All-Dry Stencil Patterning of IGZO Thin Films
© 2026 EPFL
Congratulations to our colleague Chenxiang Zhang and his co-authors on their recent publication, “All-dry stencil patterning of IGZO thin films with micrometer-scale resolution and electrical validation,” in Micro and Nano Engineering.
Biodegradable and transient electronics call for fabrication methods compatible with substrates that are sensitive to heat and liquid chemicals. This work explores stencil lithography as a dry, resist-free approach to patterning indium–gallium–zinc oxide (IGZO), an oxide semiconductor that can be sputtered near room temperature.
Using silicon nitride membrane stencils, the team demonstrated IGZO patterning through both direct sputter deposition and ion-beam etching. Both approaches produced 5 μm features, while ion-beam etching achieved features down to 1 μm with steeper sidewalls.
Electrical measurements on stencil-fabricated test structures yielded a Hall mobility of 21 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ for a representative film. Adjusting the oxygen flow during deposition enabled control of carrier density, with mobility remaining within reported ranges for sputtered IGZO.
The results establish a practical dry patterning route for IGZO and support future efforts to transfer the process to fragile substrates for biodegradable and transient electronics.
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