Thin film organic transistors from air-stable heteroarenes: anthra[1,2-b:4,3-b':5,6-b':8,7-b']tetrathiophene derivatives

A facile synthesis of air-stable anthra[1,2-b:4,3-b':5,6-b':8,7-b']tetrathiophene derivatives 1a and 1b has been developed for applications in organic thin film transistors. Both molecules tend to self-associate through pi-pi stacking in solution and in different films. The hole mobility of 0.012 cm2 V(-1) s(-1) is obtained from 1a due to morphology changes in films from less ordered to highly ordered structures after thermal annealing. Good performance remained persistent over a period of 14 days, indicating the high stability of such transistors.     

2,6-Diarylnaphtho[1,8-bc:5,4-b'c']dithiophenes as new high-performance semiconductors for organic field-effect transistors

A series of 2,6-diaryl-substituted naphtho[1,8-bc:5,4-b'c']dithiophene derivatives 2-6, whose aryl groups include 5-hexyl-2-thienyl, 2,2'-bithiophen-5-yl, phenyl, 2-naphthyl, and 4-biphenylyl, was synthesized by the palladium-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura coupling and utilized as active layers of organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). All devices fabricated using vapor-deposited thin films of these compounds showed typical p-type FET characteristics. The mobilities are relatively good and widely range from 10(-4) to 10(-1) cm2 V(-1) s(-1), depending on the substituent groups. Among them, the mobilities of the devices using films of 3-5 tend to increase with the increasing temperature of the Si/SiO2 substrate during film deposition. In particular, the device based on the naphthyl derivative 5, when fabricated at 140 degrees C, marked a high mobility of 0.11 cm2 V(-1) s(-1) with an on/off ratio of 10(5), which is a top class of performance among organic thin-film transistors. Studies of X-ray diffractograms (XRDs) have revealed that the film of 4 and 5 is composed of two kinds of crystal grains with different phases, so-called "single-crystal phase" and "thin film phase", and that the proportion of the thin film phase increases with an increase of the substrate temperature. In the thin film phase the assembled molecules stand nearly upright on the substrate in such a way as to be favorable to carrier migration.     

Organic semiconducting materials from sulfur-hetero benzo[k]fluoranthene derivatives: synthesis, photophysical properties, and thin film transistor fabrication

A new family of air-stable sulfur-hetero oligoarenes based on the benzo[k]fluoranthene unit has been facilely developed as the active materials for thin film organic field-effect transistors. The Diels-Alder reaction between cyclopentadienone 1 and 2,2'-(ethyne-1,2-diyl)bisthiophene followed by decarbonylation afforded fluoranthene derivative 2. After bromination and subsequent substitution through Suzuki coupling reaction, the FeCl3-oxidative cyclization produced sulfur-hetero benzo[k]fluoranthene derivatives 8-12. In dilute chloroform solution, the absorption and emission behaviors of 2 and 4-7 showed characteristic features of the fluoranthene units, while their emission lambda(max) red-shifted with an increase of the effective conjugation length. The steady state absorption and emission spectra of these newly synthesized compounds were thoroughly investigated and discussed. Thin film organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) using 8-11 as active materials were fabricated in a "top contact" configuration. Substituents at the skeleton play an important role in the film morphologies, which lead to different mobilities, while the charge mobilities of 8-11 from OFETs were improved after thermal annealing of the thin films. A carrier mobility as high as 0.083 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and current on/off ratio of 10(6) were achieved through vacuum-deposited film followed by the thermal annealing process from 11.     

Heterocirculenes as a new class of organic semiconductors

We report a fabrication of field-effect transistors using the new organic semiconductors octathio[8]circulene and tetrathiotetraseleno[8]circulene . The maximum hole mobility of 9 x 10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) is, most likely, limited by one-dimensional growth of and in thin films.     

An asymmetric oligomer based on thienoacene for solution processed crystal organic thin-film transistors

A novel thienoacene-based conjugated oligomer, i.e.BTTT-T-C12, was designed and synthesized. Its highly asymmetric structural feature enables the preparation of two-dimensional single-crystalline thin films in millimetre size and ~100 nm thick by a solution processing method directly on the Si/SiO(2) substrate. Single crystal organic thin film transistors exhibit a mobility of 0.70 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and an on/off ratio of 5.7 × 10(4).     

