Advanced Functional Materials
Advanced Functional Materials
5 years ago

Improving Electrical Stability and Ideality in Organic Field-Effect Transistors by the Addition of Fullerenes: Understanding the Working Mechanism

Improving Electrical Stability and Ideality in Organic Field-Effect Transistors by the Addition of Fullerenes: Understanding the Working Mechanism
Thuc-Quyen Nguyen, Ming Wang, Alexander T. Lill, Guillermo C. Bazan, Hung Phan, Michael J. Ford
Electrical instability and nonideality due to undesirable electron injection are often-encountered problems for high-mobility organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) with low-bandgap polymer semiconductors. Due to electron trapping and the resulting accumulation of negative charges on the silicon dioxide dielectric, transfer curves deviate from ideality characteristics and double-slopes are observed as the devices are operated for extended periods of time. One way to circumvent those is to use an electron-acceptor additive, such as fullerene and its derivatives. This work interprets the mechanisms of how fullerene derivatives suppress electron transport and electrical instability while maintaining high hole mobility in p-type OFETs. This study shows that hole transport of the active layer is uninterrupted upon the addition of the electron acceptors. Most importantly, the added fullerene derivatives out-compete SiO2 to acquire electrons that are injected into the polymers. Electrical instability and double-slope induced from electron trapping at SiO2 surface are thereby suppressed. The mechanisms of how fullerene derivatives suppress electron trapping on SiO2 and the consequent electrical instability and double slope, while maintaining high hole mobility in p-type organic field-effect transistors, are interpreted. First, hole transport of the active layer is uninterrupted upon the addition of the electron acceptors. Most importantly, the added fullerene derivatives out-compete SiO2 to acquire electrons that are injected into the polymers.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.201701358

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