Molecular Electronics: From Nanostructure Assembly to Device Integration

Integrated electronics and optoelectronics based on organic semiconductors have attracted considerable interest in displays, photovoltaics, and biosensing owing to their designable electronic properties, solution processability, and flexibility. Miniaturization and integration of devices are growing trends in molecular electronics and optoelectronics for practical applications, which requires large-scale and versatile assembly strategies for patterning organic micro/nano-structures with simultaneously long-range order, pure orientation, and high resolution. Although various integration methods have been developed in past decades, molecular electronics still needs a versatile platform to avoid defects and disorders due to weak intermolecular interactions in organic materials. In this perspective, a roadmap of organic integration technologies in recent three decades is provided to review the history of molecular electronics. First, we highlight the importance of long-range-ordered molecular packing for achieving exotic electronic and photophysical properties. Second, we classify the strategies for large-scale integration of molecular electronics through the control of nucleation and crystallographic orientation, and evaluate them based on factors of resolution, crystallinity, orientation, scalability, and versatility. Third, we discuss the multifunctional devices and integrated circuits based on organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) and photodetectors. Finally, we explore future research directions and outlines the need for further development of molecular electronics, including assembly of doped organic semiconductors and heterostructures, biological interfaces in molecular electronics and integrated organic logics based on complementary FETs.