New sulfur bridged neutral annulenes. Structure, physical properties and applications in organic field-effect transistors

New, neutral, meso-substituted tetrathia[22]annulene[2,1,2,1] aromatic macrocyclic architectures display p-type semiconductor behaviour and constitute efficacious molecular field-effect transistors with reproducible bulk-like carrier mobility (as high as 0.63 cm(2) V(-1) S(-1)) on highly crystalline thin films deposited on octadecyltrichlorosilane modified SiO(2).     

Effect of the phase states of self-assembled monolayers on pentacene growth and thin-film transistor characteristics

To investigate the effects of the phase state (ordered or disordered) of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on the growth mode of pentacene films and the performance of organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), we deposited pentacene molecules on SAMs of octadecyltrichlorosilane (ODTS) with different alkyl-chain orientations at various substrate temperatures (30, 60, and 90 degrees C). We found that the SAM phase state played an important role in both cases. Pentacene films grown on relatively highly ordered SAMs were found to have a higher crystallinity and a better interconnectivity between the pentacene domains, which directly serves to enhance the field-effect mobility, than those grown on disordered SAMs. Furthermore, the differences in crystallinity and field-effect mobility between pentacene films grown on ordered and disordered substrates increased with increasing substrate temperature. These results can be possibly explained by (1) a quasi-epitaxy growth of the pentacene film on the ordered ODTS monolayer and (2) the temperature-dependent alkyl chain mobility of the ODTS monolayers.     

Dianthra[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DATT): synthesis, characterization, and FET characteristics of new π-extended heteroarene with eight fused aromatic rings

A novel highly π-extended heteroarene with eight fused aromatic rings, dianthra[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DATT), was selectively synthesized via a newly developed synthetic strategy, fully characterized by means of single crystal X-ray structural analysis, and examined as an organic semiconductor in thin film transistors. Even with its highly extended acene-like π-system, DATT is a fairly air-stable compound with IP of 5.1 eV. Single crystal X-ray structural analysis revealed its planar molecular structure and the lamella-like layered structure with typical herringbone packing. Theoretical calculations of the solid state electronic structure based on the bulk single crystal structure suggest that DATT affords almost comparable intermolecular orbital couplings between HOMOs (t(HOMO)) with those of dinaphtho[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT), implying its good potential as an organic semiconductor for organic field-effect transistors. In fact, field-effect mobilities as high as 3.0 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) were achieved with vapor-processed DATT-based devices, which is comparable with that of DNTT-based devices. The molecular ordering of DATT in the thin film state, however, turned out to be not completely uniform; as elucidated by in-plane and out-of-plane XRD measurements, the face-on molecular orientation was contaminated in the edge-on orientation, the former of which is not optimal for efficient carrier transport and thus could limit the mobility.     

Lamination method for the study of interfaces in polymeric thin film transistors

A method for the fabrication of polymeric thin-film transistors (TFTs) by lamination is described. Poly(dimethylsiloxane) stamps were used to delaminate thin films of semiconducting polymers from silicon wafers coated with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) formed from octyltrichlorosilane. These supported films were laminated onto electrode structures to form coplanar TFTs. The fabrication process was used to make TFTs with poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT, and poly[5,5'-bis(3-dodecyl-2-thienyl)-2,2'-bithiophene], PQT-12. TFTs, where these polymers were laminated onto gate dielectrics coated with SAMs from octyltrichlorosilane, had effective field-effect mobilities of 0.03 and 0.005 cm2/(V s), respectively. TFTs where PQT-12 was laminated onto gate dielectrics that were not coated with a SAM also had mobility of 0.03 cm2/(V s). In contrast, TFTs fabricated by spin-coating PQT-12 onto the same structure had mobilities ranging from 10-3 to 10-4 cm2/(V s). These results suggest that the lower mobilities of polymer TFTs made with hydrophilic gate dielectrics are caused by molecular ordering in the semiconducting film rather than electronic effects of dipolar groups at the interface.     

Rational Design of Ambipolar Organic Semiconductors: Is Core Planarity Central to Ambipolarity in Thiophene–Naphthalene Semiconductors?

