Planar electronic semiconductor device

• US 8,624,216 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2006
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PragmatIC Printing Ltd.
• Original Assignee: PragmatIC Printing Ltd.
• Inventors: Song, Aimin
• Primary Examiner(s): Laurenzi, Mark A
• Application Number:
  US11/920,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20090315017A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,800 Days
• Field of Search: 257/24, 257/E29.168, 257314-316, 257/401, 257/E21.4, 438/142, 438/99, 438/149, 438/159, 438/161, 438/163, 438/669, 977/936
• US Class Current: 257/4
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/0688 characterised by the particular shape of a junction between semiconductor regions
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/66977 Quantum effect devices, e.g. using quantum reflection, diffraction or interference effects, i.e. Bragg- or Aharonov-Bohm effects
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/778 with two-dimensional charge carrier gas channel, e.g. HEMT ; with two-dimensional charge-carrier layer formed at a heterojunction interface H01L29/803 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/20 Organic diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/23 Schottky diodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 10/46 Field-effect transistors, e.g. organic thin-film transistors [OTFT] H10K10/43 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/221 by lift-off techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/233 by photolithographic etching
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/113 Heteroaromatic compounds comprising sulfur or selene, e.g. polythiophene

Abstract

An electronic device includes a substrate supporting mobile charge carriers, insulative features formed on the substrate surface to define first and second substrate areas on either side of the insulative features, the first and second substrate areas being connected by an elongate channel defined by the insulative features, the channel providing a charge carrier flow path in the substrate from the first area to the second area, the conductivity between the first and second substrate areas being dependent upon the potential difference between the areas. The mobile charge carriers can be within at least two modes in each of the three dimensions within the substrate. The substrate can be an organic material. The mobile charge carriers can have a mobility within the range 0.01 cm²/Vs to 100 cm²/Vs, and the electronic device may be an RF device. Methods for forming such devices are also described.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a supporting mobile charge carriers, insulative features formed on the substrate surface to define first and second substrate areas on either side of the insulative features, the first and second substrate areas being connected by an elongate channel defined by the insulative features, the channel providing a charge carrier flow path in the substrate from the first area to the second area, the conductivity between the first and second substrate areas being dependent upon the potential difference between the areas,

wherein the mobile charge carriers have a mobility within the range 0.01 cm²/Vs to 100 cm²/Vs and wherein said substrate is formed as a thin film, disposed on an insulative substrate comprising flexible paper.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1, where the mobile charge carriers have a mobility within the range of 0.1 cm²/Vs to 100 cm²/Vs.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said elongate channel is of a width such that when a voltage difference is applied between said first and second substrate areas such as to cause flow of said mobile charge carriers through said elongate channel, the voltage existing in the second substrate area influences, via said insulative features, the size of depletion regions existing within said elongate channel, whereby the conductivity characteristics of the channel are dependent on said voltage difference.

4. A device according to claim 1, wherein the device comprises a diode for rectifying an RF signal, between 0.5 MHz and 1 GHz.

5. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile charge carriers are electrons.

6. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile charge carriers are holes.

7. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate is greater than 20 nm thick.

8. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device functions as a diode.

9. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device is a planar device, with said substrate being positioned within a single layer.

10. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said single layer is not sandwiched between two additional layers of other material within a laminate structure.

11. A device as claimed in claim 9, wherein said single layer defines an outer surface of the device.

12. A device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate comprises at least one of:

semi-conducting polymer;

poly(3-hexyl)thiophene (P3HT);

organic small molecules;

pentacene;

solution processed semiconductor nanoparticle/quantum dot materials; and

said insulative substrate comprises at least one of flexible paper;

polyethylene terephthalate (PET); and

polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) material.

13. A device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a respective electrical terminal located on each of said areas for application of a voltage thereto.

14. An electronic circuit comprising at least one electronic device as claimed in claim 1.

15. An electronic circuit as claimed in claim 14, comprising a plurality of said electronic devices arranged in parallel between said first and second substrate areas to provide a desired impedance.

16. An electronic circuit as claimed in claim 14, comprising an RFID tag.