Dynamic Response of Polymer Transistors and their Application in Fast Circuits

University Of Texas At Austin, Austin TX

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this research is to develop a whole new range of experimental methods that can be used to study the drift velocity (velocity at which charge carriers move in the channel), drift mobility, and trap distribution in polymer/organic transistors. The approach is to study time-resolved transport in transistors such as fast pulse measurements, electrical impulse response measurements, and performing an analysis on half-wave and full-wave rectifier response to deduce the carrier velocities in transistors. Preliminary findings indicate that carriers move at velocities that are comparable to the speed of sound ( ca. 105 cm/s), and that a particular class of circuits called non quasi-static circuits made with polymer transistors can operate at speeds in excess of 20 MHz for 2 micron channel length devices. Such circuits are designed to operate in the regime in which the individual transistors are not fully turned on. It is hoped that by scaling the channel length down to about 100 nm, circuit speeds of several 100 MHz will be possible. The broader impact of this proposal will be to advance the development of integrated organic circuitry and therefore to impact industrial efforts to commercialize organic electronics products. Intellectual Merit: From an educational perspective, the impact will be research-oriented education of both graduate and undergraduate students in Electrical Engineering at UT Austin. This work will also impact the evolution of two specialized courses. This research will also be useful in helping attract more women/minority students into engineering research.