In this work, the charge carrier density of ZnO nanoparticle films was modified after deposition and annealing by an oxygen plasma treatment. The respective films were utilized as active layers in thin film transistors. For a discussion of the plasma-surface interaction on the molecular level, the electrical behavior of the layers was investigated which in general is highly sensitive to low level variations in defect or doping densities. A treatment with remote oxygen plasma at 400 W for 10 s led to a shift of the turn-on voltage from -12 to 4 V and a reduction of the off-current by more than two orders of magnitude. A model for the influence of oxygen species adsorbed to ZnO nanoparticle surfaces on electrical characteristics of ZnO nanoparticle thin film transistors is introduced. (C) 2011 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.