Performance improvement of bottom-contact pentacene-based organic thin-film transistors by inserting a thin polytetrafluoroethylene buffer layer

The electrical characteristics of bottom-contact pentacene-based organic thin-film transistors with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as the buffer layer were investigated. PTFE can provide a hydrophobic surface to improve the molecular orientation of the grown pentacene channel layer. In addition, the contact resistance (R-C) between the pentacene channel layer and source/drain electrodes can be decreased as a result of the carriers injection by tunneling through the thin PTFE buffer layer (1.5 nm) into the pentacene channel layer. Compared to device without PTFE buffer layer, the saturation drain current and field-effect mobility of the proposed device were increased by 93% and 105%, respectively. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3499366]