Effect of selective nanopatterns on the performance of a pentacene-based thin-film transistor

We investigate an effect of selective nanopatterns on the performances of a pentacene-based organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) in a top contact configuration. The one-dimensional nanopatterns onto an insulating layer are selectively formed at the channel and/or the source/drain (S/D) regions using the electron-beam lithography. The performance of the S/D-patterned OTFT was greater than that of the patternless OTFT while the performance of the channel-patterned OTFT was rather less. From Fowler-Nordheim analysis, it is found that the mobility improvement in the nanopatterned OTFTs is mainly originated from the enhanced carrier injection by the nanopatterns at the S/D regions rather than the enhancement of the current flow in the channel region. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3598422]