Electrical performances of organic semiconductor devices degrade when exposed to ambient air or moisture. This study proposes an noble method, capillary-assisted melting process, for fabricating auto-passivated organic semiconductor films that induces...
Electrical performances of organic semiconductor devices degrade when exposed to ambient air or moisture. This study proposes an noble method, capillary-assisted melting process, for fabricating auto-passivated organic semiconductor films that induces phase separation within the film. This process utilizes tetratetracontane (TTC, C44H90), which simultaneously conducts as a passivation layer and a solvent enabling the melting process, along with 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene), a p-type organic semiconductor material suitable for solution processing. During this process, TIPS-pentacene forms the active layer at the bottom of the film, while TTC migrates to the top of the film to form a uniform passivation layer. The hydrophobicity of TTC effectively protects the active layer from the external environment. Furthermore, temperature control during the film solidification process modifies the orientation of TIPS-pentacene molecules. The fabricated devices maintained stable performance under both ambient air condition and high humidity environment of 95%, demonstrating that the TTC layer effectively encapsulates the degradation of TIPS-pentacene caused by moisture and oxygen. These results validate the potential for application in other organic semiconductors and flexible, stretchable next-generation organic electronic devices.