Organic Semiconductors in the Fourth Industrial Revolution

Abstract

In this talk, we will discuss how printable organic conjugated semiconducting molecules and polymers are creating new disruptive technologies that are impacting all industries. We will present recent advances in various solid-state device platforms including, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), organic photodetectors (OPDs), organic photovoltaic devices (OPVs), and organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs). We will emphasize the importance of interfaces in devices and show examples on how to engineer their electrical properties. We will present a simple processing technique for the electrical doping of organic semiconductors over a limited depth near the surface of the film that is based on immersing the film into a polyoxometalate solution. Such approached can drastically reduce the fabrication cost of such devices, simplify device architecture, and lead to all-organic devices fabricated by all-additive printing techniques. As an illustration of the simplicity and versatility of this process we will discuss how high-performance organic solar cells with simplified architecture can be implemented. Finally, we will present the results of a detailed operational lifetime study of OTFTs showing that organic photonics and electronics can yield a stability level superior to that of amorphous silicon.