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Printable ion-gel gate dielectrics for low-voltage polymer thin-film transistors on plastic

Nature Materials volume 7, pages 900–906 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

An important strategy for realizing flexible electronics is to use solution-processable materials that can be directly printed and integrated into high-performance electronic components on plastic. Although examples of functional inks based on metallic, semiconducting and insulating materials have been developed, enhanced printability and performance is still a challenge. Printable high-capacitance dielectrics that serve as gate insulators in organic thin-film transistors are a particular priority. Solid polymer electrolytes (a salt dissolved in a polymer matrix) have been investigated for this purpose, but they suffer from slow polarization response, limiting transistor speed to less than 100 Hz. Here, we demonstrate that an emerging class of polymer electrolytes known as ion gels can serve as printable, high-capacitance gate insulators in organic thin-film transistors. The specific capacitance exceeds that of conventional ceramic or polymeric gate dielectrics, enabling transistor operation at low voltages with kilohertz switching frequencies.

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Figure 1: Molecular structures of the ion-gel film components and frequency dependence of capacitance.
Figure 2: Schematic diagram and optical image of GEL-OTFTs and I–V characteristics.
Figure 3: Optical image of an aerosol-printed transistor array, schematic diagrams of two devices and their electrical characterization.
Figure 4: Reproducibility and stability of printed GEL-OTFTs.
Figure 5: Scheme, optical micrograph and ID–VG characteristics of a GEL-OTFT with a displaced gate electrode.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD) (KRF-2006-352-D00107 for J.H.C. and KRF-2006-214-D00061 for J.L.), and by the University of Minnesota Materials Research Science and Engineering Center funded by the NSF (DMR-0212302). Additional funding was provided by NSF through Award DMR-0406656 (T.P.L.). The authors would like to thank B. Kahn for initiating the University of Minnesota/Optomec collaboration, and R. Holmes for a critical reading of the manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. Jeong Ho Cho

    Present address: Current address: Department of Organic Materials and Fiber Engineering, Soongsil University, 511 Sangdo-Dong, Dongjak-Gu, Seoul, Korea,

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of Minnesota, 421 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA

    Jeong Ho Cho, Jiyoul Lee, Yu Xia, Timothy P. Lodge & C. Daniel Frisbie

  2. Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota, 207 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA

    BongSoo Kim, Yiyong He & Timothy P. Lodge

  3. Optomec, Inc., 1000 Westgate Dr., St. Paul, Minnesota 55114, USA

    Michael J. Renn

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Correspondence to C. Daniel Frisbie.

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Cho, J., Lee, J., Xia, Y. et al. Printable ion-gel gate dielectrics for low-voltage polymer thin-film transistors on plastic. Nature Mater 7, 900–906 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat2291

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