Modulating Organic Transistor Performance by Optimizing Organic-Organic Interface Charge Transfer

doi:10.1007/s40242-026-6015-2

Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (4): 1229-1236.doi: 10.1007/s40242-026-6015-2

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Modulating Organic Transistor Performance by Optimizing Organic-Organic Interface Charge Transfer

SHEN Xueli¹, XUE Di¹, YIN Yao¹, YAN Chi¹, WANG Wenchong¹, XIE Miao¹, HUANG Lizhen¹, CHI Lifeng^1,2

1. Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, P. R. China;
2. Macao Institute of Materials Science and Engineering (MIMSE), MUSTSUDA Joint Research Center for Advanced Functional Materials, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa 999078, Macao, P. R. China

Received:2026-01-13 Revised:2026-03-12 Online:2026-08-01 Published:2026-07-28
Contact: CHI Lifeng,E-mail:chilf@suda.edu.cn;HAUNG Lizhen,E-mail:lzhuang@suda.edu.cn;WANG Wenchong,E-mail:wcwang@suda.edu.cn E-mail:chilf@suda.edu.cn;lzhuang@suda.edu.cn;wcwang@suda.edu.cn
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22222205, 52173176), the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macao, China (No. 0063/2024/RIA1), and the Project of the Suzhou Key Laboratory of Surface and Interface Intelligent Matter, China (No. SZS2022011).

Abstract

Abstract: Organic heterojunctions have demonstrated significant potential in modulating the properties and performance of organic electronic devices through interfacial charge effects. However, these effects are critically dependent on the electronic structure and film morphology, which can lead to unpredictable variations in device performance. In this study, we systematically investigated the interfacial charge transfer between two thiophene derivatives and achieved optimized organic field-effect transistor (OFET) performance through interface engineering. The heterojunction is constructed via 2,7-dihexyl-dithieno[2,3-d;2',3'-d']benzo[1,2-b;4,5-b']dithiophene (DTBDT-C6) and dicyanovinylterthiophene (DCV3T), with density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealing distinct HOMO-LUMO distributions that facilitate charge transfer at the interface. This is further confirmed through in situ photoluminescence spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). The OFET performance exhibits a pronounced thickness dependence, where both the off-state current and charge mobility initially increase but subsequently decrease with increasing DCV3T thickness. This behavior is attributed to the competing effects of enhanced conductivity and thickness-dependent injection barriers at the interface. By spatially confining DCV3T to an optimal thickness at the electrode-semiconductor interface together with dielectric surface modification, we achieved a balanced performance with a super on/off current ratio of 10⁷ and a high mobility over 1 cm²·V^-1·s^-1. These results underscore the importance of heterojunction engineering in advancing device operation.

Key words: Organic field-effect transistor (OFET), Organic heterojunction, Interface charge transfer, Spatially confining

SHEN Xueli, XUE Di, YIN Yao, YAN Chi, WANG Wenchong, XIE Miao, HUANG Lizhen, CHI Lifeng. Modulating Organic Transistor Performance by Optimizing Organic-Organic Interface Charge Transfer[J]. Chemical Research in Chinese Universities, 2026, 42(4): 1229-1236.

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Modulating Organic Transistor Performance by Optimizing Organic-Organic Interface Charge Transfer

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