Solution-Processed TIPS-Pentacene Organic Thin-Film-Transistor Circuits

We have fabricated solution-processed organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) and circuits using triisopropylsilyl pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) as the active semiconductor material. Patterned bottom-gate solution-processed TIPS-pentacene OTFTs on glass substrates have mobility as large as 0.6 cm²/Vldrs and subthreshold slope as low as 0.4 V/dec. Seven-stage ring oscillators have oscillation frequency greater than 10 kHz and propagation delay of less than 8 mus per stage at a bias of 80 V. The 7- and 15-stage ring oscillators also operate with supply-voltage magnitude of less than 5 V.     

Soluble pentacene thin-film transistor using a high solvent and heat resistive polymeric dielectric with low-temperature processability and its long-term stability

Solution processable organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) were fabricated using 6,13-bis(triisopropyl-silylethynyl) pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) and low-temperature processable polyimide gate dielectric. The TIPS-pentacene OTFT with the dielectric was found to have a field-effect mobility of 0.15 cm²/Vs, which is comparable to that of OTFT with an inorganic dielectric. The OTFTs with the polyimide dielectric did not show any significant performance degradation as time passed. A field-effect mobility of the OTFTs in 60 days was found to be almost identical to that of pristine OTFT. The combination of TIPS-pentacene and our polyimide gate dielectric can be one of the potential candidates for the fabrication of stable OTFTs for large-area flexible electronics.     

Organic thin-film transistor sensors: Interface dependent and gate bias enhanced responses

Organic thin film transistors are a new class of sensors potentially capable of outperforming chemiresistors. They can be operated at room temperature, offer the advantage of remarkable response repeatability and can function as multi-parameter sensors. In this paper, evidence of OTFT response dependence on important parameters such as the chemical nature of the organic semiconductor active layer and the gate-dielectric/organic-semiconductor interface are produced. A sizable response enhancement of an OTFT sensor operated in the enhancement mode is also presented indicating that an OTFT can in principle lead to a lower detection limit than a resistor-type sensor with the same organic semiconductor.     

Inkjet printable and low annealing temperature gate-dielectric based on polymethylsilsesquioxane for flexible n-channel OFETs

We report on inkjet printable gate-dielectric based on a spin-on-glass (SOG) material for applications in n-type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The SOG material is polymethylsilsesquioxane in alcohol mixture. After annealed at 135 °C in air, the SOG films are well crosslinked and have a good resistance against alcohol, which allows for the inkjet printing of Ag gate electrodes on top of the SOG dielectric. The crosslinked SOG films are very dense, and can withstand high electric field. This is very beneficial to the operation of transistors. In addition, the SOG films have very low hydroxyl content after annealing. This property is very important for n-type transistors. After ink formulation, this SOG dielectric has an excellent inkjet-ability with good uniformity and reproducibility. By using Polyera's P(NDI2OD-T2) as the semiconductor and SOG as the dielectric, bottom-contact top-gated n-type transistors were successfully fabricated on PET substrates with electron mobility above 0.1 cm²/V and high on/off ratio well above 10⁵. These remarkable results demonstrate that this newly formulated SOG dielectric is a promising candidate for the future development of flexible electronic devices.     

High-resolution inkjet-printed organic thin film transistor array with commercially applicable source-drain electrode process

High-resolution inkjet printing of an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) array for mass-production is still regarded as an immature technology due to the difficulty in controlling the dimension of pattern and registry with other layers in commercial large-scale substrates. Especially, in the case of on organic gate insulator (OGI) in an inkjet-printed OTFT array, it is impossible to use plasma pre-treatment of the OGI for the hydrophobicity required for high-resolution inkjet printing of an organic semiconductor (OSC) due to its non-selectivity between organic layers, both inside and outside the channel area. A novel and commercially applicable process of the source-drain (SD) electrode prior to inkjet printing of the OSC in the bottom contact structure not only allowed a selective plasma treatment for high-resolution inkjet printing of OSC on OGI without the extra photolithographic process, but also protected the channel interface from the harmful outcomes of wet or plasma processes. This method enabled uniform electrical characteristics of more than 300 thousand pixels of an OTFT array for a backplane. Based on these results, a 5.7 inch electrophoretic display (EPD), with a high resolution of 140 dots per inch (DPI), on a plastic substrate was successfully demonstrated.     

