But compared to conventional semiconductor devices (most notably Si), the performance of organic devices was depressingly inferior, and worse, they did not last very long. Some of the first devices to exploit these “soft” materials were memories and solar cells. The fundamental discoveries encouraged the small community of researchers to consider if there were any practical outcomes that could be achieved using organic semiconductors. This technology platform has launched a revolution in information displays and lighting, while motivating researchers worldwide to explore a vast variety of new materials with intriguing optical and electronic properties that were never imagined in those early days of discovery. The field of organic electronics, now in its 70th year since the identification of semiconducting properties of violanthrone by Akamatsu and Inokuchi, has enjoyed an extended period of discovery of the characteristics of disordered organic materials, ultimately leading to the astonishing success of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). In this paper, we consider the transformative changes to electronic and photonic technologies that might yet be realized using these unconventional, soft semiconductor thin films.
With these unique qualities, organic electronics presents opportunities that range from lighting to solar cells to medical sensing.
But this begs the question: what is the next big opportunity that will be addressed by organic electronics? We attempt to answer this question based on the unique attributes of organic electronic devices: their efficient optical absorption and emission properties, their ability to be deposited on ultrathin foldable, moldable and bendable substrates, the diversity of function due to the limitless palette of organic materials and the low environmental impact of the materials and their means of fabrication. Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays are now poised to be the dominant mobile display technology and are at the heart of the most attractive televisions and electronic tablets on the market today.
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