Illumination Effect on Electrical Characteristics of Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) Thin-Film Transistors

We investigate the electrical characteristics of solution-processed poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) thin-film transistors (TFTs) under monochromatic illumination conditions at different wavelengths of 700, 655, 515, and 315 nm. The TFT characteristics measured under light illumination at the wavelengths of 700 and 655 nm were comparable to those measured in the dark state. In addition, light illumination at a wavelength of 515 nm, of which photon energy (~2.4 eV) is higher than the band gap energy of P3HT (~1.7 eV), had a little effect on the electrical characteristics of P3HT TFTs. On the other hand, the TFT performance was notably changed by light illumination at a wavelength of 315 nm. These results indicate that the photon energy, which cause the characteristic degradation in the solution-processed P3HT TFTs, is much higher than the band gap energy of P3HT. Consequently, the illumination-induced variation in the TFT performance can be understood through a broad distribution of energetic states in the solution-processed P3HT semiconductor.