Organic Electronics Picks Up the Pace: Mask-Less, Solution Processed Organic Transistors Operating at 160 MHz

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that solution-processed, mask-less organic transistors can operate at 160 MHz, challenging the belief that organic electronics are limited to low-frequency applications, thus enabling high-speed, flexible wireless devices.

Contribution

It introduces a design and fabrication approach for organic transistors achieving unprecedented high-frequency operation at 160 MHz using simple, cost-effective methods.

Findings

Achieved 160 MHz transition frequency in organic transistors

Demonstrated high-frequency operation with solution-processed, direct-written techniques

Opened new possibilities for flexible, wireless organic electronics

Abstract

Organic printed electronics has proven its potential as an essential enabler for applications related to healthcare, entertainment, energy and distributed intelligent objects. The possibility of exploiting solution-based and direct-writing production schemes further boosts the benefits offered by such technology, facilitating the implementation of cheap, conformable, bio-compatible electronic applications. The result shown in this work challenges the widespread assumption that such class of electronic devices is relegated to low-frequency operation, owing to the limited charge mobility of the materials and to the low spatial resolution achievable with conventional printing techniques. Here, it is shown that solution-processed and direct-written organic field-effect transistors can be carefully designed and fabricated so to achieve a maximum transition frequency of 160 MHz, unlocking an operational range that was not available before for organics. Such range was believed to be only accessible with more performing classes of semiconductor materials and/or more expensive fabrication schemes. The present achievement opens a route for cost- and energy-efficient manufacturability of flexible and conformable electronics with wireless-communication capabilities.