Lab Plan
Lab Plan |
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The semiconducting polymer lab is designed to allow engineering and science students to make and characterize semiconducting polymer devices. Semiconducting polymers permit students to learn about semiconductor concepts and fabrication more efficiently, economically, and safely than present techniques based on conventional materials. Semiconducting polymer devices are approaching the market and becoming essential undergraduate topics today.
Semiconducting polymers offer several opportunities to enrich solid-state electronics education. After learning relatively simple processing steps, the students will have a working device in their hands. Certainly, they gain a chance to study the electrical behavior of these devices. Construction of light-emitting devices adds a new dimension. They have a chance to study the properties of the light produced by their "circuit." The semiconducting polymers offer an economical way to provide students with the practical knowledge they will require to advance along with the rest of the field. One can view the semiconducting polymers as an extremely flexible solid-state electronics technology appropriate for Cal Poly's educational objectives.
Additionally, the lab supports opportunities for interdisciplinary instructional and research activities. Chemistry students will be most interested in synthesis of the related monomers and polymers. Materials engineers will enjoy studying and using the properties relating to materials processing, characterization and the relationship of materials properties to the chemical structures and morphologies of the polymers. Physics students have ample physical issues to interest them in these materials. Industrial and manufacturing engineering students could use the proposed laboratory build prototype flat panel and mechanically flexible displays.
More information is available on the POLYmer Electronics Lab web page.
NEW APPLICATIONS and TEACHING TOOLS
Semiconducting polymers are not only finding numerous new applications, but they will also make excellent tools to teach students about semiconductor device concepts and fabrication. This new technology could be incorporated into the undergraduate curriculum in a variety of ways. Specifically, new lab modules could be created for the following courses:
CHEM 447, Polymers and Coatings Laboratory 1
EE 248, Electronic Devices Laboratory
EE 422, Polymer Electronics Laboratory
EE 544, Solid-State Electronics Lab
MATE 340/345, Electronic, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials
PHYS 413, Advanced Topics in Solid State Physics
SURPRISINGLY SIMPLE TECHNOLOGY
A display consists of a film of semiconducting polymer(s) sandwiched between two electrodes. Polymer LED fabrication usually begins with a transparent and insulating substrate coated with a transparent conductor. A spin coating step is used to deposit one or more polymer layers onto the substrate. After transfer into a vacuum chamber, the top metal electrode is applied using a vacuum evaporation process.
PLANS FOR POLYMER ELECTRONICS LAB
An equipment grant from the National Science Foundation (ECS-9702320) provided the first fabrication equipment, a vacuum evaporator and a glove box to protect air sensitive materials. Characterization equipment is also necessary to measure the electrical properties of the completed devices current as a function of voltage and the amount of light emitted. A Cal Poly Plan Project began during Summer Quarter 1998 to assemble and install a test system for this purpose. A new NSF project (ECS-9820781) began in June 1999.
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