Abstract
Finding and evaluating thermally stable and optically clear plastic substrates for the fabrication of unobtrusive high-performance flexible electronics remains a challenge. Polyetherimide (PEI) is a candidate on which we present the fabrication, and characterization of IGZO thin-film transistors (TFTs), self-aligned devices, and an analog circuit. The TFTs exhibit state-of-the-art electrical performance with an effective mobility of 22 cm2 V −1 s −1 , an ON-OFF current ratio exceeding 107 , and a threshold voltage of 2.8 V. Their electrical stability was assessed through bias stress experiments, which revealed maximal threshold voltage shifts of only 0.6 V after gate bias voltages of 5 V were applied up to 5 h. In addition, the IGZO TFTs maintain their functionality when bent to a minimum radius of 15 mm and are exposed to 1000 bending cycles. Finally, a fully integrated common source amplifier operated at a supply voltage of 5 V demonstrated a voltage gain of ≈7.8 dB, a cutoff frequency of 19.3 kHz, and a power consumption of 15.5 µW. This illustrated the potential for PEI as a substrate for low-power wearable applications.