Inkjet-printed transistors with coffee ring aligned carbon nanotubes

Abstract

Low-concentration deposition techniques such as inkjet printing for forming carbon nanotube (CNT) transistor channels typically result in higher on–off current ratio, while lowering the field-effect mobility compared to traditional high-concentration techniques. In this paper, we show that inkjet-printed devices can have both high field-effect mobility and on–off current ratio by utilizing coffee ring induced thickness variation in the channel. The coffee ring effect occurs naturally in printed patterns with most solvents and substrates, and it pushes dissolved particles to the edges of printed features. Thickness variation and coffee ring effect are usually avoided in the channel of solution processed thin-film transistors by implementing additional expensive steps in the fabrication process. Instead, here, we control these variations and utilize them to create inkjet-printed CNT channels with printing induced thickness variation that improves transistor properties. Printing properties such as printing speed, and number of layers are studied to manipulate capillary flow and form thicker line edges, which ultimately enhance current transport in the CNT network. A two-pass printing pattern with separate lines improves the field-effect mobility five times compared to a pattern with connected lines that has no defined edges. The field-effect mobility increases from 1.1 to 5.7 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a drain voltage of −2 V.