Modeling interface trapping effect in organic field-effect transistor under illumination

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have received significant attention recently because of the potential application in low-cost flexible electronics. The physics behind their operation are relatively complex and require careful consideration particularly with respect to the effect of charge trapping at the insulator–semiconductor interface and field effect in a region with a thickness of a few molecular layers. Recent studies have shown that the so-called “onset” voltage (V _onset) in the rubrene OFET can vary significantly depending on past illumination and bias history. It is therefore important to define the role of the interface trap states in more concrete terms and show how they may affect device performance. In this work, we propose an equivalent-circuit model for the OFET to include mechanism(s) linked to trapping. This includes the existence of a light-sensitive “resistor” controlling charge flow into/out of the interface trap states. Based on the proposed equivalent-circuit model, an analytical expression of V _onset is derived showing how it can depend on gate bias and illumination. Using data from the literature, we analyzed the I–V characteristics of a rubrene OFET after pulsed illumination and a tetracene OFET during steady-state illumination.