This technology is a self-assembly method that accelerates residual solvent evaporation and drying by applying ultrasonic waves to a wet polythiophene thin film for 60–180 seconds immediately after spin-coating, without the need for solvent vapor. It is designed to increase the conjugation length of the thin film as the ultrasonication time increases.
To enhance molecular alignment in conjugated polymer thin films, it was previously necessary to precisely control the amount of non-solvent added and the aging time during the solution crystallization phase; failure to do so often resulted in defective, non-uniform films. While it was known that ultrasonic irradiation aids polymer alignment, there was a lack of systematic research on its effects on already-formed thin films.
This technology controls the evaporation rate of residual solvent and the conjugation length simply by adjusting processing time under ambient atmospheric conditions, without the need for solvent vapor equipment. If necessary, thermal annealing at 100°C can be added to improve substrate adhesion. It can be applied to organic thin-film transistors and low-cost flexible display backplane production lines, allowing for improved device performance by simply adding an ultrasonic step to existing spin-coating processes without requiring additional equipment like sealing chambers.
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