Charge-Transfer Complexes in Organic Field-Effect Transistors: Superior Suitability for Surface Doping

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Adara Babuji - , Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) (First author)
  • Alba Cazorla - , Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) (Author)
  • Eduardo Solano - , ALBA Synchrotron, Cerdanyola Del Valles (Author)
  • Carsten Habenicht - , Chair of Opto-Electronics (Author)
  • Hans Kleemann - , Chair of Opto-Electronics (Author)
  • Carmen Ocal - , Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) (Author)
  • Karl Leo - , Chair of Opto-Electronics (Author)
  • Esther Barrena - , Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) (Last author)

Abstract

We demonstrate the key role of charge-transfer complexes in surface doping as a successful methodology for improving channel field-effect mobility and reducing the threshold voltage in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), as well as raising the film conductivity. Demonstrated here for 2,7-dioctyl[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (C8-BTBT) doped with 2,2′-(perfluoronaphthalene-2,6-diylidene)dimalononitrile (F6TCNNQ), channel doping by sequential deposition is consistently rationalized by the development of a cocrystalline structure that forms and evolves from the surface of the organic semiconductor film without trading the thin-film structure integrity. This scenario brings higher benefits for the device operation than doping by codeposition, where a decrease in the field-effect mobility of the device, even for a dopant content of only 1 mol %, makes codeposition less suitable. Insight into the structural and electronic properties of the interface satisfactorily explains the improved performance of OFETs upon the incorporation of the dopant and provides an understanding of the mechanism of doping in this system.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)44632-44641
Number of pages10
JournalACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
Volume14
Issue number39
Publication statusPublished - 20 Sept 2022
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 36126171
unpaywall 10.1021/acsami.2c09168
ORCID /0000-0002-9773-6676/work/142247052

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • charge-transfer complexes, cocrystals, doping, OFETs, organic semiconductor