High Mobility of Graphene-Based Flexible Transparent Field Effect Transistors Doped with TiO₂ and Nitrogen-Doped TiO₂

Abstract

Graphene with carbon atoms bonded in a honeycomb lattice can be tailored by doping various species to alter the electrical properties of the graphene for fabricating p-type or n-type field-effect transistors (FETs). In this study, large-area and single-layer graphene was grown on electropolished Cu foil using the thermal chemical vapor deposition method; the graphene was then transferred onto a poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) substrate to produce flexible, transparent FETs. TiO2 and nitrogen-doped TiO2 (N-TiO2) nanoparticles were doped on the graphene to alter its electrical properties, thereby enhancing the carrier mobility and enabling the transistors to sense UV and visible light optically. The results indicated that the electron mobility of the graphene was 1900 cm(2)/(V·s). Dopings of TiO2 and N-doped TiO2 (1.4 at. % N) lead to n-type doping effects demonstrating extremely high carrier mobilities of 53000 and 31000 cm(2)/(V·s), respectively. Through UV and visible light irradiation, TiO2 and N-TiO2 generated electrons and holes; the generated electrons transferred to graphene channels, causing the FETs to exhibit n-type electric behavior. In addition, the Dirac points of the graphene recovered to their original state within 5 min, confirming that the graphene-based FETs were photosensitive to UV and visible light. In a bending state with a radius of curvature greater than 2.0 cm, the carrier mobilities of the FETs did not substantially change, demonstrating the application possibility of the fabricated graphene-based FETs in photosensors.