Herein, we report a new family of naphthaleneamidinemonoimide-fused oligothiophene semiconductors designed for facile charge transport in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). These molecules have planar skeletons that induce high degrees of crystallinity and hence good charge-transport properties. By modulating the length of the oligothiophene fragment, the majority carrier charge transport can be switched from n-type to ambipolar behavior. The highest FET performance is achieved for solution-processed films of 10-[(2,2'-bithiophen)-5-yl]-2-octylbenzo[lmn]thieno[3',4':4,5]imidazo[2,1-b][3,8]phenanthroline-1,3,6(2H)-trione (NDI-3 Tp), with optimized film mobilities of 2×10(-2) and 0.7×10(-2) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for electrons and holes, respectively. Finally, these planar semiconductors are compared with their twisted-skeleton counterparts, which exhibit only n-type mobility, in order to understand the origin of the ambipolarity in this new series of molecular semiconductors.     

Conductive triethylene glycol monomethyl ether substituted polythiophenes with high stability in the doped state

Synthesis of two conducting polymers containing 3‐hexylthiophene and 3‐[2‐(2‐(2‐methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxy]thiophene is demonstrated. In thin‐film transistors, the high‐molecular‐weight polymer shows an average mobility of 4.2 × 10^?4 cm² V^?1 s^?1. Most importantly, the polymers have high conductivity upon doping with iodine and also have high stability in the doped state with high conductivities measured even after 1 month. Furthermore, the doping causes transparency to thin films of the polymer and the films are resistant to common organic solvents. All these properties indicate a great potential for the iodine‐doped polymer to be used as an alternative to commercially available poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate). © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019 , 57, 1079–1086     

Air-stable n-type organic field-effect transistors based on solution-processable, electronegative oligomers containing dicyanomethylene-substituted cyclopenta[b]thiophene

Solution-processable, electronegative, π-conjugated systems containing dicyanomethylene-substituted cyclopenta[b]thiophene were synthesized as potential active materials for air-stable n-type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). Electrochemical measurements revealed that these compounds exhibited electrochemical stability and that the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) had an energy level less than -4.0 eV. Flash-photolysis time-resolved microwave conductivity (FP-TRMC) measurements were performed, and the value of intradomain electron mobility was determined to be as high as 0.1 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) . The OFETs were fabricated by spin-coating thin films of the compounds as an active layer. The electron mobility of the OFETs was 3.5×10(-3) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) in vacuum. Furthermore, electron mobility of the same order of magnitude and stable characteristics were obtained under air-exposed conditions. X-ray diffraction measurements of the spin-coated thin films revealed the difference of molecular arrangements depending on the inner conjugated units. Atomic force microscopy measurements of crystalline-structured films exhibited the formation of grains. The accomplishment of air-stability was attributed to the combined effect of the low-lying LUMO energy level and the molecular arrangements in the solid state, avoiding both the quenching of electron carriers and the intrusion of oxygen and/or moisture.     

Improving the Performance of TIPS-pentacene Thin FilmTransistors via Interface Modification

Understanding the structure-performance relationship is crucial for optimizing the performance of organic thin film transistors. Here, two interface modification methods were applied to modulate the thin film morphology of the organic semiconductor, 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene(TIPS-pentacene). The resulting different film morphologies and packing structures led to distinct charge transport abilities. A substantial 40-fold increase in charge carrier mobility was observed on the octadecyltrichlorosilane(OTS)-modified sample compared to that of the transistor on the bare substrate. A better charge mobility greater than 1 cm²·V^-1·s^-1 is realized on the p-sexiphenyl(p-6P)- modified transistors due to the large grain size, good continuity and, importantly, the intimate π-π packing in each domain.     

Crystals Array via Oriented Nucleation and Growth Induced by Smectic E Mesophase of C7-T-BTBT

