Scientists at the Institute of Applied Physics at TU Dresden have come a step closer to realising the vision of a broad application for flexible, printable electronics. The team led by Dr Hans Kleemann has succeeded for the first time in developing high-performance vertical organic transistors with a double control electrode. The results have now been published in the renowned online journal ‘Nature Communications’.

Dresden, September 22nd, 2024 – High-resolution roll-up televisions or foldable smartphones could soon no longer be unaffordable luxury goods that can only be admired at international electronics trade fairs. High-performance organic transistors are a crucial prerequisite for the mechanically flexible electronic circuits required. However, conventional horizontal organic thin-film transistors are very slow due to the hopping transport in organic semiconductors, which is why they cannot be used for applications where high frequencies are required. Especially for logic circuits with low power consumption, such as those used for radio frequency identification (RFID), it is imperative to develop transistors with high switching frequencies and adjustable characteristics (threshold voltage). The Organic Devices and Systems (ODS) research group at the Dresden Integrated Center for Applied Photophysics (IAPP) of the Institute of Applied Physics, headed by Dr Hans Kleemann, has now succeeded in creating such novel organic devices.

‘Until now, vertical transistors were rather exotic and were considered difficult to integrate into electrical circuits. The vertical transistors with double control electrode that we have developed make it possible for the first time to realise complex logic states with the help of fewer transistors and at the same time exploit the advantages of vertical architecture, such as high switching frequencies,’ says Dr Hans Kleemann.
The vertical organic transistors with a double control electrode are characterised by a high switching frequency (a few nanoseconds) and the adjustability of the threshold voltage. Thanks to these developments, even single transistors can be used to represent different logic states (AND, NOT, NAND). Furthermore, the adjustable threshold voltage ensures signal integrity (noise margin) and low power consumption.

Damit hat die Forschergruppe einen Meilenstein im Hinblick auf die Vision einer flexiblen und druckbaren Elektronik gelegt. Durch diese Transistoren könnte es in Zukunft möglich sein, selbst anspruchsvolle elektronische Funktionen wie drahtlose Kommunikation (RFID) oder hochauflösende flexible Displays vollständig mit organischen Bauelementen zu realisieren und damit komplett auf Silizium-basierte elektronische Komponenten zu verzichten.

Originalpublication:

Guo, E.; Wu, Z.; Darbandy, G.; Xing, S.; Wang, S.; Tahn, A.; Göbel, M.; Kloes, A.; Leo, K.; Kleemann, H. Vertical Organic Permeable Dual-Base Transistors for Logic Circuits. Nature Communications: (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18576-5)

ImageSource IAPP, Dr Hans Kleemann and his team have succeeded for the first time in developing high-performance vertical organic transistors with a double control electrode.