Mass-Synthesized Solution-Processable Polyimide Gate Dielectrics for Electrically Stable Operating OFETs and...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Organic Electronics

Background:

• Polyimides (PIs) are versatile polymers with extensive industrial applications.
• Their use in flexible electronics necessitates scalable and efficient thin-film fabrication methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize poly(amic acid) (PAA) precursor solutions using an industrialized reactor for mass production.
• To fabricate polyimide (PI) thin films via thermal imidization for application as gate dielectrics in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs).

Main Methods:

• Industrial-scale synthesis of a poly(amic acid) (PAA) precursor solution.
• Formation of PI thin films through thermal imidization of the PAA precursor.
• Characterization of PI thin films for dielectric properties and semiconductor compatibility.
• Fabrication and testing of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and integrated logic gates using PI dielectrics.

Main Results:

• The synthesized PI thin films exhibited excellent dielectric properties, including a smooth surface, low leakage current, and uniform dielectric constant (k).
• OFETs fabricated with these PI dielectrics demonstrated electrical stability, with a threshold voltage shift below 1 V under bias-stress.
• A field-effect mobility of 4.29 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ was achieved, and integrated logic gates showed suitable operational behavior.

Conclusions:

• Mass-produced PI thin films are suitable for high-performance gate dielectrics in organic electronics.
• The developed PAA precursor and imidization process enable scalable fabrication for industrial applications.
• Electrically stable OFETs and functional logic gates were successfully demonstrated using these PI films.