Electrical Instability Induced by Electron Trapping in Low-Bandgap Donor-Acceptor Polymer Field-Effect Transistors.

The mechanism of electrical instability and the double slope of p-type organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) fabricated from low-bandgap donor-acceptor copolymers are resolved. Those polymers enable electron conduction in the device, which leads to electron trapping and consequent formation of -SiO(-). This causes a turn-on voltage shift, hole-mobility increase, and double-slope occurrence. These findings tremendously impact the molecular design and device engineering of OFETs.