Realizing high-performance and stable organic field-effect transistors by a cost-effective carbon dot-modified silver electrode strategy

Abstract

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their promising applications in flexible electronics and biosensing. However, the realization of a low-cost, stable, and integration-compatible device architecture for OFETs still poses a significant challenge. Herein, we propose a low-cost and facile strategy for improving OFET stability by modifying silver (Ag) electrodes with carbon dots (CDs) via plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The coplanar pentacene OFETs with CD–Ag electrodes can achieve mobilities comparable to that of staggered pentacene FETs with Au electrodes while significantly reducing material costs and improving compatibility with integration-friendly fabrication processes. The improved electrical performance was attributed to the reduced contact resistance and the promotion of dense crystalline domain growth on the CD–Ag electrodes. Furthermore, the electrical properties of CD–Ag pentacene OFETs show negligible degradation after 180 days of storage, demonstrating the influence of electrodes on the stability of OFETs and the effective stabilization effect of the CD–Ag electrode strategy. This electrode modification strategy offers the advantages of simplicity, efficiency, and low processing temperature, offering a promising pathway for large-area fabrication of stable OFETs.