We investigated the electrical and mechanical stability of flexible 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylehtynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) thin-film transistors (TFTs) that were fabricated on polyimide (PI) substrates using cross-linked poly(4-vinylphenol) (c-PVP) and c-PVP/yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃) nanocomposite films as gate insulators. Compared with the electrical characteristics of TIPS-pentacene TFTs with c-PVP insulators, the TFTs with c-PVP/Y₂O₃ nanocomposite insulators exhibited enhancements in the drain current and the threshold voltage due to an increase in the dielectric capacitance. In electrical stability experiments, a gradual decrease in the drain current and a negative shift in the threshold voltage occurred during prolonged bias stress tests, but these characteristic variations were comparable for both types of TFT. On the other hand, the results of mechanical bending tests showed that the characteristic degradation of the TIPS-pentacene TFTs with c-PVP/Y₂O₃ nanocomposite insulators was more critical than that of the TFTs with c-PVP insulators. In this study, the detrimental effect of the nanocomposite insulator on the mechanical stability of flexible TIPS-pentacene TFTs was found to be caused by physical adhesion of TIPS-pentacene molecules onto the rough surfaces of the c-PVP/Y₂O₃ nanocomposite insulator. These results indicate that the dielectric and morphological properties of polymeric nanocomposite insulators are significant when considering practical applications of flexible electronics operated at low voltages.
Keywords: flexible electronics; nanocomposite; polymeric insulator; stability; transistor.