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Jeon et al. Soft Sci. 2025, 5, 1 Soft Science
DOI: 10.20517/ss.2024.35

Review Article Open Access

High-performance metal oxide TFTs for flexible

displays: materials, fabrication, architecture, and
applications

2,#
1
1,#
Seong-Pil Jeon , Jeong-Wan Jo , Dayul Nam , Yong-Hoon Kim 3,* , Sung Kyu Park 1,*
1
School of Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering, Chung-Ang University, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea.
2
Electrical Engineering Division, Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0FA, UK.
3
School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering and SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT),
Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
#
Authors contributed equally.
* Correspondence to: Prof. Yong-Hoon Kim, School of Advanced Materials Science and Engineering and SKKU Advanced Institute
of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, 2066, Seobu-ro, Jangan-gu, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea. E-mail:
yhkim76@skku.edu; Prof. Sung Kyu Park, School of Intelligent Semiconductor Engineering, Chung-Ang University, 84, Heukseok-
ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Republic of Korea. E-mail: skpark@cau.ac.kr
How to cite this article: Jeon, S. P.; Jo, J. W.; Nam, D.; Kim, Y. H.; Park, S. K. High-performance metal oxide TFTs for flexible
displays: materials, fabrication, architecture, and applications. Soft Sci. 2025, 5, 1. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/ss.2024.35

Received: 29 Aug 2024 First Decision: 17 Oct 2024 Revised: 7 Nov 2024 Accepted: 15 Nov 2024 Published: 10 Jan 2025

Academic Editor: Carlo Massaroni Copy Editor: Pei-Yun Wang Production Editor: Pei-Yun Wang

Abstract
Flexible display technology is actively explored as a cornerstone of the next generation of wearables and soft
electronics, set to revolutionize devices with its potential for lightweight, thin, and mechanically flexible features.
Flexible thin-film transistors (TFTs) utilizing promising materials such as amorphous silicon (a-Si), low-
temperature polysilicon (LTPS), metal oxides (MOs), and organic semiconductors are essential to enable flexible
platforms. Among these, MO semiconductors stand out for flexible displays due to their high carrier mobility, low
processing temperature requirements, excellent electrical uniformity, transparency to visible light, and cost-
effectiveness. Furthermore, the maturity of MO TFT technology in the existing display industry and its compatibility
with complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes are driving active research toward integrated
circuits for wearable electronics beyond display applications. Specifically, achieving both high mechanical flexibility
and electrical performance in MO TFTs is crucial for implementing complex integrated circuits such as
microprocessors and backplanes for ultra-high resolution augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) displays.
Therefore, this review provides recent advances in high-mobility flexible MO TFTs, focusing on materials,
fabrication processes, and device architecture engineering methods for implementing MO TFTs on flexible
substrates, as well as strategies to reduce the impact of mechanical stress on MO TFTs. Next, MO TFT-based

© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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