Semiconductor device having an organic semiconductor material

• US 5,629,530 A
• Filed: 05/15/1995
• Issued: 05/13/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Creator Technology BV
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Brown, Adam R., de Leeuw, Dagobert M., Lous, Erik J., Havinga, Edsko E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson, Jr., Jerome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kelley, Nathan K.
• Application Number:
  US08/442,247
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 257/40, 257/642, 257/759
• US Class Current: 257/40
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/26 Diodes comprising organic-organic junctions
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/611 Charge transfer complexes

Abstract

A semiconductor device is provided with an organic material which is formed by a solid-state mixture of organic donor and organic acceptor molecules. A semiconducting solid-state mixture is known with molar ratios between donor and acceptor molecules of 1.3:2 and 1.66:2. The known solid-state mixture has the disadvantage that its electrical conductivity is comparatively high, so that it is not possible to manufacture switchable devices from the mixture. Here the material includes an n- or p-type semiconductor material, the n-type semiconductor material having a molar ratio between the donor and acceptor molecules below 0.05, and the p-type semiconductor material having this ratio above 20. These solid-state mixtures may be used for manufacturing switchable semiconductor devices. The n- and p-type organic solid-state mixtures can be used for manufacturing transistors, diodes, and field effect transistors in a same manner as, for example, doped silicon or germanium.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device provided with an organic material which is formed by a solid-state mixture of organic donor and organic acceptor molecules, characterized in that the material comprises an n- or p-type semiconductor material, wherein the n-type semiconductor material has a molar ratio between the donor and acceptor molecules below 0.05, and wherein the p-type semiconductor material has this ratio greater than 20.

2. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises both an n-type region manufactured from the n-type material and a p-type region manufactured from the p-type material.

3. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the device comprises a pn junction between the p- and the n-type regions.

4. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises a further region manufactured from a solid-state mixture of the organic donor and organic acceptor molecules where the molar ratio between the donor and acceptor molecules is substantially equal to one.

5. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises a region adjoining a surface and made from the n-type material provided with a passivated surface layer.

6. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the device comprises a field effect transistor, with a source and a drain region, and with an interposed n-type channel region manufactured from the n-type material, which channel region is provided with a gate electrode which is separated from the channel region by an insulating layer, while a side of the channel region facing away from the gate electrode is provided with a passivated surface layer which adjoins a surface.

7. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the organic donor molecule comprises TTF:

tetrathiafulvalene and the organic acceptor molecule comprises TCNQ;

tetracyanoquinodimethane.

8. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that a surface of the device is provided with a surface layer which seals the device off against oxygen.

9. A semiconductor device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the surface layer comprises silicon monoxide.