Ultrathin High-Mobility SWCNT Transistors with Electrodes Printed by Nanoporous Stamp Flexography

To achieve high-performance printed electronic devices, scalable and cost-effective printing of high-quality metallic electrodes with narrow gaps, such as for transistors with short channel lengths, is desirable. Here, we demonstrate short channel (<10 mu m) transistors, using thin (<100-200 nm) electrodes fabricated by flexographic printing with nanoporous stamps, with single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) as the network semiconductor. The nanoporous stamps comprise polymer-coated vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and facilitate control of the printed ink thickness in the 50-200 nm range. The measured on-off ratio and mobility meet or exceed those of previously reported SWCNT network transistors fabricated by alternative printing methods.

Automated summary

To achieve high-performance printed electronic devices, scalable and cost-effective printing of high-quality metallic electrodes with narrow gaps is desirable. This study demonstrates short channel transistors (<10 μm) with thin electrodes (<100-200 nm) fabricated by flexographic printing with nanoporous stamps, using single-wall carbon nanotubes as the network semiconductor. The measured performance of these transistors meets or exceeds those of previously reported SWCNT network transistors fabricated by alternative printing methods.