P2T1: A New Organic Semiconductor Laurie E. McNeil, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, DMR 1105147

1. P2T1: A New Organic SemiconductorLaurie E. McNeil, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, DMR 1105147 We have discovered a new organic semiconducting charge-transfer compound: (perylene)2 –TCNQ (TCNQ = tetracyanoquinodimethane) or P2T1. Unlike most organic semiconductors (which are typically low-mobility p-type conductors), this compound is ambipolar, meaning that transistors made from it are equally conductive under both positive and negative bias, as can be seen in the current-voltage plot shown here. The field-effect transistor (FET) device itself is shown in the inset. The discovery of a new ambipolar conductor is a significant advance relevant to the use of these types of compounds in optoelectronic devices. Current-voltage plot of (perylene)2-TCNQ transistor showing ambipolar conduction. Inset: image of transistor.

2. Graduate and Undergraduate Research ParticipationLaurie E. McNeil, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, DMR 1105147 Graduate student Katelyn Goetz spent 8 weeks in the laboratory of our collaborator Dr. Kloc at Nanyang Technological Univ. in Singapore, supported by an NSF EAPSI fellowship. She explored the kinetics of binary acceptor-donor compound formation in sealed glass ampoules and direct crystallization of organics between source and drain electrodes to form FETs. Wake Forest Univ. graduate student Katelyn Goetz Undergraduate student Derek Fogel grew single crystals by vapor transport and built apparatus for vacuum lamination of top-dielectric to be used in fabrication of top-gate devices on arbitrary-shape binary crystals. Wake Forest Univ. undergraduate student Derek Fogel