A Molecularly Switchable Polymer-Based Diode
2002 (English)Independent thesis Basic level (professional degree)
Student thesisAlternative title
En Molekylärt Switchbar Polymerbaserad Diod (Swedish)
Abstract [en]
Despite tremendous achievements, the field of conjugated polymers is still in its infancy, mimicking the more mature inorganic, i.e. silicon-based, technologies. We may though look forward to the realisation of electronic and electrochemical devices with exotic designs and device applications, as our knowledge about the fundamentals of these promising materials grow ever stronger.
My own contribution to this development, originating from an idea first put forward by my tutor, Professor Magnus Berggren, is a design for a switchable polymer-based diode. Its architecture is based on a modified version of a recently developed highly-rectifying diode,12 where an intermediate molecular layer has been incorporated in the bottom contact. Due to its unique ability to switch its internal resistance during operation, this thin layer can be used to shift the amount of (forward) current induced into the rectifying structure of the device, and by doing so shift its electrical characteristics between an insulating and a rectifying behaviour (as illustrated below). Such a component should be of great commercial interest in display technologies since it would, at least hypothetically, be able to replace the transistors presently used to address the individual matrix elements.
However, although fairly simple in theory, it proved to be quite the challenge to fabricate the device structure. Machinery errors and contact problems aside, several process routes needed to be evaluated and only a small fraction of the batches were successful. In fact, it was not until the very last day that I detected the first indications that the concept might actually work. Hence, several modifications might still be necessary to undertake in order to get the device to work properly.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Institutionen för teknik och naturvetenskap , 2002. , p. 38
Keywords [en]
Electronics, Conjugated polymers, metal/polymer-junctions, organic electronics, switchable diodes, molecular electronics.
Keywords [sv]
Elektronik
National Category
Other Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-1571ISRN: LITH-ITN-ED-EX--02/26--SEOAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-1571DiVA, id: diva2:18895
Uppsok
teknik
2003-01-272003-01-27