Chemically Tunable Ultrathin Silsesquiazane Interlayer for n-Type and p-Type Organic Transistors on Flexible Plastic

In organic field-effect transistors (OFETs), surface modification of the gate-dielectric is a critical technique for enhancing the electrical properties of the device. Here, we report a simple and versatile method for fabricating an ultrathin cross-linked interlayer (thickness similar to 3 nm) on an oxide gate dielectric by using polymeric silsesquiazane (SSQZ). The fabricated siloxane film exhibited an ultrasmooth surface with minimal hydroxyl groups; the properties of the surface were chemically tuned by introducing phenyl and phenyl/fluorine pendent groups into the SSQZ. The growth characteristics of two semiconductors-pentacene (p-type) and N,N'-ditridecyl-3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic diimide (PTCDI-C13, n-type)-on this ultrathin film were systematically investigated according to the type of pendent groups in the SSQZ-treated gate dielectric. Pentacene films on phenyl/fluorine groups exhibited large grains and excellent crystalline homogeneity. By contrast, PTCDI-C13 films exhibited greater crystalline order and perfectness when deposited on phenyl groups rather than on phenyl/fluorine groups. These microstructural characteristics of the organic semiconductors, as well as the dipole moment of the pendent groups, determined the electrical properties of FETs based on pentacene or PTCDI-C13. Importantly, compared to FETs in which the gate dielectric was treated with a silane-coupling agent (a commonly used surface treatment), the FETs fabricated using the tunable SSQZ treatment showed much higher field-effect mobilities. Finally, surface treatment with an ultrathin SSQZ layer was also utilized to fabricate flexible OFETs on a plastic substrate. This was facilitated by the facile SSQZ deposition process and the compatibility of SSQZ with the plastic substrate.