Vacuum-Deposition Tool for Organic Electronic Devices

• Subject Area: Materials Engineering
• Term: Funded in 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 540895153

Organic semiconductors are a key materials class for the field of flexible and wearable electronics. Due to their biocompatibility, flexibility and mechanical stretchability, organic semiconductors and sensors made of organic materials are often regarded as a basic technology for the young research field of organic bioelectronics. The University of Bremen offers ideal conditions to develop the field of organic bioelectronics further in terms of higher efficiency of individual devices and integration into functional sensor systems. Existing research activities on the synthesis of organic semiconductors at Department 2 (Biology/Chemistry) are complemented by research on the integration of organic devices at the Institute for Microsensors, -actuators, -and -systems (IMSAS), Department 1 (Physics/Electrical Engineering). An essential prerequisite for research in this field is a controlled fabrication of organic layers and complex organic devices using vacuum evaporation. Not only can thin films of organic semiconductors be produced in a controlled manner with this deposition technology, which allows basic material properties to be determined. High efficiencies can be achieved as well using vacuum deposition, and systematic parameter studies can be performed to study the functional mechanism of these devices. At present, however, the University of Bremen lacks an evaporation facility adapted to organic semiconductors. To fill this gap, a facility is requested that i) has high temperature stability of the evaporation sources so that low evaporation rates of organic semiconductors can be achieved, ii) allows co-evaporation so that layers can be selectively doped and mixed, iii) has sufficient thermal sources to be able to fabricate highly efficient organic light emitting diodes, and iv) allows direct transfer of samples into a glove box filled with nitrogen so that the samples can be measured or encapsulated under a protective atmosphere.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Aufdampfanlage für die Organische Elektronik
• Instrumentation Group: 8380 Schichtdickenmeßgeräte, Verdampfungs- und Steuergeräte (für Vakuumbedampfung, außer 833)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Bremen
• Leader: Professor Dr.-Ing. Björn Lüssem