Low-voltage C8-BTBT thin-film transistors for flexible electronics

During the last decades several research groups and companies have been focused on the development of innovative products in the area of transparent and flexible electronics. Thin-film transistors (TFTs) are the fundamental electronic elements of this technology responsible for the current modulation in the system. Especially for portable gadgets, it is important that the integrated electronic circuits operate at low-voltages. To increase the charge carrier density in the channel region at a specific voltage, the capacitive coupling between the semiconductor and gate can be improved applying dielectrics with high permittivity without losing the malleability of the device. In this article, we analyze the frequency-dependent dielectric constant of a commercially available organic-inorganic nanocomposite and the influence of a titanium interlayer in-between the capacitor's bottom electrode and the applied insulating film. Afterwards, an integration process for low-voltage C8-BTBT-based TFTs on freestanding polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates employing this hybrid dielectric is presented and the electrical characteristics of the transistors were evaluated. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd.