Charge Transport In Field-effect Transistors Research Articles

Achieving Ideal and Environmentally Stable n-Type Charge Transport in Polymer Field-Effect Transistors.

Realizing ideal charge transport in field-effect transistors (FETs) of conjugated polymers is crucial for evaluating device performance, such as carrier mobility and practical applications of conjugated polymers. However, the current FETs using conjugated polymers as the active layers generally show certain non-ideal transport characteristics and poor stability. Here, ideal charge transport of n-type polymer FETs is achieved on flexible polyimide substrates by using an organic-inorganic hybrid double-layer dielectric. Deposited conjugated polymer films show highly ordered structures and low disorder, which are supported by grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering, near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure, and molecular dynamics simulations. Furthermore, the organic-inorganic hybrid double-layer dielectric provides low interfacial defects, leading to excellent charge transport in FETs with high electron mobility (1.49 ± 0.46 cm2V-1s-1) and ideal reliability factors (102 ± 7%). Fabricated polymer FETs show a self-encapsulation effect, resulting in high stability of the FET charge transport. The polymer FETs still work with high mobility above 1 cm2V-1s-1 after storage in air for more than 300 days. Compared with state-of-the-art conjugated polymer FETs, this work simultaneously achieves ideal charge transport and environmental stability in n-type polymer FETs, facilitating rapid device optimization of high-performance polymer electronics.

Charge Transport in Mixed Semiconducting Carbon Nanotube Networks with Tailored Mixing Ratios.

The ability to prepare uniform and dense networks of purely semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) has enabled the design of various (opto-)electronic devices, especially field-effect transistors (FETs) with high carrier mobilities. Further optimization of these SWNT networks is desired to surpass established solution-processable semiconductors. The average diameter and diameter distribution of nanotubes in a dense network were found to influence the overall charge carrier mobility; e.g., networks with a broad range of SWNT diameters show inferior transport properties. Here, we investigate charge transport in FETs with nanotube networks comprising polymer-sorted small diameter (6,5) SWNTs (0.76 nm) and large diameter plasma torch SWNTs (1.17-1.55 nm) in defined mixing ratios. All transistors show balanced ambipolar transport with high on/off current ratios and negligible hysteresis. While the range of bandgaps in these networks creates a highly uneven energy landscape for charge carrier hopping, the extracted hole and electron mobilities vary nonlinearly with the network composition from the lowest mobility (15 cm2 V-1 s-1) for only (6,5) SWNT to the highest mobility (30 cm2 V-1 s-1) for only plasma torch SWNTs. A comparison to numerically simulated network mobilities shows that a superposition of thermally activated hopping across SWNT-SWNT junctions and diameter-dependent intratube transport is required to reproduce the experimental data. These results also emphasize the need for monochiral large diameter nanotubes for maximum carrier mobilities in random networks.

Organic Heterojunctions Formed by Interfacing Two Single Crystals from a Mixed Solution.

Organic heterojunctions are widely used in organic electronics and they are composed of semiconductors interfaced together. Good ordering in the molecular packing inside the heterojunctions is highly desired but it is still challenging to interface organic single crystals to form single-crystalline heterojunctions. Here, we describe how organic heterojunctions are formed by interfacing two single crystals from a droplet of a mixed solution containing two semiconductors. Based on crystallization of six organic semiconductors from a droplet on a substrate, two distinct crystallization mechanisms have been recognized in the sense that crystals form at either the top interface between the air and solution or the bottom interface between the substrate and solution. The preference for one interface rather than the other depends on the semiconductor-substrate pair and, for a given semiconductor, it can be switched by changing the substrate, suggesting that the preference is associated with the semiconductor-substrate molecular interaction. Furthermore, simultaneous crystallization of two semiconductors at two different interfaces to reduce their mutual disturbance results in the formation of bilayer single crystals interfaced together for organic heterojunctions. These single-crystalline heterojunctions exhibit ambipolar charge transport in field-effect transistors, with the highest electron mobility of 1.90 cm2 V-1 s-1 and the highest hole mobility of 1.02 cm2 V-1 s-1. Hence, by elucidating the interfacial crystallization events, this work should greatly harvest the solution-grown organic single-crystalline heterojunctions.

Anomalous Ambipolar Transport of Organic Semiconducting Crystals via Control of Molecular Packing Structures.

