The effect of tuning the microstructure of TIPS-tetraazapentacene on the performance of solution processed thin film transistors

We report a comprehensive study of the symmetrical 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)tetraazapentacene (TIPS-TAP) used as an electron transporting material in organic field-effect transistors. We study the optical, electronic, structural and morphological properties of thin films of TIPS-TAP as deposited by spin-coating and zone-casting techniques. Depending on the solution processing conditions and procedures we find a variety of microstructures for TIPS-TAP ranging from highly polycrystalline to well-aligned crystalline films. Field-effect transistors are fabricated in two different architectures to evaluate the charge transport properties of TIPS-TAP in such films, and bias-stress experiments reveal a good electric stability of TIPS-TAP. The extracted electron mobilities vary over several orders of magnitude depending on the resulting morphology of the active layer reaching a maximum of 0.42 cm2 V−1 s−1 for uniaxial aligned crystallites in zone-cast transistors.

[1]  U. Bunz.  The Larger Linear N-Heteroacenes. , 2015, Accounts of chemical research.

[2]  S. Mannsfeld,et al.  Self‐Assembled Monolayers of Cyclohexyl‐Terminated Phosphonic Acids as a General Dielectric Surface for High‐Performance Organic Thin‐Film Transistors , 2014, Advanced materials.

[3]  Q. Miao,et al.  Ten Years of N‐Heteropentacenes as Semiconductors for Organic Thin‐Film Transistors , 2014, Advanced materials.

[4]  H. Sirringhaus.  25th Anniversary Article: Organic Field-Effect Transistors: The Path Beyond Amorphous Silicon , 2014, Advanced materials.

[5]  Jiangang Liu,et al.  Uniaxial alignment of triisopropylsilylethynyl pentacene via zone-casting technique. , 2013, Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP.

[6]  Zhenan Bao,et al.  Solution coating of large-area organic semiconductor thin films with aligned single-crystalline domains. , 2013, Nature materials.

[7]  Jianbin Xu,et al.  Self-assembled monolayers of phosphonic acids with enhanced surface energy for high-performance solution-processed N-channel organic thin-film transistors. , 2013, Angewandte Chemie.

[8]  U. Bunz,et al.  Large N-heteroacenes: new tricks for very old dogs? , 2013, Angewandte Chemie.

[9]  D. Lichtenberger,et al.  Substituent effects on the electronic characteristics of pentacene derivatives for organic electronic devices: dioxolane-substituted pentacene derivatives with triisopropylsilylethynyl functional groups. , 2012, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[10]  Daoben Zhu,et al.  Semiconducting π-conjugated systems in field-effect transistors: a material odyssey of organic electronics. , 2012, Chemical reviews.

[11]  Alán Aspuru-Guzik,et al.  Tuning charge transport in solution-sheared organic semiconductors using lattice strain , 2011, Nature.

[12]  Jianbin Xu,et al.  The Position of Nitrogen in N‐Heteropentacenes Matters , 2011, Advanced materials.

[13]  X. Gong,et al.  Synthesis of tetrachloro-azapentacene as an ambipolar organic semiconductor with high and balanced carrier mobilities. , 2011, Organic letters.

[14]  Jianbin Xu,et al.  Soluble and Stable N‐Heteropentacenes with High Field‐Effect Mobility , 2011, Advanced materials.

[15]  X. Gong,et al.  High and balanced hole and electron mobilities from ambipolar thin-film transistors based on nitrogen-containing oligoacences. , 2010, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[16]  Henning Sirringhaus,et al.  Band-like temperature dependence of mobility in a solution-processed organic semiconductor. , 2010, Nature materials.

[17]  Hagen Klauk,et al.  Organic thin-film transistors. , 2010, Chemical Society reviews.

[18]  S. Barlow,et al.  6,13-Diethynyl-5,7,12,14-tetraazapentacene. , 2009, Chemistry.

[19]  Henning Sirringhaus,et al.  High-Mobility Aligned Pentacene Films Grown by Zone-Casting , 2008 .

[20]  John E Anthony,et al.  The larger acenes: versatile organic semiconductors. , 2008, Angewandte Chemie.

[21]  John E. Anthony,et al.  High mobility solution processed 6,13-bis(triisopropyl-silylethynyl) pentacene organic thin film transistors , 2007 .

[22]  H. Seggern,et al.  Complementary inverter based on interface doped pentacene , 2005 .

[23]  Henning Sirringhaus,et al.  A Zone‐Casting Technique for Device Fabrication of Field‐Effect Transistors Based on Discotic Hexa‐peri‐hexabenzocoronene , 2005 .

[24]  Thomas N Jackson,et al.  Organic field-effect transistors from solution-deposited functionalized acenes with mobilities as high as 1 cm2/V x s. , 2005, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[25]  Richard H. Friend,et al.  General observation of n-type field-effect behaviour in organic semiconductors , 2005, Nature.

[26]  Heinz von Seggern,et al.  n-type organic field-effect transistor based on interface-doped pentacene , 2004 .

[27]  J S Brooks,et al.  Functionalized pentacene: improved electronic properties from control of solid-state order. , 2001, Journal of the American Chemical Society.

[28]  Zhenan Bao,et al.  High‐Mobility, Aligned Crystalline Domains of TIPS‐Pentacene with Metastable Polymorphs Through Lateral Confinement of Crystal Growth , 2014, Advanced materials.