Effects of different electroplated gate electrodes on electrical performances of flexible organic thin film transistor and flexibility improvement

Various electroplated metal gate electrodes (Ni, Cu, and Au) on flexible polyimide (PI) substrates were applied to the fabrication of inverted staggered pentacene organic thin film transistors (OTFTs). The metal gate electrodes additively electroplated onto the patterned negative photoresist mask on the Cu(seed)/Cr(adhesion) layers sputter-deposited on the O₂-plasma-treated PI substrates were effective in obtaining good adhesion between the metal gate electrode and organic substrate. It was found that the reduction in the surface roughnesses of the electroplated metal gate and of the subsequently deposited PVP (poly-4-vinyl phenol) gate dielectric layers was a critical factor in improving the device performance. The Ni-gated OTFT exhibited the best electrical characteristics, with a field-effect mobility of ≅0.2 cm²/V-s and a current on/off ratio of ≅10³, due to the better chemical stability of the Ni electrode and the smoother surface of the PVP layer on the Ni electrode, as compared to the OTFTs with PVP/Cu or PVP/Au gates. The results of the flexibility test showed that the field-effect mobility and current on/off ratio were not changed significantly when the OTFTs were subjected to 10,000 cyclic bendings with a bending radius of 6 mm in tension mode (outward bending).