Inverted Staggered Poly-Si Thin-Film Transistor With Planarized SOG Gate Insulator

In this letter, we have studied the inverted staggered thin-film transistor (TFT) using a spin-on-glass (SOG) gate insulator and a low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) by Ni-mediated crystallization of amorphous silicon. The p-channel poly-Si TFT exhibited a field-effect mobility of 48.2 cm²/V ldr s, a threshold voltage of -4.2 V, a gate-voltage swing of 1.2 V/dec, and a minimum off-current of < 4 times 10^-13A/ mum at V_ds = -0.1 V. Therefore, the gate planarization technology by SOG can be applicable to low-cost large-area poly-Si active-matrix displays.     

Vertical Phase Separation in Small Molecule:Polymer Blend Organic Thin Film Transistors Can Be Dynamically Controlled

Blending of small‐molecule organic semiconductors (OSCs) with amorphous polymers is known to yield high performance organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). Vertical stratification of the OSC and polymer binder into well‐defined layers is crucial in such systems and their vertical order determines whether the coating is compatible with a top and/or a bottom gate OTFT configuration. Here, we investigate the formation of blends prepared via spin‐coating in conditions which yield bilayer and trilayer stratifications. We use a combination of in situ experimental and computational tools to study the competing effects of formulation thermodynamics and process kinetics in mediating the final vertical stratification. It is shown that trilayer stratification (OSC/polymer/OSC) is the thermodynamically favored configuration and that formation of the buried OSC layer can be kinetically inhibited in certain conditions of spin‐coating, resulting in a bilayer stack instead. The analysis reveals here that preferential loss of the OSC, combined with early aggregation of the polymer phase due to rapid drying, inhibit the formation of the buried OSC layer. The fluid dynamics and drying kinetics are then moderated during spin‐coating to promote trilayer stratification with a high quality buried OSC layer which yields unusually high mobility >2 cm² V^?1 s^?1 in the bottom‐gate top‐contact configuration.     

Innovative Voltage Driving Pixel Circuit Using Organic Thin-Film Transistor for AMOLEDs

In this work, we propose a novel active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays (AMOLED) pixel circuit based on organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) architecture, which consisted of four switches, one driving transistor, and a capacitor. The pentacene-based OTFT device possesses a field-effect mobility of 0.1 ${hbox{cm}}^{2} /{hbox{V}}cdot{hbox{s}}$, a threshold voltage of $-{hbox{1.5}}~{hbox{V}}$ , subthreshold slope of 1.8 V/decade and an on/off current ratio ${hbox{10}} ^{6}$. The resultant voltage-driving pixel circuit, named “Complementary Voltage-Induced Coupling Driving” (CVICD), is different from the current-driving scheme and can appropriately operate at low gray level for the low-mobility OTFT circuitry. The current non-uniformity less than 2.9% is achieved for data voltage ranging from 1 to 17 V by SPICE simulation work. In addition, the new external driving method can effectively reduce the complexity of OLED pixel circuitry.      

Modeling the electrical characteristics of TIPS-pentacene thin-film transistors: Effect of contact barrier,field-dependent mobility,and traps

The device characteristics of organic thin-film transistors (OTFT) fabricated using tris-isopropylsilylethynyl (TIPS)-pentacene are analyzed with the help of a two-dimensional physics-based numerical simulation. The model incorporates contact barrier at a metal–semiconductor interface, field-dependent mobility, and trap distribution in TIPS-pentacene films and at dielectric-semiconductor interface. The Poole–Frenkel type field-dependence of mobility is included in addition to the contact barrier height of 0.38 eV to describe the non-ideal behavior in the linear region of the output characteristics. An account of the transfer characteristics and its hysteresis behavior is completed in both below- and above- threshold region upon consideration of the presence of acceptor-like traps of an exponential distribution in TIPS-pentacene films and positive trapped charges at dielectric-semiconductor interface. The obtained device parameters not only match the electrical characteristics but also give one an insight on the charge injection, transport, and trap properties of TIPS-pentacene from the perspectives of TFT operation.     

An integrated organic passive pixel sensor

We demonstrate an imaging passive pixel sensor circuit consisting of a bottom-gate, top-contact pentacene organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) integrated with a top-illuminated, inverted subphthalocyanine/C₆₀ organic photodetector (OPD). The vacuum-deposited OTFT utilizes parylene as the gate insulator, achieving a drain current ON/OFF ratio of 10⁵. The transistor hole mobility is 0.09 ± 0.02 cm²/V s. The inverted OPD has a dark current of 20 pA at a reverse bias of 1.5 V. By integrating the two components, a 12-bit dynamic range passive pixel sensor is achieved, with an OFF current of 31 ± 5 pA and a pixel readout time of 0.4 ± 0.05 ms, limited by the discharge time of the OTFT channel. The integrated pixel has potential for use in large-scale focal plane array imagers.     

