A comprehensive nano-interpenetrating semiconducting photoresist toward all-photolithography organic electronics

Sci Adv. 2021 Jun 18;7(25):eabg0659. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abg0659. Print 2021 Jun.

Abstract

Owing to high resolution, reliability, and industrial compatibility, all-photolithography is a promising strategy for industrial manufacture of organic electronics. However, it receives limited success due to the absence of a semiconducting photoresist with high patterning resolution, mobility, and performance stability against photolithography solution processes. Here, we develop a comprehensive semiconducting photoresist with nano-interpenetrating structure. After photolithography, nanostructured cross-linking networks interpenetrate with continuous phases of semiconducting polymers, enabling submicrometer patterning accuracy and compact molecular stacking with high thermodynamic stability. The mobility reaches the highest values of photocrosslinkable organic semiconductors and maintains almost 100% after soaking in developer and stripper for 1000 min. Owing to the comprehensive performance, all-photolithography is achieved, which fabricates organic inverters and high-density transistor arrays with densities up to 1.1 × 105 units cm-2 and 1 to 4 orders larger than conventional printing processes, opening up a new approach toward manufacturing highly integrated organic circuits and systems.