BACKGROUND:  Compared to conventional semiconductor devices, polymer semiconductor devices are particularly attractive for applications in which flexibility, light weight, large-area thin film, low-cost, and/or environmentally safe characteristics are important. However, despite these potential advantages, devices made from neutral conjugated polymers have found limited applications due to their low carrier mobility and charge injection barrier at the polymer/electrode interfaces. Polymer devices that could overcome these limitations and offer the advantages listed above would be of great benefit. The p-i-n junction diodes disclosed here do exactly that: they overcome the noted limitations while exhibiting many of the benefits associated with polymer devices.

INNOVATION:  The innovative polymer p-i-n junction diodes are formed by simple solution processing at ambient conditions. The diodes are particularly useful for applications requiring electroluminescence with high quantum or power efficiency, photodetection at high sensitivity, solar energy conversion at high efficiency, and large area thin film transistors capable of carrying high current densities.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS: 

• Electroluminescence with high quantum or power efficiency
• Solid state lighting
• Photodetection at high sensitivity
• Solar cells
• Large area thin film transistors capable of carrying high current densities

ADVANTAGES

• Low-cost, high-volume production is possible
• Large-area devices can be fabricated easily
• Thin, flexible, and/or conformable devices are possible
• High solar energy conversion efficiency

DEVELOPMENT-TO-DATE:  The innovation has been physically demonstrated.

Reference: UCLA Case No. 2005-239

Patent Application: WO/2007/030679