Low-voltage, high speed inkjet-printed flexible complementary polymer electronic circuits

Abstract

We report the development of high-performance inkjet-printed organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and complementary circuits using high-k polymer dielectric blends comprising poly(vinylidenefluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) for high-speed and low-voltage operation. Inkjet-printed p-type polymer semiconductors containing alkyl-substituted thienylenevinylene (TV) and dodecylthiophene (PC12TV12T) and n-type P(NDI2OD-T2) OFETs showed high field-effect mobilities of 0.1–0.4cm2V−1s−1 and low threshold voltages down to 5V. These OFET properties were modified by changing the blend ratio of P(VDF-TrFE) and PMMA. The optimum blend – a 7:3wt% mixture of P(VDF-TrFE) and PMMA – was successfully used to realize high-performance complementary inverters and ring oscillators (ROs). The complementary ROs operated at a supplied bias (VDD) of 5V and showed an oscillation frequency (fosc) as high as ∼80kHz at VDD=30V. Furthermore, the fosc of the complementary ROs was significantly affected by a variety of fundamental parameters such as the electron and hole mobilities, channel width and length, capacitance of the gate dielectrics, VDD, and the overlap capacitance in the circuit configuration.