Application of Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for Analysis of Novel Organic Semiconductor Mater
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0937-M03-02
Application of Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) for Analysis of Novel Organic Semiconductor Materials Svitlana Shcherbyna1, Diethard K. Bohme2, and Vladimir I. Baranov3 1 Physics & Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele st., Toronto, ON, M3J1P3, Canada 2 Chemistry, York University, 4700 Keele St, Toronto, ON, M3J1P3, Canada 3 IBBE, University of Toronto, 80 St. Georg st., Toronto, ON, M5S3H6, Canada ABSTRACT ICP-MS is a well established analytical technique in the semiconductor industry for essential trace metal characterization in chemical reagents and silicon wafers. Tetracene, Anthracene, Pentacene and Rubrene are among the most interesting organic semiconductors for use in molecular electronic devises such as single-crystal Organic Field Effect Transistors (OFETs). One of the most important parameters for fabrication of single-crystal OFETs is the purity of the starting material. As the crystal growth process also results in the chemical purification of the material, several re-growth cycles may be required for improving the field-effect mobility, with the grown crystals used as the starting material for the subsequent re-growth. The number of required re-growth cycles depends strongly on the purity of starting material. We report the application of ICP-MS for impurity analysis in the organic semiconductors. The ICP plasma, where samples are atomized and ionized, generates strong ion current, which is instrumental in achieving exceptional detection limits. Some elements can be measured down to part per trillion range. This study can provide a better characterization of the trace metal impurities in starting material.
INTRODUCTION Organic electronics is an emerging field of technology that utilizes low cost and environmentally friendly organic materials and fabrication processes for electronic devices. Organic π-conjugated small-molecule semiconductors (pentacene, rubrene, tetracene, etc.) have become standard research materials for Organic Field Effect Transistors (OFETs). The mechanism and characteristics of charge transport in OFETs are known to depend on the purity of the active semiconductor material and density of defects at the surfaces and interfaces [1]. Thus, development of highly pure, crystalline materials is necessary to improve the device performance and to ensure that the OFET’s characteristics are not dominated by impurities, i.e. the device parameters are limited only by the intrinsic characteristics of a semiconductor. We present a first successful attempt of application of Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) to elemental analysis of organic semiconducting materials such as Rubrene, Pentacene, Tetracene, Anthracene, and Functionalized Pentacene.
EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS ICP-MS is a well-established analytical technique in the semiconductor technology for the essential trace metal characterization in chemical reagents and silicon wafers [2-3]. The ICP source, where samples are atomized and ionized, generates a strong ion current, which is instr
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