Article abstract
Nature Materials 5, 222 - 228 (2006)
doi:10.1038/nmat1590
Subject Categories: Polymers | Optical, photonic and optoelectronic materials | Characterisation and analytical techniques
Highly oriented crystals at the buried interface in polythiophene thin-film transistors
R. Joseph Kline1, Michael D. McGehee1 and Michael F. Toney2
Abstract
Thin films of polymer semiconductors are being intensively investigated for large-area electronics applications such as light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic cells and thin-film transistors. Understanding the relationship between film morphology and charge transport is key to improving the performance of thin-film transistors. Here we use X-ray diffraction rocking curves to provide direct evidence for highly oriented crystals at the critical buried interface between the polymer and the dielectric where the current flows in thin-film transistors. Treating the substrate surface with self-assembled monolayers significantly varies the concentration of these crystals. We show that the polymer morphology at the buried interface can be different from that in the bulk of the thin films, and provide insight into the processes that limit charge transport in polythiophene films. These results are used to build a more complete model of the relationship between chain packing in polymer thin-films and charge transport.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
Correspondence to: Michael D. McGehee1 e-mail: mmcgehee@stanford.edu
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