Novel frequency dependent OFET attenuator using ClInPc with Al2O3 embedded nanoparticles in nylon 11 for flexible electronics

Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have been largely investigated due to their low-cost manufacturing, flexibility, and lightweight, as well as their optical and electrical characteristics. This allows its application in sensors, amplifiers, attenuators, signal filters, and high-frequency response devices like biosensing, wearable electronics, optoelectronics, telecommunications, and other potential applications. Throughout this investigation, a ClInPc flexible OFET with Al2O3 embedded particles in nylon 11, was manufactured and characterized to evaluate the optoelectronic and morphological properties. For the manufacturing, a high-vacuum thermal evaporation deposition technique was used, and UV-vis spectroscopy analysis and scanning electron microscopy were conducted to evaluate the optoelectronic and morphological properties. Also, a study regarding the electrical characteristics for different time-dependent wavefunction input signals, changing the input voltage and frequency, has been conducted. The latter was driven to determine the time-response characteristics, gains, phase shift and to determine whether the device functions as an attenuator or an amplifier with the selected configuration. The device has been modelled to obtain the OFET operation parameters. A resulting capacitance of 567 pF was calculated. Uniform and continuous films were obtained, which guarantees an efficient charge transport. For all signals, the output voltage is lower than that of the input voltage. Also, for the higher frequency the output voltage is decreased compared to lower frequencies. The gain decreasing variation of up to 0.05 indicates the operating application as an attenuator. Phase variation of up to 100 °, resulted while varying the input frequency. The model resulted on a gate capacitance value between 500 and 1180 pF, and gate-drain capacitance value between 50 and 500 pF. All of this could give evidence that state of the art ClInPc flexible OFET device with Al2O3 embedded nanoparticles in nylon 11 could be used toward current high-performance frequency-dependent flexible applications.