Large-area bi-component processing of organic semiconductors by spray deposition and spin coating with orthogonal solvents

Micrometre-thick uniform layers of a polymeric semiconductor (poly(3-hexylthiophene), P3HT) have been fabricated from solution by spray deposition making use of a commercial airbrush. Multi-scale characterization by optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy revealed the formation of smooth layers featuring reproducible patterns of spatially correlated micron-sized holes. This morphology was found to be uniform over the whole sample surface, on millimetre scale. On this micro-patterned P3HT layer an orthogonal solvent (i.e. a solvent which does not dissolve the P3HT) has been employed to deposit either by spin coating or by drop casting a second organic semiconductor. While spin-coated films exhibited nano-crystals of an alkylated perylene tetracarboxy diimide (PDI) preferentially grown into the micro-fabricated holes, drop-cast films displayed crystalline PDI fibres adsorbed on the patterned surface in random positions. This work was supported by the ESF-SONS2-SUPRAMATES project, the German Science Foundation (Mu 334/28-1), the Regione Emilia-Romagna PRIITT Nanofaber Net-Lab as well as the EU through the projects Marie Curie EST—SUPER (MEST-CT-2004-008128) and the RTN PRAIRIES (MRTN-CT-2006-035810).