Ambient instability of organic field-effect transistors and their improvement strategies

Abstract Organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) have attracted intense interest due to their solution-processability, flexibility, and mechanical stretchability. Dramatic improvements have been made in the performance of OFETs, but, in reality, OFETs are usually plagued by ambient instability. This instability is strongly associated with extrinsic factors, such as the presence of moisture and oxygen. Therefore, in this review, recent studies of water- and oxygen-related instabilities in OFETs and their origins are discussed and summarized, with a particular focus on p-type OFETs. Based on this, we have focussed on the discussion of the strategies for improving the ambient stability of OFETs, particularly for those components that are most studied in this context: organic semiconductor (OSC) layers, OSC/gate dielectric interface, and OSC/electrode interface. Finally, a summary of the review, as well as a conclusion with a perspective on the pathways to further enhance the stability of OFETs, are given.