Long-range order crystalline thin films of organic semiconductors have attracted wide attention owing to their high charge carrier mobility. However, uncontrolled crystal nucleation and growth during the thin film drying process cause the formation of grain boundaries, thereby limiting the long-range order. Herein, we achieved the oriented nucleation and growth of organic semiconductors by off-centre spin-coating at the temperature of the smectic E(SmE) liquid crystal mesophase, and then followed by Ostwald ripening during solvent vapour annealing. The thin film of 2-(5-heptylthiophen-2-yl)[1]benzothieno[3,2-b] [1]benzothiophne (C7-T-BTBT) blended with 40%(mass fraction) poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) was prepared by off-centrespin-coating at SmE mesophase(170℃), followed by solvent vapour annealing in chloroform for 24 h(chloroform is a good solvent for C7-T-BTBT and PMMA). The C7-T-BTBT molecules grew to rod-like crystals, which were mostly arranged parallel to each other. The crystal growth was perfect and resulted in a single crystal. The average length of the crystals was approximately 87 μm. Moreover, the highest charge carrier mobility is 1.62 cm²·V⁻¹·s⁻¹ as against that of the film prepared at 25℃(0.06 cm²·V⁻¹·s⁻¹).     

X-ray scattering study of thin films of poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene)

Poly(2,5-bis(3-alkylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene), PBTTT, is a semiconducting polymer that forms thin film transistors (TFTs) with high field effect mobility on silicon dioxide dielectrics that are treated with alkyltrichlorosilanes ( approximately 0.2 to 0.5 cm2/V s) but forms TFTs with poor mobility on bare silicon dioxide (<0.005 cm2/V s). The microstructure of spin-coated thin films of PBTTT on these surfaces was studied using synchrotron X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. PBTTT crystallizes with lamellae of pi-stacked polymer chains on both surfaces. The crystalline domains are well-oriented relative to the substrate in the as-spun state and become highly oriented and more ordered with thermal annealing in the liquid crystalline mesophase. Although the X-ray scattering from PBTTT is nearly identical on both surfaces, atomic force microscopy showed that the domain size of the crystalline regions depends on the substrate surface. These results suggest that electrical transport in PBTTT films is strongly affected by the domain size of the crystalline regions and the disordered regions between them.     

Highly disordered polymer field effect transistors: N-alkyl dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole-based copolymers with surprisingly high charge carrier mobilities

A series of novel electroactive and photoactive conjugated copolymers based on N-alkyl dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrroles (DTP) and thiophene (TH) units (DTP-co-THs) were synthesized using a Stille coupling reaction and exhibited molecular weights of 1.6 x 10(4) to 5.0 x 10(4) g/mol. The incorporation of soluble substituted thiophenes and planar DTP units resulted in low band gap, highly conductive polymers. DTP-co-THs exhibited excellent solubility in common organic solvents and formed high-quality films. Optical characterization revealed that the band gaps of DTP-co-THs were between 1.74 and 2.00 eV, lower than regioregular poly(3-alkylthiophenes). Electrochemical characterization showed that the HOMO energy levels of DTP-co-THs are between -4.68 and -4.96 eV. When doped, DTP-co-THs exhibited high conductivities up to 230 S/cm with excellent stability. The different thiophene substituent patterns' effect on the polymers' optical and electronic properties was then examined by density functional theory computations. The microstructure and surface morphologies of poly(2,6-(4-dodecyl-4H-bisthieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole)-random-2,5-(3-dodecylthiophene)) (P4) and poly(2-(4,4'-didodecyl-2,2'-bithiophen-5-yl)-4-octyl-4H-bisthieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]pyrrole) (P6) thin films were studied by X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy. As-cast P4 and P6 thin films exhibited poorly defined, randomly ordered lamellar structure that improved significantly after thermal annealing. Field effect transistor devices fabricated from P4 and P6 showed typical p-channel transistor behavior. Interestingly, the mobilities of as-cast, less ordered samples were much higher than those observed after annealing. The highest values of maximum and average mobilities were observed for the polymer P6 as-cast (0.21 and 0.13 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1), respectively). One of our goals was to test the idea that high mobility and excellent electrical and structural reproducibility could perhaps be achieved by the creation of amorphous pi-conjugated materials that could possess long arrange pi connectivity on the microscopic scale. The results of these studies strongly suggest that the presence of highly ordered microcrystalline structures in thin films of organic semiconductors is not necessary for excellent performance of organic transistors.     

Benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']bis[b]benzothiophene as solution processible organic semiconductor for field-effect transistors

Coplanar benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']bis[b]benzothiophenes (, ) for the application in organic field-effect transistors were synthesized by a simple two-step procedure involving triflic acid induced ring-closure reaction; such solution processed devices show a hole mobility of up to 0.01 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1).     

