PCPDTBT copolymer based high performance organic phototransistors utilizing improved chain alignment

Abstract

In this article, we report single component thin film based organic phototransistors (OPTs) developed using the novel ribbon-floating film transfer method (ribbon-FTM). A low band-gap copolymer, poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta[2,1-b;3,4-b']dithiophene)-alt-4,7-(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) has been employed to develop the photoactive thin films of the devices. The fabricated polymer films were highly anisotropic in nature. To investigate the effect of film anisotropy on the device performance, organic field effect transistors (OFETs) were fabricated in two configurations namely, parallel and perpendicular, wherein the polymeric chains were oriented in line and orthogonal to the transistor channel direction, respectively. Notable differences in charge carrier mobility and device on-off ratios were observed among the two sets of devices. An on-off ratio of 4.1 × 103 and an average mobility of 0.001 cm2/V were observed in case of the perpendicular oriented OFETs which were increased to 105 and 0.003 cm2/V for the parallel oriented OFETs. A probe into the contact resistance at the respective metal/polymer interfaces of the devices was carried out using the modified transmission line method (MTLM). 4 times lower contact resistance was observed in the parallel OFET which was anticipated to be responsible for its superior performance. Further, the fabricated devices were illuminated with monochromatic red light (Pin = 0.4 mW/cm2) to observe their performance as phototransistors. Appreciable values of photosensitivity (2 × 104) and photoresponsivity (17.6 A/W) were obtained for the parallel OPTs which were found to be much higher than those of the previously reported thin film based OPTs employing other materials fabricated through conventional film coating techniques. The results presented in this report are of key significance towards the development of highly sensitive and cost-effective phototransistors which can be used in opto-sensing and imaging applications. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.