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Flow-assisted Dielectrophoresis: A Low Cost Method for the Fabrication of High Performance Solution-processable Nanowire Devices
Published on: December 7, 2017
Flexible and low-voltage integrated circuits constructed from high-performance nanocrystal transistors
David K Kim1, Yuming Lai, Benjamin T Diroll
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA.
Nature Communications
|November 22, 2012
Summary
Solution-processed colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals enable the creation of flexible electronics. Researchers demonstrated integrated circuits like inverters and amplifiers using these high-performance nanocrystal field-effect transistors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Electronics Engineering
Background:
- Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals offer potential for low-cost, flexible electronics.
- Previous work focused on single nanocrystal field-effect transistors, limiting integrated circuit applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the feasibility of constructing complex integrated circuits using nanocrystal field-effect transistors.
- To showcase the performance of solution-deposited nanocrystal integrated circuits for advanced electronic technologies.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of high-performance cadmium selenide (CdSe) nanocrystal field-effect transistors (NCFETs) using colloidal inks.
- Integration of NCFETs into functional electronic circuits including inverters, amplifiers, and ring oscillators.
- Characterization of NCFETs and integrated circuits on flexible plastic substrates, focusing on low-voltage operation.
Main Results:
- Achieved high electron mobilities (up to 22 cm²/V·s) and excellent current modulation (>10⁶) in CdSe NCFETs.
- Successfully fabricated and demonstrated functional integrated circuits: inverters, amplifiers, and ring oscillators.
- Devices exhibited low-voltage operation and low hysteresis, suitable for flexible electronics.
Conclusions:
- Colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals are viable building blocks for complex, large-area integrated circuits.
- Solution-processed NCFETs pave the way for low-cost, flexible electronic applications.
- This work advances the potential of nanocrystal-based electronics for future technologies.
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