organic thin-film transistor

Part of the TechTarget Network of Enterprise IT Web Sites
Home Look It Up ITKnowledge Exchange Fast References Products White Papers Blogs

Search our IT-specific encyclopedia for:
 
OR Jump to a topic:
 
Advanced Search
Browse alphabetically:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #
All Categories Hardware

organic thin-film transistor

Organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) technology involves the use of organic semiconducting compounds in electronic components, notably computer displays. Such displays are bright, the colors are vivid, they provide fast response times, and they are easy to read in most ambient lighting environments.

Several factors have motivated engineers to conduct and continue research in organic semiconductor technology. One of these factors is cost. Organic displays are relatively cheap, but until recently, they have proven slow in terms of carrier mobility (the ease with which an atom shares electron s and hole s with other atoms). Slow carrier mobility translates into sluggish response time, which limits the ability of a display to render motion such as is common in animated computer games and, increasingly, on the Web. Researchers at Lucent Technologies and Pennsylvania State University have, however, recently developed a process for growing organic crystals with carrier mobility rivaling that of traditional TFT materials. Further improvements are expected.

Another factor that motivates research in OTFT technology is application diversity. Organic substrates allow for displays to be fabricated on flexible surfaces, rather than on rigid materials as is necessary in traditional TFT displays. A piece of flexible plastic might be coated with OTFT material and made into a display that can be handled like a paper document. Sets of such displays might be bundled, producing magazines or newspapers whose page contents can be varied periodically, or even animated. This has far-reaching ramifications. For example, comic book characters might move around the pages and speak audible words. More likely, such displays will find use in portable computers and communications systems.





Read more about it at:
> Jackson's Electronics Research Group at Pennsylvania State University has compiled a set of online publications about OTFT.
Last updated on: Jun 09, 2006

>  Enterprise Software related Research & News
>  White Papers for the Retail Industry

Are you a Know-IT-All?
Is an electron’s charge positive or negative?
Answer

WORD OF THE DAY...
Net neutrality
LEARN MORE ABOUT...
Buzz Alert: Craigslist criminal
Our Latest Discovery
Learning Guides and Tutorials
Our 60 tech-specific sites
WhatIs.com RSS Feeds
Home Look It Up ITKnowledge Exchange Fast References Products White Papers Blogs
About Us   |   Contact Us   |   For Advertisers   |   For Business Partners   |   Reprints   |   RSS   |   Awards
TechTarget provides enterprise IT professionals with the information they need to perform their jobs - from developing strategy, to making cost-effective IT purchase decisions and managing their organizations' IT projects - with its network of technology-specific Web sites, events and magazines.

TechTarget Corporate Web Site  |  Media Kits  |  Reprints  |  Site Map




All Rights Reserved, Copyright 2008, TechTarget | Read our Privacy Policy
  TechTarget - The IT Media ROI Experts