DE102013226339A1 - Deposition of organic photoactive layers by sintering - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for producing an organic component, comprising a substrate and at least one layer, wherein the at least one layer is produced by means of a sintering process, and an organic component which is produced by the method according to the invention.

Description

The present invention relates to a method for producing an organic component, comprising a substrate and at least one layer, wherein the at least one layer is produced by means of a sintering process, and an organic component which is produced by the method according to the invention.

State of the art

Many applications of organic electronics (eg organic light-emitting diode, organic light-emitting electrochemical cell, organic photovoltaic, organic field effect transistor or organic photodetector) are currently process technology realized either by physical gas phase or wet chemical coating or printing process, these methods, for example, to build up the can be used in respective component architectures. Here, the gas phase deposition is mainly used in organic small molecules, wet-chemical processing in both small organic molecules and polymers.

The (physical) vapor deposition is a vacuum-based coating process. In contrast to chemical vapor deposition, the starting material is converted into the gas phase using physical processes. The gaseous material is then passed to the coating substrate where it condenses to form the target layer. In order for the vapor particles to reach the substrate and not be lost by scattering on the gas particles, it is necessary to work under reduced pressure. Typical working pressures are in the range of 10 ^-4 Pa to about 10 Pa. Thus, this process usually requires a complex process technology.

In wet-chemical deposition, small molecules or polymers are brought into solution or dispersion by means of solvents, additives and / or dispersants and deposited on a substrate by means of various coating methods. Various types of coating (e.g., spin, slot dye, spray coating, etc.) as well as printing technologies (e.g., screen, flexo, gravure printing) are available to produce homogeneous wet films. In the case of solutions, various individual solvents or solvent mixtures are used for a more homogeneous layer formation. Some coating processes additionally require additives in order, for example, to adapt the viscosity of the solution / dispersion to the respective coating technology. However, the use of additives can adversely affect the component properties. Furthermore, a variety of small molecules and polymers is not soluble in harmless solvents (eg in water or organic solvents such as anisole / phenetole), but only in hazardous, partially carcinogenic solvents such as chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, chloroform, etc. A possible production of components under The use of such solvents is only possible under increased and costly safety measures, protective housings and staff training.

For some applications one also requires layers with homogeneous layer thicknesses of several 10 to several 100 μm. Such an application would be e.g. an organic, X-ray sensitive photodetector characterized by an X-ray absorbing layer.

If one were to deposit such a layer from the gaseous phase, the material losses (> 90%) and the too low throughput (i.e., layer thickness per unit of time) would render the production of such a component unprofitable.

If such a layer were removed from the solution, e.g. Separate via slot dye coating, then would have for stable, typical organic solutions / dispersions, the maximum solids concentration usually does not exceed a limit of 3% (solids based on the solvent), coat a wet film of about 17 mm / coaten, to subsequently obtain a detector layer thickness of 500 μm. Although the coating for such low-viscosity solutions would be conceivable via some kind of solvent inclusion, the homogeneous evaporation of the solvent without drying effects in the remaining film, e.g. Coffee-Stain effects or circular or line breaking of the films, as a major challenge. Then there would be solvents such as e.g. Chlorobenzene or dichlorobenzene are used, the drying problems would also accompanied by a health risk to the production staff. Especially the organic materials P3HT and PCBM, which are often used in the literature in organic photovoltaic and photodiode components as hole or electron transporters, can be solved only in such (halogenated) solvents in sufficient solids concentrations.

In many previous wet film, but also gas phase deposits also large amounts of material are lost due to technology. It is often coated beyond the active area (e.g., spin coating or spray coating). In most cases, the lost material content is not recoverable and is more than 90%.

The problem "Material deposition with high throughput of homogeneous layers of high layer thicknesses, with low material use without elaborate process technology and especially layered structures without health concerns "has thus far not been satisfactorily resolved.

There is therefore a need for a coating method for organic materials, which allows a high throughput in the production of homogeneous layers at high layer thicknesses and low material usage without complex process technology and especially layered structures without health concerns for the staff.

Summary of the invention

In the present invention, a possibility is described in which particulate, organic semiconductor materials can be deposited from the dry phase via a sintering process.

• a) Bereitstellen eines Pulvers umfassend mindestens eine organische Halbleiter-Komponente;
• b) Aufbringen des Pulvers auf ein Substrat;
• c) Ausüben von Druck zur Verdichtung des Pulvers.

According to one aspect, the present invention relates to a method for producing an organic component, comprising a substrate and at least one layer, wherein the at least one layer is produced by means of a sintering process, comprising

• a) providing a powder comprising at least one organic semiconductor component;
• b) applying the powder to a substrate;
• c) applying pressure to compress the powder.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to an organic component produced by the process according to the invention.

