Organic thin film transistors (TFTs) are of interest for a variety of large-area electronic applications, such as displays, sensors and electronic barcodes. One of the key problems with existing organic TFTs is their large operating voltage, which often exceeds 20 V. This is due to poor capacitive coupling through relatively thick gate dielectric layers: these dielectrics are usually either inorganic oxides or nitrides, or insulating polymers, and are often thicker than 100 nm to minimize gate leakage currents. Here we demonstrate a manufacturing process for TFTs with a 2.5-nm-thick molecular self-assembled monolayer (SAM) gate dielectric and a high-mobility organic semiconductor (pentacene). These TFTs operate with supply voltages of less than 2 V, yet have gate currents that are lower than those of advanced silicon field-effect transistors with SiO2 dielectrics. These results should therefore increase the prospects of using organic TFTs in low-power applications (such as portable devices). Moreover, molecular SAMs may even be of interest for advanced silicon transistors where the continued reduction in dielectric thickness leads to ever greater gate leakage and power dissipation.

We have fabricated organic thin-film transistors and ring oscillators on paper and on flexible polyetherether ketone film using small-molecule hydrocarbon pentacene as the semiconductor and solution-processed polyvinylphenol as the gate dielectric. Transistors on paper have a carrier mobility of 0.2 cm2/V s and an on/off current ratio of 106, similar to devices on polyetherether ketone. A signal propagation delay of 22 μs per stage was measured for pentacene ring oscillators on polyetherether ketone film, and a signal delay of 12 ms was obtained for ring oscillators on paper.

We have fabricated organic thin film transistors, inverters, and ring oscillators on glass and on flexible polyethylene naphthalate, using the small-molecule hydrocarbon pentacene as the semiconductor and solution-processed polyvinylphenol as the gate dielectric. Depending on the choice of substrate, the transistors have a carrier mobility between 0.3 and 0.7 cm2/V s, an on/off current ratio between 105 and 106, and a subthreshold swing between 0.9 and 1.6 V/decade. To account for the positive switch-on voltage of the transistors, circuits were designed to operate with integrated level shifting. Depending on the type of substrate, ring oscillators have a signal propagation delay as low as 15 μs per stage.

Pentacene transistors and integrated circuits on flexible substrates (see Figure) have been fabricated with gate electrodes prepared using a purely additive process combining microcontact printing and selective electroless plating. The printed metal patterns have a resolution of better than 5 μm. Transistors have a carrier mobility of 0.06 cm2 V–1 s–1 and an on/off current ratio of 106. Ring oscillators have a signal propagation delay of 170 μs per stage.

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