Self-assembling organic transistors

The researchers at the National Instituteof Standards and Technology (NIST), in Gaithersburg, MD, coax organic semiconductor molecules toself-assemble around chemically pretreated electrodes to formfield-effect transistors, which are often used to switch pixels on andoff in displays. The technique results in an array of transistors thathave good electrical properties and are insulated from one another.While the current work was done on a hard silicon substrate, it shouldbe transferable to flexible substrates, says David Gundlach, the NIST researcher who led the work.

Current flat-panel displays, such as liquid crystal displays, arerigid because they use amorphous silicon to make the transistors thatcontrol the pixels. Organic electronic circuits could pave the way forroll-up displays: foldable electronic readers, large screens that canbe rolled up and tucked into cell phones, and smart bandages thatmonitor wounds and sense the need for drugs. However, a practicalmethod to cheaply produce high-performance organic electronic circuitshas proved elusive.

Source: technologyreview.comAdded: 15 April 2008