Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Semiconductor technology

Negatively successful

Nature volume 434, pages 151–152 (2005)Cite this article

Organic semiconducting polymers are promising electronic materials, but for full versatility they need to conduct negative as well as positive charge. A step towards that goal has now been taken.

Electronic devices based on organic materials are gradually becoming a mainstay of semiconductor technology, and are already used, for example, in flexible displays. However, a few hurdles remain before a breakthrough in practical applications can occur. One nagging problem is that organic transistors are so far only efficient at carrying electronic current via positive charge carriers (holes). To realize a complete electronic circuit based on organic polymers, analogous to conventional silicon chips, devices must also be able to carry negative charge (electrons). On page 194 of this issue, Chua et al.1 demonstrate a design principle that would turn any organic field-effect transistor (FET) into one that efficiently carries negative charge.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Chua, L. -L. et al. Nature 434, 194–199 (2005).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Katz, H. E. et al. Nature 404, 478–481 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Facchetti, A. et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 13859–13874 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Bao, Z. Adv. Mater. 12, 227–230 (2000).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Chesterfield, R. J. et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 108, 19281–19292 (2004).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Crone, B. et al. Nature 403, 521–523 (2000).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Dimitrakopoulos, C. D. & Malenfant, P. R. L. Adv. Mater. 14, 99–117 (2002).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Ahles, M., Schmechel, R. & Von Seggern, H. Appl. Phys. Lett. 85, 4499–4501 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Ostrick, J. et al. J. Appl. Phys. 81, 6804–6808 (1997).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Ahles, M., Hepp, A., Schmechel, R. & Von Seggern, H. Appl. Phys. Lett. 84, 428–430 (2004).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microelectronic Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, 10100 Burnet Road, Building 160, Austin, 78758, Texas, USA

    Ananth Dodabalapur

Authors
  1. Ananth Dodabalapur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Dodabalapur, A. Negatively successful. Nature 434, 151–152 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/434151a

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/434151a

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing