Device Physics of Organic Transistor Chemical Vapor Sensors

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The objective of this research is to understand the underlying device science of the how such organic transistor and sensors operate and to create a comprehensive model that includes physical, chemical, and device design effects. The approach is to utilize a series of semiconductors as active layers in sensors along with receptor molecules and characterize them in detail. A large number of semiconductors and receptors will be employed and scanning probe measurements that can probe the potentials and local charge carrier densities along the polycrystalline channel will be employed. The response of organic transistor based chemical sensors depends on many factors. Most of the active semiconductor films are polycrystalline and grain boundary effects are very important in determining sensor behavior. It is expected that new insights into the materials physics of sensors will be gained by employing such diagnostic structures. Correlated charge transport and sensing measurements will be performed. Since the sensing process is closely dependent on charge transport and trapping in organic semiconductors, it follows that simultaneous measurements of transport and chemical sensing will throw light on both charge transport phenomena and details of sensor behavior.This work has the potential to impact industrial efforts to commercialize organic and hybrid electronics products in the US. From an educational perspective, the impact will be research-oriented education of both graduate and undergraduate students in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Natural Sciences, at UT Austin. This project will also help recruiting and retaining women/minority graduate students.