Device Physics of Organic Transistor Chemical Vapor Sensors

本研究的目的是了解这种有机晶体管和传感器如何工作的底层器件科学，并创建一个包括物理，化学和器件设计影响的综合模型。 该方法是利用一系列的半导体作为传感器中的活性层沿着受体分子，并详细地表征它们。将采用大量的半导体和受体，并且将采用可以探测沿着多晶沟道的电势和局部电荷载流子密度的扫描探针测量。 基于有机晶体管的化学传感器的响应取决于许多因素。 大多数有源半导体膜是多晶的，并且晶界效应在确定传感器行为方面非常重要。 预计通过采用这种诊断结构，将获得对传感器材料物理的新见解。 将进行相关的电荷传输和传感测量。 由于传感过程是密切依赖于有机半导体中的电荷传输和捕获，它遵循的同时测量的运输和化学传感将投光的电荷传输现象和传感器behaviors.This工作的细节有可能影响工业的努力，在美国的有机和混合电子产品的商业化。 从教育的角度来看，影响将是研究生和本科生在电气工程，材料科学和自然科学，在UT奥斯汀的研究为导向的教育。 该项目还将有助于招聘和留住妇女/少数民族研究生。

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.