Breakthrough in organic CMOS-type technology

DRESDEN, GERMANY: The success of today’s digital electronics is based on CMOS technology. Novaled has found a way to translate the classical inorganic CMOS-approach to the world of organic electronics, paving the road of organic electronics.

The classical silicon CMOS technology is combining p-type and n-type silicon transistors. Silicon CMOS are currently used for any computing applications. Their costs are too high however to address broad fields of application for which a simple electronic with any cheap support like paper are requested.

The organic industry, besides display and lighting applications, is targeting this low cost electronic. Organic CMOS type transistors need to be developed. Currently, most of the developments are based on pentacene, an organic material, which usually allows for p-type transistors only.

Nevertheless, the use of Novaled’s proprietary p- and n-dopants allows establishing p- and n-type field-effect transistors based on a single pentacene semiconductor layer. By use of thin layers of p- or n-type dopants on the source/drain contacts, the transistor becomes either purely p- or n-type which allows for high noise immunity and low static power consumption. The currently achieved mobilities are in the order 1E-2cm²/Vs for both conductivity types.

“Novaled has already achieved world leadership positions in OLED with its Novaled PIN OLED technology for display and lighting applications” says Gildas Sorin, Novaled CEO. “The p- and n-dopant that we have developed for these two applications prove to be groundbreaking for organic transistors as well. Novaled will further develop its capability in digital organic which will become a major market in the coming future.”

Details of the use of Novaled’s organic dopants for CMOS-type organic transistors were introduced by Dr. Tobias Canzler, Novaled project leader, Organic Electronics, at the SPIE Optics & Photonics Conference this month.