Metal Oxide Tunneling Barriers for Printed Polymer Tunnel Diodes

• Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Karsten Wolff
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2011 to 2012
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 205678018

The aim of the project is to synthesize and analyze metal oxide tunnel barriers in printed organic tunnel diodes. Printed diodes exhibiting negative differential resistance are key components for low-power electronics, for example with applications in high frequency-, display- or memory technology. The project is focused on the reproducible definition of an adequate density of defect states as well as of interface properties, which cause a negative differential resistance. Considering the use of cost-effective and efficient techniques, the synthesis of the tunnel barrier layers will be done by anodic oxidation (AO). Most promising approaches concerning AO are known from reports in literature, whereas the technical realization is rather simple. Furthermore, AO is compatible to the plastic foil, which will be used as printing substrates. The process of the AO has to be adjusted in such a way that thin layers of a metal oxide material can reproducibly be synthesized, while a negative differential resistance behavior is achieved. As a printing technique for diodes, gravure printing is particularly suitable, because uniform layers of high quality can be deposited at high throughput. It is most essential to match the properties of the tunnel barrier layer (and hence its synthesis) to the printed diode structures. Likewise, the characterization has to be performed on the matched tunnel barrier. Only this procedure allows to account for the impact of the printing process on the materials and their respective properties.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: Finland
• Host: Professor Donald Lupo, Ph.D.