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The molecule 2-decyl-7-phenyl-[1]benzothieno[3,2-b][1]benzothiophene (Ph-BTBT-10) is an organic semiconductor with outstanding performance in thin-film transistors. The asymmetric shape of the molecule causes an unusual phase behavior, which is a result of a distinct difference in the molecular arrangement between the head-to-head stacking of the molecules versus head-to-tail stacking. Thin films are prepared at elevated temperatures by crystallization from melt under controlled cooling rates, thermal-gradient crystallization, and bar coating at elevated temperatures. The films are investigated using X-ray diffraction techniques. Unusual peak-broadening effects are found, which cannot be explained using standard models. The modeling of the diffraction patterns with a statistic variation of the molecules reveal that a specific type of molecular disorder is responsible for the observed peak-broadening phenomena: the known head-to-head stacking within the crystalline phase is disturbed by the statistic integration of reversed (or flipped) molecules. It is found that 7-15% of the molecules are integrated in a reversed way, and these fractions are correlated with cooling rates during the sample preparation procedure. Temperature-dependent in situ experiments reveal that the defects can be healed by approaching the transition from the crystalline state to the smectic E state at a temperature of 145 °C. This work identifies and quantifies a specific crystalline defect type within thin films of an asymmetric rodlike conjugated molecule, which is caused by the crystallization kinetics.

We have optimized dihexylquaterthiophene-based thin film transistors for low-power consumption and have studied their characteristics for potential introduction in analog circuits. Bottom-gate devices with Pd source and drain electrodes have been fabricated by employing different gate dielectrics. Transistors with very thin (< 10 nm) silicon oxynitride dielectrics display subthreshold swing values below 100 mV/decade, cutoff frequencies approaching the kilohertz range and intrinsic gain around 45 dB, suggesting that they are promising candidates for low-power analog integration.

This paper deals with the influence of the nature and number of solid interfaces on the alignment of the columns in a semiconducting discotic liquid crystal. The solid substrates have been characterized in terms of their roughness and surface energy. The alignment of the discotic liquid crystal columns on these substrates has been determined by optical microscopy under crossed polarizers and by tapping-mode atomic force microscopy. The nature of the substrates has negligible influence on the alignment. The key parameter is the confinement imposed to the film. These surprising observations are explained by the antagonist alignment role of gas and solid interfaces. © 2006 American Chemical Society.