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Tunable Organic Transistors That Use Microfluidic Source and Drain Electrodes

08 September 2003

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This paper describes a type of transistor that uses conducting fluidic source and drain electrodes of mercury which flow on top of a thin film of the organic semiconductor pentacene. Pumping the mercury through suitably designed microchannels changes the width of the transistor channel and, therefore, the electrical characteristics of the device. Measurements on transistors with a range of channel lengths reveal low contact resistances between mercury and pentacene. Data collected before, during and after pumping the mercury through the microchannels demonstrate reversible and systematic tuning of the devices. This unusual type of organic transistor has the potential to be useful in plastic microfluidic devices that require active elements for pumps, sensors or other elements. It also represents a non-invasive way to build transistor test structures that incorporate certain classes of chemically and mechanically fragile organic semiconductors.