Solid-state microelectrochemistry: electrical characteristics of a solid-state microelectrochemical transistor based on poly(3-methylthiophene)

The authors wish to report fabrication and characterization of a solid-state microelectrochemical transistor on a chip with a crucial dimension (source-drain separation) of approx. ..mu..m. The device is based on solid-state reduction and oxidation of poly(3-methylthiophene) connecting the source and drain of the transistor. The fundamentally significant finding is that ion transport occurs across the interface between the poly(3-methylthiophene) and the solid-state electrolyte. Work from this laboratory and elsewhere has demonstrated microelectrochemical devices that function when immersed in fluid electrolyte solution. Their new work is inspired by availability of ionic conducting polymers and recent progress in solid-state electrochemistry of molecular materials.