Polarization Modulation in Ferroelectric Organic Field-Effect Transistors

The effect of polarization modulation of the gate dielectric on the performance of metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors has been investigated for more than a decade. However, there are no comparable studies in the area of organic field-effect transistors (FETs) using polymer ferroelectric dielectrics. We demonstrate the effect of polarization rotation in a relaxor ferroelectric dielectric, poly(vinylidene fluoride trifluorethylene (PVDF-TrFE), on the performance of small molecule based organic FETs. The subthreshold swing and other transistor parameters in organic FETs can be controlled in a reversible fashion by switching the polarization direction in the PVDF-TrFE layer. X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy images from PVDF-TrFE reveal changes in the ferroelectric phase and domain size, respectively, upon rotating the external electric field by 90°. The structural changes corroborate density-functional theoretical studies of an oligomer of the ferroelectric molecule in the presence of an applied electric field. The strategies enumerated here for polarization orientation of the polymer ferroelectric dielectric are applicable for a wide range of polymeric and organic transistors.