Further aspects of the present invention can be found in the dependent claims and the detailed description.

Description of the figures

The accompanying drawings are intended to illustrate embodiments of the present invention and to provide a further understanding thereof. In the context of the description, they serve to explain concepts and principles of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the stated advantages will become apparent with reference to the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily to scale. Identical, functionally identical and identically acting elements, features and components are in the figures of the drawings, unless otherwise stated, each provided with the same reference numerals.

1 schematically shows the basic operation of a photodiode.

2 schematically shows a photodiode.

3 schematically shows a structure of a sintering apparatus for organic layers.

4 schematically shows another structure of a sintering apparatus for organic layers.

5 shows powder before compaction in the sintering apparatus.

6 shows the compacted powder.

7 shows the introduction of an aluminum foil as a contact layer before compression

8th shows the stratification of several powders before compacting.

9 shows the current-voltage characteristics of an exemplary photodiode according to the invention.

Detailed description of the invention

In the following, a new coating method for organic, electro-optically active materials, namely the sintering of electro-optically active organic powders comprising at least one organic semiconductor component, for example the sintering of single-phase or multiphase small molecules, polymers and mixtures of both is presented. The said coating process has been successfully demonstrated for organic photodiodes and is therefore also applicable to other existing device classes such as e.g. Photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes or electrochemical cells applicable.

• a) Bereitstellen eines Pulvers umfassend eine organische Halbleiter-Komponente, oder Bereitstellen eines Pulvers, bestehend aus mindestens einer organischen Halbleiter- Komponente;
• b) Aufbringen des Pulvers auf ein Substrat;
• c) Ausüben von Druck zur Verdichtung des Pulvers.

According to a first aspect, the invention relates to a method for producing an organic component, comprising a substrate and at least one layer, wherein the at least one layer is produced by means of a sintering process, comprising

• a) providing a powder comprising an organic semiconductor component, or providing a powder consisting of at least one organic semiconductor component;
• b) applying the powder to a substrate;
• c) applying pressure to compress the powder.

According to certain embodiments, the organic semiconductor component is semiconductive. Furthermore, according to certain embodiments, the layer is an electro-optically active layer.

In this case, the substance to be processed as a powder consisting of at least one organic semiconductor component or comprising at least one organic semiconductor component, for example comprising electro-optically active organic single-phase or multiphase small molecules or polymers or mixtures of both, preferably applied as a dry powder on the respective base / substrate to be coated of the corresponding component architecture and then under pressure, for example with a punch, a roller, etc. at a certain sintering temperature , For example, even room temperature of 20-25 ° C, and compressed sintering time. In this case, the particles of the starting material are compressed and the pore spaces are filled up. Both solid phase sintering, ie material compression without melting of the organic material, as well as the liquid phase sintering, ie material compression via melting of the organic material (eg directly on the contact surface between the sintering die and the organic surface) are conceivable. As a result of the compression of the molecules by means of pressure and possibly temperature, the interspaces are minimized and compressed in such a way that, when an electrical voltage is applied, electrical charge transport becomes possible, for example via hopping or redox processes between the individual molecules or polymer strands. In this way, homogeneous organic material layers of high (and also less) layer thickness can be realized without elaborate vacuum process technology with high throughput and without health risks due to possible solvents.

The application of pressure according to the invention is not particularly limited and can be achieved by suitable means. In preferred embodiments, the pressure is applied by using a die or a roll, which are preferably coated with a non-stick coating such as Teflon ^®. By coating with an anti-adhesion coating, such as Teflon ^® , in particular very homogeneous surfaces of the layer can be achieved. Also, the use of stamps and / or rollers can be procedurally simple implement. The material of the punch or the roller is not particularly limited and may include, for example, aluminum, steel, PVC or ^Teflon® .

The pressure exerted is not particularly limited as far as sintering is effected. In certain embodiments, a pressure of from 0.1 to 10,000 MPa, more preferably from 0.5 to 200 MPa, and most preferably from 1 to 50 MPa is used. Also, the sintering time is not particularly limited, and according to certain embodiments, is 0.1 second to 60 minutes, more preferably 1 second to 30 minutes, and particularly preferably 5 to 10 minutes. If the sintering time is too long, no better results are achieved and the layer may deteriorate, whereas too short sintering times can not achieve sufficient caking of the layer.

According to certain embodiments, the substrate may be heated in step c) prior to exerting the pressure to densify the powder, for example to a temperature of 30 to 300 ° C, preferably 50 to 200 ° C. As a result, the sintering process can be improved.