Annealing-free high-mobility diketopyrrolopyrrole-quaterthiophene copolymer for solution-processed organic thin film transistors

A donor-acceptor polymer semiconductor, PDQT, comprising diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) and β-unsubstituted quaterthiophene (QT) for organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) is reported. This polymer forms ordered layer-by-layer lamellar packing with an edge-on orientation in thin films even without thermal annealing. The strong intermolecular interactions arising from the fused aromatic DPP moiety and the DPP-QT donor-acceptor interaction facilitate the spontaneous self-assembly of the polymer chains into close proximity and form a large π-π overlap, which are favorable for intermolecular charge hopping. The well-interconnected crystalline grains form efficient intergranular charge transport pathways. The desirable chemical, electronic, and morphological structures of PDQT bring about high hole mobility of up to 0.97 cm(2)/(V·s) in OTFTs with polymer thin films annealed at a mild temperature of 100 °C and similarly high mobility of 0.89 cm(2)/(V·s) for polymer thin films even without thermal annealing.     

Thin film structure of tetraceno[2,3-b]thiophene characterized by grazing incidence X-ray scattering and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure analysis

Understanding the structure-property relationship for organic semiconductors is crucial in rational molecular design and organic thin film process control. Charge carrier transport in organic field-effect transistors predominantly occurs in a few semiconductor layers close to the interface in contact with the dielectric layer, and the transport properties depend sensitively on the precise molecular packing. Therefore, a better understanding of the impact of molecular packing and thin film morphology in the first few monolayers above the dielectric layer on charge transport is needed to improve the transistor performance. In this Article, we show that the detailed molecular packing in thin organic semiconductor films can be solved through a combination of grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), near-edge X-ray absorption spectra fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy, energy minimization packing calculations, and structure refinement of the diffraction data. We solve the thin film structure for 2 and 20 nm thick films of tetraceno[2,3-b]thiophene and detect only a single phase for these thicknesses. The GIXD yields accurate unit cell dimensions, while the precise molecular arrangement in the unit cell was found from the energy minimization and structure refinement; the NEXAFS yields a consistent molecular tilt. For the 20 nm film, the unit cell is triclinic with a = 5.96 A, b = 7.71 A, c = 15.16 A, alpha = 97.30 degrees, beta = 95.63 degrees, gamma = 90 degrees; there are two molecules per unit cell with herringbone packing (49-59 degree angle) and tilted about 7 degrees from the substrate normal. The thin film structure is significantly different from the bulk single-crystal structure, indicating the importance of characterizing thin film to correlate with thin film device performance. The results are compared to the corresponding data for the chemically similar and widely used pentacene. Possible effects of the observed thin film structure and morphology on charge carrier mobility are discussed.     

溶液法制备的氧化锌多层膜及其场效应性质(英文)

通过旋涂法,采用不同浓度的前躯体制备了氧化锌多层膜,并制备了基于此多层膜的薄膜晶体管器件.实验证明,基于按照氧化锌前躯体浓度顺序为0.25、0.10和0.05 mol.L-1依次旋涂前躯体溶液制备的氧化锌薄膜的晶体管器件的载流子迁移率为0.02 cm.2V-.1s-1,高于按照浓度顺序为0.05、0.10和0.25 mol.L-1依次旋涂前躯体溶液制备的氧化锌薄膜的载流子迁移率(0.013 cm2.V-.1s-1).原子力显微镜(AFM)结果表明,前一种薄膜粗糙度的均方根值(rms)为3.95 nm,而后一种薄膜粗糙度的rms远远高于前者,为4.52 nm,这就说明了氧化锌薄膜的粗糙度对薄膜的半导体性质有很大的影响,这是由于平整的薄膜有利于形成理想的源/漏电极与半导体层的接触.在晶体管中,起传输作用的半导体层是靠近ZnO/SiO2界面处的几纳米的半导体层中的氧化锌晶粒,因此起始形成的氧化锌薄膜的结晶度影响着晶体管的性能.采用X射线衍射(XRD)测试了多层膜中起始形成的薄膜的结晶性能.对于前一种薄膜,起始形成的薄膜为多晶薄膜,而对于后一种薄膜,起始形成的薄膜是无定形薄膜.因此,粗糙度以及起始形成的薄膜的结晶度影响着多层半导体薄膜的性质.