Flexible Organic Thin-Film Transistors Fabricated on Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomer Substrates

In this study, we fabricated flexible organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) on a polydimethysiloxane (PDMS) elastomer substrate using blends of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and amorphous conjugated polymer poly(9,9-dioctylfuorene-co-bithiophene) (F8T2) as the gate dielectric and semiconducting layer, respectively. All the processes were performed at elastomer-compatible temperatures of below 100 degrees C. We confirmed the basic properties of the P(VDF-TrFE):PMMA blend film on the PDMS substrate, and the characteristics of the fabricated flexible OTFTs were also evaluated. A subthreshold voltage swing of 2.5 V/decade, an I-on/I-off ratio greater than 10(5), field-effect mobility of 1.2 x 10(-3) cm(2) V-1 s(-1), and a 10(-11) A gate leakage current were obtained. These characteristics did not degrade at a bending radius of 1 cm. For the OTFTs, the endurable maximum strain without degradation in the field-effect mobility of the PDMS elastomers was approximately 2%.