Alternative methods and materials for patterning organic thin film electronics

Abstract

Photolithography's accuracy and scalability have made it the method for sub-micronscale definition of single-crystal semiconductor devices for over half a century. The ultimate goal for OLED manufacturing, however, is to replicate the widespread success of photoresist lithography without the use of the types of resists, solvents, and etchants traditionally used--organic small molecules are simply not compatible with these tools. Hence, there is motivation for a renewed examination of variants of this inherently parallel, high speed approach. This work investigates the use of chemically inert resists that rely on clearance mechanisms not found in traditional lithography. These primarily include employing phase changes for lift-off patterning thin films of organic semiconductors and metals, and also propose and discuss the use of combustible and magnetic materials.