Adv Polym Sci (2014) 265: 107–138
DOI: 10.1007/12_2014_279
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Published online: 25 June 2014
P3HT and Other Polythiophene Field-Effect
Transistors
Jana Zaumseil
Abstract Long before the potential of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in bulkheterojunction solar cells was discovered, this conjugated polymer was one of the
first and strongest contenders as a high mobility, solution-processable semiconductor for organic field-effect transistors (FETs). Many of the fundamental charge
transport properties that were investigated for P3HT-FETs have informed subsequent studies of P3HT-based solar cells and the development of other high-mobility
polythiophene-based polymers. Here we will give a brief overview of P3HT
transistors, including the general working principles of polymer FETs and the
various factors that influence device performance, such as regioregularity, molecular weight, solvents, chain alignment, and doping. Strategies for tuning the P3HT
nano- and microstructure by using blends and copolymers and ways to reach the
limits of charge transport in P3HT at high carrier densities will be discussed.
Finally, we will survey some of the new polythiophene derivatives that have been
developed over the last decade and may replace P3HT as the most popular polymer
semiconductor.
Keywords Field-effect transistor Á
Mobility Á
Morphology Á
Poly
(3-hexylthiophene) Á Polymer Á Polythiophene Á Transport
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
2 Transistor Structures and Working Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
3 Improving and Understanding Device Performance of P3HT-FETs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
3.1 Regioregularity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
3.2 Molecular Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
J. Zaumseil (*)
Department Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universita ¨t
Erlangen-Nu ¨rnberg, Martensstrasse 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
e-mail: jana.zaumseil@ww.uni-erlangen.de
DOI: 10.1007/12_2014_279
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014
Published online: 25 June 2014
P3HT and Other Polythiophene Field-Effect
Transistors
Jana Zaumseil
Abstract Long before the potential of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) in bulkheterojunction solar cells was discovered, this conjugated polymer was one of the
first and strongest contenders as a high mobility, solution-processable semiconductor for organic field-effect transistors (FETs). Many of the fundamental charge
transport properties that were investigated for P3HT-FETs have informed subsequent studies of P3HT-based solar cells and the development of other high-mobility
polythiophene-based polymers. Here we will give a brief overview of P3HT
transistors, including the general working principles of polymer FETs and the
various factors that influence device performance, such as regioregularity, molecular weight, solvents, chain alignment, and doping. Strategies for tuning the P3HT
nano- and microstructure by using blends and copolymers and ways to reach the
limits of charge transport in P3HT at high carrier densities will be discussed.
Finally, we will survey some of the new polythiophene derivatives that have been
developed over the last decade and may replace P3HT as the most popular polymer
semiconductor.
Keywords Field-effect transistor Á
Mobility Á
Morphology Á
Poly
(3-hexylthiophene) Á Polymer Á Polythiophene Á Transport
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
2 Transistor Structures and Working Principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
3 Improving and Understanding Device Performance of P3HT-FETs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
3.1 Regioregularity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
3.2 Molecular Weight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
J. Zaumseil (*)
Department Materials Science and Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universita ¨t
Erlangen-Nu ¨rnberg, Martensstrasse 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
e-mail: jana.zaumseil@ww.uni-erlangen.de