The layers produced according to the invention can be detected and characterized on the basis of the morphology as well as the surface condition of the sintered layer (possibly individual or full-surface melted areas). Optionally, conclusions about a sintering process, e.g. due to the absence of solvent traces, additives and dispersants. Possible investigation methods are: optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy, gas chromatography, cyclovoltametry, etc.

In the method of the present invention, the substrate is not particularly limited and may include any substrates which are usually used in organic components. For example, it may include glass, indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum zinc oxide, doped tin oxides, silicon, etc. According to certain embodiments, the substrate may include a first electrical contact such as a metal such as Cu or Al, ITO, aluminum zinc oxide, doped tin oxides, etc., and optionally a first intermediate layer, such as those found in electro-organics.

Also, the organic semiconductor component is not particularly limited in the method of the present invention. According to certain embodiments, the organic semiconductor component consists of at least two compounds which form a bulk hetero junction (BHJ) layer, for example, an acceptor material and a donor material. Also, in certain embodiments, for example, a third component such as a p-type secondary donor polymer may be included.

A typical representative of a strong electron donor (low electron affinity) is, for example, the conjugated polymer poly (3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT). Typical materials for electron acceptors (high electron affinity) are fullerenes and their derivatives such as [6,6] -phenyl-C ₆₁ butanoic acid methyl ester (PCBM). In addition, however, materials such as polyphenylenevinylene and its derivatives such as the cyano derivative CN-PPV, MEH-PPV (poly (2- (2-ethylhexyloxy) -5-methoxy-p-phenylenevinylene)), CN-MEH-PPV, or phthalocyanine, etc., find application.

For suitable mixing ratios of acceptor and donor materials, the BHJ layer forms a bicontinuous network of electron donor and electron acceptor domains, as in US Pat 2 is shown for an exemplary photodiode. The mode of operation of the organic semiconductor component is described with reference to the exemplified organic photodiode in FIG 1 demonstrated.

First, the basic structure and operation of the diode will be briefly explained. An organic photodiode, in its simplest form, consists of a bulk hetero junction (BHJ) layer sandwiched between two electrodes. Typical electrode materials are, for example, ITO, as transparent anode A and aluminum as (non) transparent cathode K. For suitable mixing ratios of acceptor and donor materials, the BHJ layer forms a bicontinuous network of electron donor and electron acceptor domains (US Pat. 1 and 2 ).

The principle of operation of the organic photodiode is using the 1 explained. If a photon of sufficient energy (hν> E _g ) strikes a donor / acceptor layer, such as a P3HT / PCBM-BHJ layer, it can be absorbed by the conjugated polymer P3HT. An electron is lifted from the π band (HOMO) into the π * band (LUMO) of the polymer; the now missing electron in the HOMO creates a hole there. Electron and hole are bound by their Coulomb attraction and usually form a Frenkel exciton. After their generation, the excitons first diffuse to the donor-acceptor interface in step 1 , There takes place in step 2 the electron transfer from the donor 4 , eg P3HT on the acceptor 5 , eg PCBM instead. The resulting electrons and holes drift in step 3 due to the electric field in separate transport paths (holes via P3HT and electrons via PCBM) to the electrodes.

• – allgemein zur Herstellung von Halbleiterelektroden- bzw. Halbleiterelektrodenoberflächen, beispielsweise auch durch Nutzung von Silberschuppen oder Goldpartikel
• – Herstellung von Partikelschichtsystemen, wie Mischungen und Schichtfolgen löslicher und unlöslicher anorganischer und organischer Halbleitermaterialien mit beliebigen Elektronen- und Lochtransporteigenschaften, insbesondere Herstellung homogener Charge-Transfer-Schichten
• – Herstellung von matrixgebundenen Emitterschichten
• – Herstellung von Lichtauskoppelschichten auf oder in optischen Bauelementen und Anzeigen.

The coating process of the invention for sintering organic electroactive materials is not limited to P3HT / PCBM systems, but can be extended and applied to, for example, materials having the following properties:

• In general for the production of semiconductor electrode or semiconductor electrode surfaces, for example also by using silver flakes or gold particles
• - Production of particle layer systems, such as mixtures and layer sequences of soluble and insoluble inorganic and organic semiconductor materials with any electron and hole transport properties, in particular production of homogeneous charge transfer layers
• - Production of matrix-bonded emitter layers
• - Production of light extraction layers on or in optical components and displays.

