Effect of Illumination on Organic Polymer Thin-Film Transistors

We have investigated the effects of white-light illumination on the electrical performance of organic polymer thin-film transistors (OP-TFTs). The OFF-state drain current is significantly increased, while the drain current in the strong accumulation regime is relatively unaffected. At the same time, the threshold voltage is decreased and the subthreshold slope is increased, while the field-effect mobility of the charge carriers is not affected. The observed effects are explained in terms of the photogeneration of free charge carriers in the channel region due to the absorbed photons.