Photolithographic organic electronics: from material design to applications

Abstract

Photolithographic organic electronics apply the high-precision patterning technology of the current silicon-based microelectronic industry to fabricate organic electronic devices, achieving reliable, large-scale and high-resolution manufacturing. Compared with conventional solution-processing technologies, photolithographic manufacturing has greatly promoted the integration level of organic circuits in recent years, benefiting from various high-resolution applications in flexible electronics and bioelectronics. Herein, we introduce photolithographic organic electronics and the key material “conductive photoresist,” which enables the direct photolithographic fabrication of organic functional layers with high efficiency. By discussing the main strategies for designing conductive photoresists and their structure–performance relationship, we put forward some potential methods to promote their photolithographic and electric performances. Moreover, the novel applications, challenges and future prospects of photolithographic organic electronics and conductive photoresists are discussed.