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We fabricated picene thin-film field-effect transistors (FETs) with an ionic liquid gel and ionic liquid sheet as the gate electrolyte, and then used electron spin resonance (ESR) to investigate the carrier injection process in the organic electric double layer (EDL) FET. The ESR spectra strongly depended on the morphology of gate electrolytes. Three types of carrier injection processes in the EDL-FET were observed by examining the applied-bias time, organic-layer thickness, and gate-voltage dependencies of the electric-field-induced ESR spectrum: (1) interface injection due to electrostatic EDL formation, (2) bulk injection due to penetration of ions (electrochemical bulk doping), and (3) electrochemical reaction. These findings are significant for designing novel materials using the EDL-FET technique because three different carrier injection processes may lead to different physical properties, even in the same organic material.

Thin film transistors (TFTs) with ionic liquid gate dielectrics, [1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium][bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide] (emim[TFSI]) and [1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium][hexafluorophosphate] (bmim[PF 6 ]), are fabricated with thin films of one dimensional (1D) hydrocarbon, [7]phenacene. P-channel characteristics are observed for [7]phenacene TFTs with both ionic liquids by use of platinum electrode. The field-effect mobility μ for [7]phenacene TFT with bmim[PF 6 ] was recorded to be 0.28 cm 2 V −1 s −1 . The value of absolute threshold voltage, | V TH |, was less than 2.5 V, showing low-voltage operation. The accumulation of hole in the [7]phenacene TFTs with ionic liquids was confirmed from the voltage or time dependence of capacitance in metal–insulator-semiconductor structure, which shows that these TFTs operate electrochemically and the carriers are accumulated in the whole of [7]phenacene thin films.

O2 gas sensing behaviors are studied in picene thin film field-effect transistors (FETs) with hydrophobic polymer (Cytop™ or polystyrene) coated SiO2 gate dielectrics. Picene thin film FETs show a rapid reduction of hysteresis in transfer curves recorded in forward and reverse measurement modes, compared to a picene FET with hexamethydisilazane-coated SiO2. The picene FETs show very sensitive O2 gas sensing effects down to ∼10 ppm. A quantitative analysis is presented of the gate voltage (VG) dependent mobility induced by O2 exposure, i.e., the suppression of drain current at high VG.

C60 and picene thin film field-effect transistors (FETs) in bottom contact structure have been fabricated with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) electrodes for a realization of mechanical flexible organic FETs. The C60 thin film FETs showed n-channel enhancement-type characteristics with the field-effect mobility μ value of 0.41 cm2 V−1 s−1, while the picene thin film FET showed p-channel enhancement-type characteristics with the μ of 0.61 cm2 V−1 s−1. The μ values recorded for C60 and picene thin film FETs are comparable to those for C60 and picene thin film FETs with Au electrodes.