Three-Dimensional, Inkjet-Printed Organic Transistors and Integrated Circuits with 100% Yield, High Uniformity, and Long-Term Stability

In this paper, we demonstrate three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuits (ICs) based on a 3D complementary organic field-effect transistor (3D-COFET). The transistor-on-transistor structure was achieved by vertically stacking a p-type OFET over an n-type OFET with a shared gate joining the two transistors, effectively halving the footprint of printed transistors. All the functional layers including organic semiconductors, source/drain/gate electrodes, and interconnection paths were fully inkjet-printed except a parylene dielectric which was deposited by chemical vapor deposition. An array of printed 3D-COFETs and their inverter logic gates comprising over 100 transistors showed 100% yield, and the uniformity and long-term stability of the device were also investigated. A full-adder circuit, the most basic computing unit, has been successfully demonstrated using nine NAND gates based on the 3D structure. The present study fulfills the essential requirements for the fabrication of organic printed complex ICs (increased transistor density, 100% yield, high uniformity, and long-term stability), and the findings can be applied to realize more complex digital/analogue ICs and intelligent devices.