Organic crystals deposited on 2-dimensional (2D) van der Waals substrates have been widely investigated due to their unprecedented crystal structures and electrical properties. van der Waals interaction between organic molecules and the substrate induces epitaxial growth of high quality organic crystals and their anomalous crystal morphologies. Here, we report on unique ambipolar charge transport of a "lying-down" pentacene crystal grown on a 2D hexagonal boron nitride van der Waals substrate. From in-depth analysis on crystal growth behavior and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy measurement, it is revealed that the pentacene crystal at the initial growth stage have a lattice-strained packing structure and unique energy band structure with a deep highest occupied molecular orbital level compared to conventional "standing-up" crystals. The lattice-strained pentacene few layers enable ambipolar charge transport in field-effect transistors with balanced hole and electron field-effect mobilities. Complementary logic circuits composed of the two identical transistors show clear inverting functionality with a high gain up to 15. The interesting crystal morphology of organic crystals on van der Waals substrates is expected to attract broad attentions on organic/2D interfaces for their electronic applications.

Gate-voltage-dependent charge transport in multi-dispersed polymer thin films

In semiconductor polymers, charge transport usually occurs via hopping between localized states, which are generally multi-dispersed due to multi-dispersed chemical structures, crystallinities, and phase segregations. We report a combined modeling and experimental study to investigate gate-voltage-dependent charge transport in field-effect transistors based on multi-dispersed polymers including semiconductor:semiconductor and semiconductor:insulator blends. Film-depth-dependent charge accumulation and transport are correlated with vertical composition profiles and film-depth-dependent energetic distribution of localized states. Even low gate-voltage could accumulate charges in any depth of the films, greatly increasing charge density in some (sub-) components for effective charge transport. Therefore, neither overall high crystallinity nor molecular ordering near the semiconductor-dielectric interface is necessarily required for high field-effect mobility (μFET). This study not only proposes a model for high effective μFET recently reported in some nearly amorphous polymer films and the “bislope feature” in their transfer characteristics but also helps improve transistor performances and exploit transistor operations via manipulating charge distribution in multi-dispersed films.

Unification of the Charge Transport in Field-Effect Transistors and Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Organic Semiconductors

A physically based mathematical model for the charge transport in field-effect transistors and lighting-emitting diodes based on disordered organic semiconductors has been presented. It is developed basing on the Gaussian disorder model and extends the pioneering work of Pasveer et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 206601 (2005)] to higher carrier densities and large electric field. The experimental current voltage characteristics in devices based on semiconducting polymers are excellently reproduced with this model. Furthermore, we calculate and analyze some electrical properties for the relevant polymers in detail using this model.

Small band gap copolymers based on furan and diketopyrrolopyrrole for field-effect transistors and photovoltaic cells

Four small band gap semiconducting copolymers based on electron deficient diketopyrrolopyrrole alternating with electron rich trimers containing furan and benzene or thiophene have been synthesized via Suzuki polymerization. The polymers have optical band gaps between 1.4 and 1.6 eV, optimized for solar energy conversion, and exhibit ambipolar charge transport in field-effect transistors with hole and electron mobilities higher than 10−2 cm2 V−1 s−1. In solar cells the polymers are used as electron donors and provide power conversion efficiencies up to 3.7% in simulated solar light when mixed with [70]PCBM as acceptor.

Core-cyanated distyryl-bithiophene: Synthesis and impact on charge transport in field-effect transistors

We report on the synthesis of two new distyryl-oligothiophenes with cyano groups at different positions of the ethylene linkage: E,E-5,5′-bis((2-cyano-2-phenyl)-ethenyl)-2,2′-bithiophene 1 and E,E-5,5′-bis((1-cyano-2-phenyl)-ethenyl)-2,2′-bithiophene 2. The impacts of cyanated substitutions on molecular orbitals, highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO), of these new oligomers investigated by the experimental data are confronted in a theoretical study. Despite lower LUMO level, introduction of electron-withdrawing groups in conjugated cores creates a local hindrance in the π-electron delocalization. Detrimental effects are observed on thin-film morphology studied by scanning electron microscopy and the crystalline structure characterization by X-ray diffraction. Organic thin-film transistors made from 1 showed only a low p-channel transistor activity in air whereas devices made from 2 showed neither a n- or a p-channel activity. Analysis of these materials reveals a direct relationship between the molecular structure and solid state properties.

Charge carrier density dependence of the hole mobility in poly(p-phenylene vinylene)

The hole transport in various poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) derivatives has been investigated in field-effect transistors (FETs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as a function of temperature and applied bias. The discrepancy between the experimental hole mobilities extracted from FETs and LEDs based on a single disordered polymeric semiconductor originates from the strong dependence of the hole mobility on the charge carrier density. The microscopic charge transport parameters are directly related to the chemical composition of the analysed polymers. By chemically modifying the PPV, the hole mobility in both FETs and LEDs can be changed by orders of magnitude. For highly disordered PPVs it is demonstrated that the exponential density of states (DOS), which is used to describe the charge transport in FETs, is a good approximation of the tail states of the Gaussian DOS, which describes the charge transport in LEDs. Increase of the directional order in the PPV film enhances the mobility but also induces a strong anisotropy in the charge transport, thereby obscuring a direct comparison between sandwich and field-effect devices. (C) 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. Weinheim.