Acquisition of an Organic Semiconductor Processing and Characterization Facility for Research and Student Training

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This award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program to Kent State University supports the acquisition of a glove box system for an organic semiconductor processing and characterization facility. Organic semiconductors will play a central role in a variety of scientifically and technically important processes and devices including xerography, light emitting diodes, photovoltaics, thin film transistors and photorefractive media. The physical properties of these organic and organic-inorganic hybrid materials often differ significantly from those of the well known inorganic semiconductors. In order to understand the basic physical properties of these organic materials a facility for purification, deposition and device fabrication with time of flight and microwave conductivity/mobility analytical capabilities is being assembled. This facility will permit the creation of device structures from novel materials in a highly controlled environment so that the intrinsic properties can accurately and reproducibly be examined. The facility will be ideal for student training as it provides a highly interdisciplinaryThis award from the Major Research Instrumentation Program to Kent State University supports the acquisition of a glove box system for an organic semiconductor processing and characterization facility. Organic semiconductors present major and largely unexplored opportunities for the improvement of a variety of electronic devices. To exploit these materials a sophisticated facility comprised of several components for the characterization of novel materials and systems based on organic molecules is being assembled. A glove box with an integrated and highly versatile thin-film deposition system will provide a clean environment for material purification and device (e.g., field effect transistor) fabrication. These novel systems will then be evaluated using state-of-the art electronics and optical characterization tools including tunable laser sources, microwave conductivity instrumentation and a powerful temperature-dependent x-ray diffractometer for structural determination. These facilities will provide a rich interdisciplinary training environment for students and post-doctoral researchers.