Oxide semiconductors such as In₂O₃ and ZnO combine high electron mobility with a large breakdown field and optical transparency in the visible spectrum. Indium-based oxides retain these desirable properties even in the amorphous phase, a feature that enabled the commercial adoption of InGaZnO (IGZO) n-channel field-effect transistors in pixel driver circuits for flat-panel displays more than a decade ago. Building on this success, oxide semiconductors are now being explored for advanced logic and memory applications. Their potential use spans from voltage-control circuitry to dense charge-storage devices, such as two-transistor gain-cell memory, integrated in the back-end-of-line (BEOL) above silicon CMOS. Realizing these opportunities requires control over crystal structure, oxygen vacancy concentration, and other bulk and interface defect populations that modulate carrier and trap densities, particularly during BEOL processing at temperatures near 400 °C. In this seminar, we will examine how temperature, ambient gas composition, and encapsulation influence the properties of several oxide semiconductor materials and associated transistors. Drawing on these insights, we will outline pathways toward oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors that deliver robust performance and reliability
Dr. Martin M. Frank is a Senior Research Scientist and Manager at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in Yorktown Heights, NY. His research spans materials, device concepts, and system architectures for future CMOS logic, memory, and AI accelerators. This includes exploring functional oxides—high k dielectrics, ferroelectrics, resistive switching oxides, and semiconducting oxides— as well as semiconductors beyond silicon, and developing methods for their reliable integration into advanced device structures. Dr. Frank earned a degree in physics from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (1996) and a Ph.D. degree in physics from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (2000). After a postdoctoral appointment at Rutgers University, he joined IBM Research in 2003. Dr. Frank currently serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) Joint University Microelectronics Program 2.0 (JUMP 2.0), on the IEEE Semiconductor Interface Specialists Conference (SISC) Technical Program Committee, and as a Nominator for the Japan Prize. Dr. Frank has authored more than 100 publications, edited the book Thin Films on Silicon: Electronic and Photonic Applications, and holds more than 100 U.S. patents. In 2000, Dr. Frank was awarded the Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society. His contributions to the SRC and semiconductor ecosystem were recognized with 2022 and 2025 SRC Mahboob Khan Outstanding Liaison Awards. He also received two IBM Research Division Awards and two Outstanding Technical Achievement Awards for his contributions to high-k/metal gate, III-V, and ferroelectric technology, and has been recognized as an IBM Master Inventor.