Self-aligned self-assembly process for fabricating organic thin-film transistors

A process for fabricating alignment-free, printable, organic thin-film transistors is presented. This process utilizes a self-assembly phenomenon in which soluble nanomaterials such as metallic nanoparticles and organic molecules are self-assembled into a device structure. To demonstrate this process, solution-processed source∕drain electrodes were self-aligned to a gate electrode using a hydrophobic self-assembled monolayer (SAM) optically patterned onto the gate electrode using a backsubstrate exposure technique. An organic semiconductor film deposited on the patterned SAM was selectively ordered and substantially self-aligned to the gate electrode. This process is called self-aligned self-assembly. A field-effect mobility of 0.15cm2∕Vs and potential minimum channel length of 3μm were experimentally demonstrated when pentacene molecules and silver nanoparticles were used as the semiconductor and electrode materials, respectively.