Stacked pentacene layer organic thin-film transistors with improvedcharacteristics

Using two layers of pentacene deposited at different substrate temperatures as the active material, we have fabricated photolithographically defined organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) with improved field-effect mobility and subthreshold slope. These devices use photolithographically defined gold source and drain electrodes and octadecyltrichlorosilane-treated silicon dioxide gate dielectric. The devices have field-effect mobility as large as 1.5 cm²/V-s, on/off current ratio larger than 10⁸, near zero threshold voltage, and subthreshold slope less than 1.6 V per decade. To our knowledge, this is the largest field-effect mobility and smallest subthreshold slope yet reported for any organic transistor, and the first time both of these important characteristics have been obtained for a single device     

Study of rectifying property of ITO/PI/TIPS-pentacene/Au diodes by electric field induced optical second harmonic generation

By using time-resolved electric field induced optical second harmonic generation (TR-EFISHG) measurement, we studied the rectifying property of organic double-layer diodes with a structure of indium-tin-oxide/polyimide/6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)-pentacene/gold (ITO/PI/TIPS-pentacene/Au). Upon application of a step voltage to the diodes, the TR-EFISHG probed the electric field changes induced in the TIPS-pentacene layer by hole injection from the ITO electrode, followed by the hole accumulation at the PI/TIPS-pentacene interface. Consequently, the electric field distributions in the diodes before and after the carrier injection were traced with accumulated charges at the PI/TIPS-pentacene interface, depending on the DC biasing applied to the diodes. Analyzing the carrier behavior in ITO/PI/TIPS-pentacene/Au on the basis of a Maxwell–Wagner model, we discussed the rectifying property of the diodes in terms of DC biasing effect, i.e., threshold-voltage shift, and concluded that space charge limited current process that flows across the PI layer governs the rectification of the diodes. Using the TR-EFISHG measurement is an effective way to study the rectifying property of organic double-layer diodes.     

High performance tetrathienoacene-DDP based polymer thin-film transistors using a photo-patternable epoxy gate insulating layer

High performance organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) are fabricated on an epoxy based photo-patternable organic gate insulating layer (p-OGI) using a top contact thin-film transistor configuration. This negative tone p-OGI material is composed of an epoxy type polymer resin, a polymeric epoxy cross-linker, and a sulfonium photoacid generator (PAG). Features from p-OGI can be precisely patterned down to ∼3 μm via i-line photolithography. In order to evaluate the potential of this epoxy type resin as a gate insulator, we evaluated the dielectric properties of the p-OGI and its gate insulating performance upon fabricating solution processed OTFTs using an organic semiconductor (OSC), namely tetrathienoacene-DPP copolymer (PTDPPTFT4). Results show that the PTDPPTFT4 based OTFTs with this p-OGI exhibit field-effect mobilities up to 1 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, indicating the potential of high performance solution processed OTFT based on an epoxy based p-OGI/OSC system.     

Low Subthreshold Swing HfLaO/Pentacene Organic Thin-Film Transistors

We have integrated a high-kappa HfLaO dielectric into pentacene-based organic thin-film transistors. We measured good device performance, such as a low subthreshold swing of 0.078 V/dec, a threshold voltage of -1.3 V, and a field-effect mobility of 0.71cm²/ Vldrs . This occurred along with an ON-OFF state drive current ratio of 1.0 times 10⁵, when the devices were operated at only 2 V. The performance is due to the high gate-capacitance density of 950 nF/cm² that is given by the HfLaO dielectric, which is achieved at an equivalent oxide thickness of only 3.6 nm with a low leakage current of 5.1 times 10^-7 at 2 V.     

Improvement of n-type OTFT electrical stability by gold electrode modification

N-type organic thin film transistors (OTFT) containing modified gold electrodes have been fabricated to investigate the influence of the self assembled monolayer on the transistor characteristics. We report on the effect of drain/source modification by thiol derivatives on the performances, electrical parameters uniformity and electrical stability of C₆₀ transistors. In the literature, electrical instability is often attributed to organic semiconductor (OSC), OSC-insulator interface and insulator. We found here that OSC-metal interfaces affect dramatically the operational stability for bottom gate/bottom contact structure. These effects have been attributed to morphological evolution at the interface metal-OSC induced by the self-assembled monolayers.     

