When we think about materials for electronics, the first material that comes to mind is almost certainly silicon. Purification and, in particular, processing development brought the area of electronics to the micro and now to the nanoera, due to impressive development of the lithography, leading to unprecedented performance of electronic circuits and devices. We are all very familiar with the Moore´s law. On the other hand, the development of compound semiconductors, such as gallium arsenide, has led to optoelectronic components, including light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and laser diodes, due to their direct bandgap. In view of this impressive development and achieved performances, why do we need new materials? Why are materials scientists and, in particular, chemists entering this area?
In this presentation I will give a short overview on how organics are entering this field and how they are gaining momentum. Today, “organic electronics” or “organic optoelectronics” are well-known terms. This will be a materials perspective in terms of the areas they are entering to and performances achieved in various prototypical components (LEDs, transistors, solar cells and lasers), focused on the several materials being tested (“small molecules”, polymers, nanotubes, graphene), their potential and present drawbacks.