Opportunities and Challenges in the Field of Semiconducting (conjugated) Polymers

本研究将集中在导电聚合物领域当前的机遇和挑战的两个方面：A。涉及聚合物科学，物理学和器件科学的跨学科研究将提高发光场效应晶体管（LEFET）发射的效率和亮度，目标是成功演示聚合物注入激光器。分布反馈（DFB）谐振器将被直接压印到LEFET内的发光聚合物中。发光聚合物的共混物将用于将发射（通过Förster转移，FRET）从聚合物吸收中转移出来，以减少损失，从而实现更高的增益。一个分裂栅极架构将被引入电子和空穴注入的单独控制。亮度将扩展到最高水平可能使用脉冲LEFET操作。B。基础物理和材料科学？下一代？半导体聚合物。实例包括聚（2，5-双（3-十四烷基噻吩-2-基）噻吩并[3，2-B]噻吩）（PBTTT）和聚（咔唑-受体）交替共聚物以及具有D-A重复单元的相关结构。光谱学，光电导，光致发光和超快光致吸收的研究将进行旋涂，刀片涂层，和链取向的薄膜，提供这些新的聚合物半导体的电子结构的基本信息。在沟道中使用半导体聚合物制造的FET中的栅极诱导电导率测量使栅极诱导的载流子密度控制成为可能，从而使绝缘体-金属过渡和在沟道中的运输机制的研究成为可能。金属的？在半导体和金属聚合物领域的研究已经创造了对跨学科科学具有广泛重要性的新概念;例子包括聚合物中绝缘体到金属转变的详细研究、作为半导体聚合物中主要激发的孤子和极化子、来自聚合物发光二极管的电致发光光发射的演示以及导电聚合物的新颖电化学的发现。对半导体聚合物的研究已经证明了潜在的重要商业产品的机会。印刷塑料电子产品？包括例如使用受控的纳米级相分离产生的低成本塑料太阳能电池。具体科目是这个建议的重点，基础科学？下一代？半导体聚合物和新型器件（如发光场效应晶体管）的制造和研究涉及聚合物科学、凝聚态物理学、器件科学、材料化学、界面化学和材料科学的结合。由于其跨学科的性质，研究具有广泛的科学和技术的影响的潜力，它非常适合研究生和博士后研究人员的教育和培训。

TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe research will focus on two aspects of current opportunities and challenges in the field of conducting polymers:A. Interdisciplinary research, involving polymer science, physics and device science, will improve the efficiency and brightness of the emission from Light-Emitting Field Effect transistors (LEFET) with a goal of successfully demonstrating polymer injection lasers. Distributed Feedback (DFB) resonators will be imprinted directly into the light emitting polymer within the LEFET. Blends of luminescent polymers will be used to shift the emission (via Förster transfer, FRET) away from the polymer absorption to reduce losses and thereby achieve higher gain. A split-gate architecture will be introduced for separate control of electron and hole injection. Brightness will be extended to the highest level possible using pulsed LEFET operation. B. Basic physics and materials science of ?next generation? semiconducting polymers. Examples include poly(2,5-bis(3-tetradecylthiophen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PBTTT) and the poly(carbazole-acceptor) alternating copolymers and related structures with D-A repeat units. Studies of the spectroscopy, photoconductivity, photo-luminescence and ultrafast photoinduced absorption will be carried out on spin-cast, blade coated, and chain-oriented films to provide fundamental information on the electronic structure of these new polymer semiconductors. Gate-induced conductivity measurements in FETs fabricated with the semiconducting polymer in the channel enable gate induced control of the carrier density and thereby enable studies of both the insulator-metal transition and the mechanism of transport in the ?metallic? state.NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYResearch in the field of semiconducting and metallic polymers has created new concepts of broad importance to interdisciplinary science; examples include detailed studies of the insulator-to-metal transition in polymers, solitons and polarons as the primary excitations in semiconducting polymers, demonstration of electroluminescent light emission from polymer light-emitting diodes, and the discovery of the novel electrochemistry of conducting polymers. Research on semiconducting polymers has resulted in the demonstration of opportunities for potentially important commercial products based upon ?printed plastic electronics?, including, for example, low cost plastic solar cells created using controlled nano-scale phase separation. The specific subjects that are the focus of this proposal, the basic science of ?next generation? semiconducting polymers and the fabrication and study of novel devices (such as the Light Emitting Field Effect Transistor) involve a combination of polymer science, condensed matter physics, device science, materials chemistry, interface chemistry and materials science. Because of its interdisciplinary nature, the research has the potential for impact across a broad range of science and technology, and it is ideally suited for the education and training of graduate students and post-doctoral researchers.