Vacuum relaxation and annealing-induced enhancement of mobility of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) field-effect transistors

In order to enhance the performance of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) field-effect transistors (FETs), RR-P3HT FETs are prepared by the spin-coating method followed by vacuum placement and annealing. This paper reports that the crystal structure, the molecule interconnection, the surface morphology, and the charge carrier mobility of RR-P3HT films are affected by vacuum relaxation and annealing. The results reveal that the field-effect mobility of RR-P3HT FETs can reach 4.17×10^-2 m²/(V\cdots) by vacuum relaxation at room temperature due to an enhanced local self-organization. Furthermore, it reports that an appropriate annealing temperature can facilitate the crystal structure, the orientation and the interconnection of polymer molecules. These results show that the field-effect mobility of device annealed at 150 ℃ for 10 minutes in vacuum at atmosphere and followed by placement for 20 hours in vacuum at room temperature is enhanced dramatically to 9.00×10^-2 cm²/(V\cdots).