Laterally-stacked, solution-processed organic microcrystal with ambipolar charge transport behavior

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are crucial for flexible electronics.
• Developing high-mobility, air-stable organic semiconductors is an ongoing challenge.
• Ambipolar charge transport in organic materials enables complementary circuits.

Purpose of the Study:

• To create a solution-processable, laterally stacked ambipolar crystal wire.
• To investigate the charge transport properties and stability of the fabricated device.
• To demonstrate a simple logic circuit using the developed organic semiconductor.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a soluble pentacene derivative (Tips-pentacene) and a perylenedicarboximide derivative (PTCDI-C8).
• Fabrication of a laterally stacked ambipolar crystal wire with a Tips-pentacene/PTCDI-C8/Tips-pentacene (TPT) structure via a solution process.
• Characterization of the TPT crystals' ambipolar charge transport behavior and device stability.

Main Results:

• The TPT crystals exhibited ambipolar charge transport with balanced hole and electron mobilities of 0.23 cm²/V·s and 0.13 cm²/V·s, respectively.
• The devices demonstrated good operational stability under ambient conditions and voltage pulsing.
• A functional logic circuit was successfully fabricated and evaluated using the TPT crystal wire.

Conclusions:

• Laterally stacked ambipolar crystal wires offer a promising route for high-performance organic electronics.
• Solution processing enables the facile fabrication of complex organic electronic devices.
• The developed TPT crystals are suitable for miniaturized and air-stable organic electronic applications.