Organic Electronics

Book excerpt: This textbook provides a basic understanding of the principles of the field of organic electronics, through to their applications in organic devices. Useful for both students and practitioners, it is a teaching text as well as an invaluable resource that serves as a jumping-off point for those interested in learning, working and innovating in this rapidly growing field. Organics serve as a platform for very low cost and high performance optoelectronic and electronic devices that cover large areas, are lightweight, and can be both flexible and conformable to fit onto irregularly shaped surfaces such as foldable smart phones. Organic electronics is at the core of the global organic light emitting device (OLED) display industry. OLEDs also have potential uses as lighting sources. Other emerging organic electronic applications include organic solar cells, and organic thin film transistors useful in medical and a range of other sensing, memory and logic applications. This book is a product of both one and two semester courses that have been taught over a period of more than two decades. It is divided into two sections. Part I, Foundations, lays down the fundamental principles of the field of organic electronics. It is assumed that the reader has an elementary knowledge of quantum mechanics, and electricity and magnetism. A background knowledge of organic chemistry is not required. Part II, Applications, focuses on organic electronic devices. It begins with a discussion of organic thin film deposition and patterning, followed by chapters on organic light emitters, detectors, and thin film transistors. The last chapter describes several devices and phenomena that are not covered in the previous chapters, since they lie somewhat outside of the current mainstream of the field, but are nevertheless important.