Organic and Nanostructured Electronics Laboratory (ONE Lab)

The Organic and Nanostructured Electronics (ONE Lab) are Large-area Nanotechnologists developing practical devices/structures from physical insights discovered at the nanoscale. Work demonstrates that nanoscale materials such as molecules, polymers, and nanocrystal quantum dots can be assembled into large area functional optoelectronic devices that surpass the performance of today's state-of-the-art. We combine insights into physical processes within nanostructured devices, with advances in thin film processing of nanostructured material sets, to launch new technologies, and glimpse into the polaron and exciton dynamics that govern the nanoscale.

The Lab studies physical properties of organic thin films, structures, and devices. The fundamental findings are applied to the development of practical optoelectronic, electronic, and photonic organic devices of nano-scale thickness, including visible LEDs, lasers, solar cells, photodetectors, transistors, chemical sensors, and memory cells. In addition to working on small-molecular-weight van der Waals bonded organic thin films, we are also examining hybrid organic/inorganic structures, polymer solids, and self-assembled materials. Integral to this research is development of new methods for materials growth and techniques for directed nano-scale patterning over large areas.

Research facilities are located in the Research Lab of Electronics (RLE) and the Center for Materials Science and Engineering (CMSE). The optical characterization lab houses the spectroscopy setup capable of detecting spectral response at very low light intensities. Materials growth and characterization lab presently enables growth of molecular and polymeric organic thin films and structures under controlled inert atmosphere.

In the integrated materials growth system we are combining the conventional materials growth techniques with novel deposition methods developed in the laboratories. The system integrates the method for physical and vapor phase deposition of hybrid organic/inorganic thin-films with a low-pressure RF/DC sputtering chamber, an evaporative growth chamber, and a chemical vapor deposition chamber. The system is capable of depositing molecular organics, polymers, metals, metal oxides, inorganic nanodots, and colloids in a controlled layer-by-layer fashion. An in-situ shadow masking system enables fabrication of complex patterned structures inside a vacuum environment, while the integrated N2-filled, dry glove boxes facilitates handling, measuring, and packaging of thin film samples to protect them from reactions with atmospheric oxygen and water vapor.

The present interest in the use of organic and nanostructures thin films in optoelectronics stems from many technological benefits intrinsic to these materials. Nanostrcutured thin film are simple to grow over both small and large areas, and easy to integrate with both conventional technologies and less conventional materials such as flexible, self assembled, or conformable substrates. Although functional use of molecules, polymers, and quantum dots has been demonstrated in the form of light emitters, photodetectors, optical elements, and active electronic logic components, many basic electronic and optical properties of these solids are still not well understood. Much research is needed. Similarities with conventional inorganic semiconductors provide a physical framework for further investigations, but, a large number of phenomena in organic materials have no analog and require development of novel physical concepts .