The structures are more efficient in light generation

Jan 4, 2010 13:32 GMT  ·  By

The dream of a European research group, once thought to be something pertaining to science-fiction, may actually represent the basis of a new class of optoelectronic devices. According to experts, the innovation proposed by the team could result in massive improvements being brought to a wide array of research fields, ranging from mobile laboratories to mobile phones. The work builds up on previous investigations by groups seeking to generate light from organic thin films, AlphaGalileo reports.

One of the most important goals in medicine today is the creation of mobile laboratories that can analyze a sample, and return valid results within minutes, or even seconds. Researchers have brought this goal closer by constructing mobile clinics, but some have thought even further. The second group has created microfluidic devices, also known as labs-on-a-chip, which are very small, portable and cheap. These tools are very apt at detecting microorganisms, or even harmful chemicals, in the water or blood samples that are inserted inside them.

ILO and OLAS are two European projects that played a role in this line of investigation. The researchers, from five countries, were looking at the most efficient way of extracting light from thin organic films. These are carbon-based plastics, which are manufactured to be very thin. One layer is, for instance, about a micron thick. “The advantage of working with thin films is quite clear in terms of the small amount of material required for a functional device,” Michele Muccini explains in talking about the possibility of constructing electrically powered lasers based on power obtained from thin films.

Muccini was the project coordinator for both ILO and OLAS. The expert managed to combine the experience and know-how gathered by the true project into a new form of transistors. The device is not only functional, but truly multi-functional, the team says. “Not only did we create a fully functional electronic device in the form of a field-effect transistor, but we were also able to get it to generate light,” Muccini shares. “We developed specific and unique know-how giving us a key competitive advantage over international competitors,” the scientist adds.

“Using transistors instead of external sources allows you to greatly increase the efficiency of light generation and extraction. You expend much less energy driving devices because they are not only efficient but made from disposable organic material which is compatible with other platforms made from other material like silicon or glass,” Muccini concludes.