Patterning methods for organic electronics

Abstract

Organic electronics is an exciting new avenue for low cost electronics. The unique properties of organic semiconductors may enable a new generation of electronic devices to be fabricated into flexible, large area, and even transparent consumer products. However, for this to become a reality, many challenges must first be overcome. As the performance of these materials continues to improve, it is now necessary to look to new manufacturing methods and materials that can fully exploit the advantages of organic materials. The work presented in this thesis is focused on the development of new and high resolution fabrication methods which are compatible with organic electronic materials. The findings presented in the first half of this thesis are based on the idea that fundamentally new forms of manufacturing are required to match the unique properties of organic materials. Initially the adhesion properties of several materials are analysed with a focus on how they interact at the nano-scale. Further work then outlines how adhesion forces can be manipulated and used to produce highly aligned nano-scale electronic devices, something that until now has required high cost and specialist equipment. The second part of this thesis describes how existing fabrication methods can be modified to produce high performance organic devices. By creating self-aligned organic transistors, higher frequency device operation and enhanced performance may be possible. New materials such as graphene and low voltage nano-scale dielectrics are tested in this configuration and compared with similar devices reported in the literature.