Microsystems & Nanoengineering (Jun 2023)

High-performance flexible organic field effect transistors with print-based nanowires

  • Liangkun Lu,
  • Dazhi Wang,
  • Changchang Pu,
  • Yanyan Cao,
  • Yikang Li,
  • Pengfei Xu,
  • Xiangji Chen,
  • Chang Liu,
  • Shiwen Liang,
  • Liujia Suo,
  • Yan Cui,
  • Zhiyuan Zhao,
  • Yunlong Guo,
  • Junsheng Liang,
  • Yunqi Liu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41378-023-00551-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Abstract Polymer nanowire (NW) organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) integrated on highly aligned large-area flexible substrates are candidate structures for the development of high-performance flexible electronics. This work presents a universal technique, coaxial focused electrohydrodynamic jet (CFEJ) printing technology, to fabricate highly aligned 90-nm-diameter polymer arrays. This method allows for the preparation of uniformly shaped and precisely positioned nanowires directly on flexible substrates without transfer, thus ensuring their electrical properties. Using indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole (IDT-BT) and poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-co-benzothiadiazole) (F8-BT) as example materials, 5 cm2 arrays were prepared with only minute size variations, which is extremely difficult to do using previously reported methods. According to 2D-GIXRD analysis, the molecules inside the nanowires mainly adopted face-on π-stacking crystallite arrangements. This is quite different from the mixed arrangement of thin films. Nanowire-based OFETs exhibited a high average hole mobility of 1.1 cm2 V−1 s−1 and good device uniformity, indicating the applicability of CFEJ printing as a potential batch manufacturing and integration process for high-performance, scalable polymer nanowire-based OFET circuits. This technique can be used to fabricate various polymer arrays, enabling the use of organic polymer semiconductors in large-area, high-performance electronic devices and providing a new path for the fabrication of flexible displays and wearable electronics in the future.