Transparent Nanopaper‐Based Flexible Organic Thin‐Film Transistor Array

Eco‐friendly and low‐cost cellulose nanofiber paper (nanopaper) is a promising candidate as a novel substrate for flexible electron device applications. Here, a thin transparent nanopaper‐based high‐mobility organic thin‐film transistor (OTFT) array is demonstrated for the first time. Nanopaper made from only native wood cellulose nanofibers has excellent thermal stability (>180 °C) and chemical durability, and a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE: 5–10 ppm K^‐1). These features make it possible to build an OTFT array on nanopaper using a similar process to that for an array on conventional glass. A short‐channel bottom‐contact OTFT is successfully fabricated on the nanopaper by a lithographic and solution‐based process. Owing to the smoothness of the cast‐coated nanopaper surface, a solution processed organic semiconductor film on the nanopaper comprises large crystalline domains with a size of approximately 50–100 μm, and the corresponding TFT exhibits a high hole mobility of up to 1 cm²V^‐1 s^‐1 and a small hysteresis of below 0.1 V under ambient conditions. The nanopaper‐based OTFT also had excellent flexibility and can be formed into an arbitrary shape. These combined technologies of low‐cost and eco‐friendly paper substrates and solution‐based organic TFTs are promising for use in future flexible electronics application such as flexible displays and sensors.     

Double-Gate Tunnel FET With High-κ Gate Dielectric

In this paper, we propose and validate a novel design for a double-gate tunnel field-effect transistor (DG tunnel FET), for which the simulations show significant improvements compared with single-gate devices using a gate dielectric. For the first time, DG tunnel FET devices, which are using a high-gate dielectric, are explored using realistic design parameters, showing an on-current as high as 0.23 mA for a gate voltage of 1.8 V, an off-current of less than 1 fA (neglecting gate leakage), an improved average subthreshold swing of 57 mV/dec, and a minimum point slope of 11 mV/dec. The 2D nature of tunnel FET current flow is studied, demonstrating that the current is not confined to a channel at the gate-dielectric surface. When varying temperature, tunnel FETs with a high-kappa gate dielectric have a smaller threshold voltage shift than those using SiO₂, while the subthreshold slope for fixed values of V_g remains nearly unchanged, in contrast with the traditional MOSFET. Moreover, an I_on/I_off ratio of more than 2 times 10¹¹ is shown for simulated devices with a gate length (over the intrinsic region) of 50 nm, which indicates that the tunnel FET is a promising candidate to achieve better-than-ITRS low-standby-power switch performance.     

Field inversion generated in the CMOS double-metal process due toPETEOS and SOG interactions

Severe field inversion was observed in circuits fabricated by the CMOS double metal process using PETEOS/inorganic SOG/PEOX as the intermetal dielectrics and PEOX/PECVD nitride as the passivation layer. The authors performed detailed studies and concluded that the field inversion is caused by the interaction between PETEOS and non-carbon-based SOG, triggered by the H⁺ released from PECVD nitride during the sintering. No field inversion was observed when PEOX/inorganic SOG/PEOX was used as the intermetal dielectrics. The effect of field inversion on the circuit yield is also discussed     

Photocurable propyl-cinnamate-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as a gate dielectric for organic thin film transistors

A polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-based insulating material with photocurable propyl-cinnamate groups (POSS-CYNNAM) was designed and synthesized through simple single step reaction for use as a gate dielectric in organic thin-film transistors (OTFT). POSS-CYNNAM was soluble in common organic solvents and formed a smooth thin film after spin-casting. A thin film of POSS-CYNNAM was cross-linked and completely solidified under UV irradiation without the use of additives such as photoacid generators or photoradical initiators. ITO/insulator/Au devices were fabricated and characterized to measure the dielectric properties of POSS-CYNNAM thin films, such as leakage current and capacitance. A pentacene-based OTFT using the synthesized insulator as the gate dielectric layer was fabricated on the transparent indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode, and its performance was compared to OTFTs using thermally cross-linked poly(vinyl phenol) (PVP) as the insulator. The fabricated POSS-CYNNAM OTFT showed a comparable performance to devices based on the PVP insulator with 0.1 cm²/Vs of the field effect mobility and 4.2 × 10⁵ of an on/off ratio.     

具有无机有机双绝缘层和修饰电极的薄膜晶体管

研究了有机薄膜晶体管器件.器件是以热生长的SiO2作为有机薄膜晶体管的栅绝缘层,酞菁铜作为有源层的.实验表明采用一种硅烷耦合剂-十八烷基三氯硅烷(OTS)修饰SiO2可以有效地降低栅绝缘层的表面能从而明显提高了器件的性能.器件的场效应迁移率提高了2.5倍、阈值电压降低了3 V、开关电流比从103增加到104.同时我们采用MoO3修饰铝作为器件的源漏电极,形成MoO3/Al双层电极结构.实验表明在同样的栅极电压下,具有MoO3/Al 电极的器件和金电极的器件有着相似的源漏输出电流Ids.结果显示具有OTS/SiO2双绝缘层的及MoO3/Al 电极结构的器件能有效改进有机薄膜晶体管的性能.