Toward Flexible Low-Voltage Complementary Circuits with Solution-Deposited Organic Semiconductor Single-Crystal Films

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Organic Electronics
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Organic semiconductor single crystals (OSSCs) offer high performance in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) due to ordered structures and minimal defects.
• Challenges remain in integrating OSSCs into flexible complementary circuits, particularly the lack of suitable dielectric layers for large-area solution processing and simultaneous n-channel and p-channel transistor fabrication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fabrication method for high-performance flexible organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and complementary integrated circuits.
• To address the limitations of existing dielectric layers for large-area solution-processed organic semiconductor single crystals (OSSCs).

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of flexible OFETs using solution-processed large-area OSSCs.
• Implementation of dual-crosslinked bilayer dielectrics, comprising a high-k polymer for dielectric properties and a low-k polymer for interface enhancement.
• Characterization of n-channel and p-channel OFET performance, complementary inverters, and device stability under electrical and mechanical stress.

Main Results:

• Achieved high mobilities for both n-channel (1.97 cm²/Vs) and p-channel (11.97 cm²/Vs) OFETs.
• Demonstrated complementary inverters with high gain (59.8) and large noise margins (75% of 1/2 VDD) at a low operating voltage of 5 V.
• Exhibited excellent electrical bias-stress stability (within 10,000 s) and mechanical flexibility (up to 10,000 bending cycles).

Conclusions:

• The developed dual-crosslinked bilayer dielectric approach, combined with solution-processed large-area OSSCs, is effective for fabricating high-performance flexible OFETs and complementary circuits.
• This method facilitates the simultaneous construction of high-performance n-channel and p-channel transistors, paving the way for advanced flexible electronics.
• The demonstrated devices show potential for low-power consumption and robust performance in flexible electronic applications.