coating, and combinations thereof;
• evaporating solvents, or allowing solvents to evaporate, under ambient conditions to provide a layer comprising the first inorganic material, the layer having a thickness of from greater than 0 nanometers to 300 nanometers;
• exposing the layer to water;
• and
• annealing the layer in the presence of oxygen or an oxygen-containing reactive species after exposing the precursor material to water, thereby forming an amorphous semiconducting thin film comprising a metal oxide suitable as a channel layer for thin film transistors with a field effect mobility value higher than 1 cm2/V·s.

A method for making an amorphous semiconductor material layer by solution deposition, and not suspension deposition, of an inorganic compound, comprising:

• providing a first solution consisting of an aprotic solvent and at least a first inorganic material selected from a Group Ia, IIa, IIIa, IVa, Va, Ib, IIb, IIIb, IVb, Vb, VIIb, VIIb, or VIIIb metal halide, metal carbonyl, metal carbonyl halide, metal acetate, metal sulfate, metal phosphate, or mixtures thereof;
• optionally providing a second solution consisting of an aprotic solvent and at least a first inorganic material selected from a Group Ia, IIa, IIIa, IVa, Va, Ib, IIb, IIIb, IVb, Vb, VIIb, VIIb, or VIIIb metal halide, metal carbonyl, metal carbonyl halide, metal acetate, metal sulfate, metal phosphate, or mixtures thereof;
• depositing at least the first, and optionally the second, solution onto a substrate using digital fabrication techniques;
• evaporating solvents, or allowing solvents to evaporate, under ambient conditions to provide at least a first layer comprising an inorganic compound or compounds comprising the first inorganic material, the layer having a thickness of from greater than 0 nanometers to 300 nanometers;
• and
• exposing the at least first layer to water;
• and
• annealing the at least first layer in the presence of oxygen or an oxygen-containing reactive species after exposing the inorganic compound or compounds comprising the first inorganic material to water, thereby forming an amorphous semiconducting thin film comprising a metal oxide suitable as a channel layer for thin film transistors
• with a field effect mobility value higher than 1 cm2/V·s.

A method for making a semiconducting thin film by solution deposition, and not suspension deposition, comprising:

• providing a solution consisting of an inorganic material selected from a metal halide or a combination of metal halides and an aprotic solvent capable of dissolving the metal halide or combination of metal halides;
• depositing the solution onto a substrate using a digital fabrication technique;
• evaporating the solvent, or allowing the solvent to evaporate, under ambient conditions to form a continuous thin film precursor comprising the inorganic material and having a thickness of at least 5 nanometers to 300 nanometers;
• exposing the precursor material to water;
• and
• annealing in the presence of oxygen or an oxygen-containing reactive species after exposing the precursor material to water, thereby forming an amorphous semiconducting thin film comprising a metal oxide suitable as a channel layer for thin film transistors with a field effect mobility value higher than 1 cm2/V·s.

A method for making an amorphous semiconductor material layer by solution deposition, and not suspension deposition, of an inorganic compound, comprising:

• providing a first solution consisting of an aprotic solvent and at least a first inorganic compound selected from a Group Ia, IIa, IIIa, IVa, Va, Ib, IIb, IIIb, IVb, Vb, VIIb, VIIb, or VIIIb metal halide, metal carbonyl, metal carbonyl halide, metal acetate, metal sulfate, metal phosphate, or mixtures thereof;
• and
• optionally providing a second solution consisting of an aprotic solvent and at least a first inorganic compound comprising selected from a Group Ia, IIa, IIIa, IVa, Va, Ib, IIb, IIIb, IVb, Vb, VIIb, VIIb, or VIIIb metal halide, metal carbonyl, metal carbonyl halide, metal acetate, metal sulfate, metal phosphate, or mixtures thereof;
• depositing at least the first, and optionally the second, solution onto a substrate using digital fabrication techniques;
• evaporating solvents, or allowing solvents to evaporate, under ambient conditions to provide at least a first layer comprising the first inorganic compound, the layer having a thickness of from greater than 0 nanometers to 300 nanometers;
• and
• exposing the at least first layer to water;
• and
• annealing the at least first layer in the presence of oxygen or an oxygen-containing reactive species after exposing the inorganic compound or compounds comprising the first inorganic material to water, thereby forming an amorphous semiconducting thin film comprising a metal oxide suitable as a channel layer for thin film transistors with a field effect mobility value higher than 1 cm2/V·s.