During the last years, intensive research is undertaken to develop electronic textiles (so-called e-textiles). There is a clear trend from fabrics or garments hosting electronic components embedded in the textile substrate to e-textiles made from yarns or fibres already possessing electronic properties. The development of passive devices, such as textile electrodes that measure body parameters is already well proceeded. However, there is a great need in developing textiles possessing active functions.
We investigated the possibility to develop a textile monofilament with integrated switching and amplification functions, by depositing an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) on the monofilament with a cylindrical form.
In this presentation preliminary results are shown related to this development. A discussion is given on the methods used to deposit and characterise an OTFT.
In a first step, a conductor layer (copper) has been chemically plated on a cylindrical polyester monofilament. Subsequently, an insulating layer has been deposited on the monofilament by a dip coating method using polymers with low conductivity like polyimides and polyethylenes.
In the same way, the filament was coated with a third layer made up by a semiconductor (polythiophenes or TIPS pentacene). Being of organic origin, the semiconductor constituent offers electronic properties of a semiconductor and physical properties of organic molecules which are very flexible and physically compatible with a textile structure
