A review on diverse streams of interface engineering for organic thin-film transistors

Abstract

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) offer a promising solution for facile, low-cost, and large-area fabrication of electronic circuitry. In the development of OTFTs, interface engineering has been essential for modulating the properties of the interfaces between the semiconductor and gate insulator and between the semiconductor and source–drain electrodes. It is worth noting that advancements in OTFTs have accompanied the dynamic subdivision of the field, with diverse technological streams focused on interface engineering. These streams include interface engineering for conventional OTFTs, memory OTFTs, sensor OTFTs, and others. As the differentiation and progress of interface engineering can, in turn, play a pivotal role in enhancing the applicability of OTFTs, it is informative to discern the diverse technological streams of multidimensional interface engineering. In this review article, we provide a critical overview of interface engineering for OTFTs, highlighting the technological diversity and varied purposes of interface engineering for different OTFT applications. We also explain the principles and mechanisms behind controlling the performance of OTFTs through interface engineering. This review will contribute to building useful insights into the design and improvement of OTFTs, as well as deepening understanding of molecular interactions and charge-carrier behaviours in these devices.