Non-Fullerene-Based Printed Organic Photodiodes with High Responsivity and Megahertz Detection Speed

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2018 Dec 12;10(49):42733-42739. doi: 10.1021/acsami.8b16018. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Abstract

Digitally printed organic photodiodes (OPDs) are of great interest for the cost-efficient additive manufacturing of single and multidevice detection systems with full freedom of design. Recently reported high-performance non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs) can address the crucial demands of future applications in terms of high operational speed, tunable spectral response, and device stability. Here, we present the first demonstration of inkjet and aerosol-jet printed OPDs based on the high-performance NFA, IDTBR, in combination with poly(3-hexylthiophene), exhibiting a spectral response up to the near-infrared (NIR) region. These digitally printed devices reach record responsivities up to 300 mA/W in the visible and NIR spectrum, competing with current commercially available technologies based on Si. Furthermore, their fast dynamic response with cutoff frequencies surpassing 2 MHz outperforms most of the state-of-the-art OPDs. The successful process translation from spin-coating to printing is highlighted by the marginal loss in performance compared to the reference devices, which reach responsivities of 400 mA/W and detection speeds of more than 4 MHz. The achieved high device performance and the industrial relevance of the developed fabrication process provide NFAs with an enormous potential for the development of printed photodetection systems.

Keywords: aerosol-jet printing; digital printing; inkjet printing; non-fullerene acceptor; organic photodiode; spectral responsivity.