An organic electronics primer

The emerging use of organic semiconductors as systems for exploring and exploiting solid-state phenomena due to their adjustable properties is discussed. Diode structures can be manufactured by successive deposition of organic and inorganic layers, either by vacuum sublimation of molecular semiconductors or by solution processing or direct printing of polymer solutions. A wide range of properties such as solubility in organic solvents and the color of light emission, can be finely tuned via chemical synthesis. Furthermore, the randomness in the molecular positions and orientations leads to strong localization of carriers on individual molecules, and the transport takes place by charges hopping between molecules.