High-Resolution Inkjet Printing of All-Polymer Transistor Circuits

TLDR: It is shown that the use of substrate surface energy patterning to direct the flow of water-based conducting polymer inkjet droplets enables high-resolution definition of practical channel lengths of 5 micrometers, and high mobilities were achieved.

Abstract: Direct printing of functional electronic materials may provide a new route to low-cost fabrication of integrated circuits. However, to be useful it must allow continuous manufacturing of all circuit components by successive solution deposition and printing steps in the same environment. We demonstrate direct inkjet printing of complete transistor circuits, including via-hole interconnections based on solution-processed polymer conductors, insulators, and self-organizing semiconductors. We show that the use of substrate surface energy patterning to direct the flow of water-based conducting polymer inkjet droplets enables high-resolution definition of practical channel lengths of 5 micrometers. High mobilities of 0.02 square centimeters per volt second and on-off current switching ratios of 10 5 were achieved.