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This work investigates the suppression of n-channel and the switch of transfer characteristics (from n-type to ambipolar) by illumination in n-type pentacene-based organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). The illumination outcomes differently on the output characteristics of OFETs, which markedly decreases the magnitude of drain current (n-channel) and shifts the turn-on voltage to a higher positive bias in the n-type regime, but induces the formation of p-channel in the p-type regime. We attribute that the trapped negative charges in the device as induced by illumination electrostatically shield the effective electrical field applied to the gate with source/drain electrodes and modulate the device performance. The result of quasi-static capacitance–voltage measurement agrees well with the modulations of the transfer characteristics for n-type OFETs by illumination. In addition, the de-trapping of charges recovers the n-type only output characteristics of pentacene-based OFETs. This study highlights the unique photo responses of n-type pentacene-based OFETs to the development of phototransistors of distinct output characteristics operated in n- and p-type regime.

With aluminum (Al) source–drain electrodes, the transfer characteristics of pentacene-based organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) change from ambipolar to n-type after 24 h of storage in a nitrogen-filled glove box Chang et al. (2011) [16]. The time-dependent decrease of hole current is associated with the interfacial reaction at the Al source–drain electrodes and pentacene, which was studied by in-situ ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy in this work. Experimental results indicate that the interface of the Al and pentacene is partially oxidized, but the similar oxidation was not observed at the interface of the pentacene and silver. The time-dependent oxidization of Al and pentacene creates an interfacial barrier to suppress the hole injection from Al electrodes (extraction of electrons from pentacene). However, it shows minor effect in the injection of electrons from Al electrode. Since the rate of oxidation is related to the contact area of the pentacene and Al, co-evaporating a thin Al:pentacene interlayer between the pentacene and Al electrodes expands the contact surface and accelerates the reaction, which is suitable for the fabrication of n-type only pentacene-based OFETs. This study highlights the impact of the interfacial reaction in Al/pentacene interface for the transformation of ambipolar to n-type OFETs.

This study successfully demonstrates the application of inorganic p-type nickel oxide (NiOx ) as electrode interlayer for the fabrication of NiOx /CH3 NH3 PbI3 perovskite/PCBM PHJ hybrid solar cells with a respectable solar-to-electrical PCE of 7.8%. The better energy level alignment and improved wetting of the NiOx electrode interlayer significantly enhance the overall photovoltaic performance.

The origins of hysteresis in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and its applications in organic memory devices is investigated. It is found that the orientations of the hydroxyl groups in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gate dielectrics are correlated with the hysteresis of transfer characteristics in pentacene-based OFETs under the forward and backward scan. The applied gate bias partially aligns the orientations of the hydroxyl groups perpendicular to the substrate as characterized by reflective absorption Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (RA-FTIR), in which the field-induced surface dipoles at the pentacene/PVA interface trap charges and cause the hysteresis. Treating PVA with an anhydrous solvent eliminates the residual moisture in the dielectrics layer, allowing for more effective control of the induced dipoles by the applied gate bias. OFETs of dehydrated-PVA dielectrics present a pronounced shift of the threshold voltage (ΔVTh) of 35.7 V in transfer characteristics, higher than that of 18.5 V for untreated devices and results in sufficient dynamic response for applications in memory elements. This work highlights the usage of non-ferroelectric gate dielectrics to fabricate OFET memory elements by manipulating the molecular orientations in the dielectrics layer.

An efficient electron injection/hole blocking layer, N-[3-(trimethoxysily)propyl]ethylenediamine that was grafted onto zinc oxide (ZnO/PEDA-TMS), was used in inverted polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). PEDA-TMS induced a strong dipole directed towards ZnO, which was enhanced by vacuum energy level shifts of ultra-violet photoelectron spectroscopic observations, reducing the barrier height between ZnO and the emissive layer. The effect of annealing ZnO on the performance of PLEDs was analyzed using an electron-only device and capacitance–voltage ( C – V ) characterization. Following annealing at 300 °C, ZnO provided effective electron injection and blocked holes, which enhanced the recombination of the electrons and holes. The eletroluminescence efficiency of an inverted PLED with a ZnO/PEDA-TMS layer is comparable to that of a conventional device. The electron injection mechanism of the inverted device can be explained by C – V behaviors, which are correlated with the threshold voltage and turn-on voltage.

Self-assembled 3-azidopropyltriethoxysilane monolayer (SAM) is used as a dielectric layer to modify the interface between the silicon dioxide wafer and the pentacene semiconductor layer in an organic thin film transistor (OTFT), Au/pentacene/3-azidopropyltriethoxysilane/SiO2/Si. Compared to the commonly used alkyl siliane C18 dielectric, 3-azidopropyltriethoxysilane which possesses stable formal charges is far more effective in increasing the ON/OFF ratio of OTFT device with an improvement of nearly three orders of magnitude. Analysis and measurements reported in this paper have illustrated for the first time the improvement of OTFT performance by a SAM compound with stable formal charges.

Various infra-red and planar chiral metamaterials were fabricated using the modified Nanospherical-Lens Lithography. By replacing the light source with a hand-held ultraviolet lamp, its asymmetric light emission pattern produces the elliptical-shaped photoresist holes after passing through the spheres. The long axis of the ellipse is parallel to the lamp direction. The fabricated ellipse arrays exhibit localized surface plasmon resonance in mid-infra-red and are ideal platforms for surface enhanced infra-red absorption (SEIRA). We also demonstrate a way to design and fabricate complicated patterns by tuning parameters in each exposure step. This method is both high-throughput and low-cost, which is a powerful tool for future infra-red metamaterials applications.