Organic semiconductor designed for lamination transfer between polymer films

Organic field-effect transistors (FETs) may be cost-effective alternatives to amorphous-silicon transistors in certain applications. Vacuum-deposited polycrystalline organic semiconductor films exhibit equivalent mobilities to amorphous silicon and often outperform polymeric semiconductors. Here we discuss a lamination-based method for manipulating such films, featuring a thermoplastic “receiver” polymer layer that captures semiconductor films from “donor” substrates, and also acts as a gate insulator. The compound 5,5‘-bis(4-isopropylphenyl)-2,2‘-bithiophene (diPr-PTTP) is shown to have favorable solid-state properties for this process. Its X-ray structure is determined, and its performance and those of pentacene and copper phthalocyanine are evaluated. The influence of surface properties of the donor and receiver is examined. diPr-PTTP retained a mobility after transfer of one-third the value of the same material vapor-deposited directly onto the receiver layer.