Structural ordering versus energy band alignment: Effects of self-assembled monolayers on the metal/semiconductor interfaces of small molecule organic thin-film transistors

A model describing the influence of self-assembled monolayers on the contact resistance of bottom-contact organic thin-film transistors is presented. The model takes the contact geometry, the energy level alignment and the structural order of the organic films into consideration when describing the contact effects of organic transistors. The treatment of the metal source/drain electrodes of the transistors by self-assembled monolayers allows for tuning the work function of the metal contact and an improved ordering of the organic molecules on top of the source/drain contacts. The results reveal that the contact resistance is mainly determined by the molecular ordering, rather than the tuning of the work function. The model is compared to experimentally measured contact resistances for different self-assembled monolayers.