Stability of pentacene thin film transistors under simultaneous mechanical bending and heating

During the operational service of flexible electronic systems, component devices are subject to not only mechanical deformation but also environmental stimulation such as temperature and humidity. Therefore, the stability of flexible devices under simultaneous loading of multi-variable environmental factors including mechanical deformation needs to be studied. In this work, changes in device characteristics under simultaneous mechanical bending and heating of organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) were investigated in a mechanical bending system having capability of substrate heating. Simultaneous loading of mechanical deformation and heating of OTFTs accelerated the change of device characteristics such as field-effect mobility, threshold voltage, and subthreshold swing at elevated temperature. The results indicate that the stability of flexible devices under multi-variable loading needs to be tested for better understanding of the electrical behaviours of device characteristics in flexible electronics.