The at least one organic semiconductor component is provided in the process according to the invention as a powder, wherein the powder is not further limited according to the invention. Preferably, the powder is provided as a dry powder, and according to certain embodiments it may also be mixed with a little solvent, for example less than 10% by weight, or less than 5% by weight, based on the mass of the powder. If the powder is mixed with a little solvent, it may become tacky, which may facilitate its processing, for example, when applied to the substrate, and may also require less heating of the substrate.

According to certain embodiments, the powder consists of powder grains with a diameter of 0.01 to 200 μm, preferably 0.5 to 100 μm and particularly preferably 1 to 10 μm. Too large powder grains can be difficult to compact, whereas too small powder grains can form no suitable domains. The best results are obtained with particle grains with a diameter of 1 to 10 .mu.m, wherein the particle diameter can be determined for example by means of a sieve analysis and corresponding sieves can be used with holes of 1 and 10 microns application.

In providing the powder, according to certain embodiments it is possible that the organic semiconductor components, for example the at least two compounds are solubilized by means of at least one first solvent, are subsequently precipitated by addition of another substance and finally the at least first solvent and the others Substance can be removed, for example, by suction, filtering or evaporation of the solvents, etc. Suitable substances for dissolution and precipitation are not limited and can be suitably selected depending on the purpose of the application and may also comprise mixtures. For example, when using P3HT and PCBM, chloroform can be used as a solvent and ethanol as a precipitating reagent. As a result, preferably usable powders can be produced for the sintering.

After the production of the layer in step b) and / or c) optionally a second intermediate layer and then a second electrical contact (metal such as Al, Cu or ITO, aluminum zinc oxide, doped tin oxides, etc.) can be applied and these are preferably sintered together. Alternatively, a second intermediate layer and then a second electrical contact can optionally also be applied by other method steps, such as vapor deposition, etc. Also, the second electrical contact can be applied, for example, as a solid layer by gluing. For example, the second electrical contact can be realized by the introduction of a metallic foil. In addition, the second electrical contact can also serve as a new sublayer / new substrate, on which in turn a new layer can be applied by the method according to the invention. Thus, multi-layer structures according to the invention are also conceivable. A layer with an organic (semiconductor) component can also be applied to a layer with an organic semiconductor component, so that multilayers of organic layers can also be formed here, which can be sintered separately or else together.

According to certain embodiments, the layer may also be applied to a substrate which does not comprise an electrode material, such as glass, and electrical contacts may then be laterally of the powder in step b) or the compacted powder in step c), ie also on the substrate next to the layer, be attached.

Alternatively, the layer may be applied to a temporary substrate (e.g., glass or polymer film) and then lifted off there to be further processed as a cantilevered layer. For example, the self-supporting layer can be covered with a metal foil on the top and bottom and baked or welded.

In order to be able to locate the layer more precisely on the substrate, the application of the powder can be locally limited according to certain embodiments, for example using a frame, more preferably using a frame which is at least on the inside with an anti-adhesion coating, for example ^{Teflon® is} coated. The shape of the frame is not particularly limited and may be round / annular, oval, square, rectangular or other shape. Also, the height of the frame is not further limited, but may preferably have a height such as the thickness of the layer to be produced by the method of the invention, or a greater height. Thus, according to certain embodiments, the layer may have a thickness of at least 1 μm, preferably at least 10 μm, and more preferably at least 100 μm after manufacture. At the top, the thickness of the layer is dependent on the intended use, but according to certain embodiments may also be several 100 μm (for example, X-ray detectors) or more. The material of the frame is not particularly limited and may include, for example, aluminum, steel, PVC or ^Teflon® .

In a further aspect, the present invention relates to an organic component which has been produced by means of the method according to the invention. The components produced by the method according to the invention are characterized, for example, by an improved charge carrier mobility as a result of an improved organic semiconductor layer with fewer free spaces and thus improved density and better homogeneous distribution of the materials of the layer. When using a dry powder, solvent residues in the organic component are also avoided. Moreover, simultaneous sintering of several layers can form multilayers in which the individual layers are not influenced by the production process. Thus, for example, in the case of coating using solvents, the respective layers which have just been applied and possibly hardened can be dissolved by the solvent used when the next layer is applied, which can lead to a mixing of the layer boundary. Also, by the method according to the invention components having layers with organic semiconductor components having a thickness of at least 1 .mu.m, preferably at least 10 .mu.m and more preferably at least 100 .mu.m can be produced.

According to certain embodiments, the organic component is an electro-optical component, preferably a photodetector. In addition, however, component classes such as organic photodiodes, photovoltaic cells, light-emitting diodes or electrochemical cells are also included.

• – organische lichtemittierende Leuchtdiode
• – organische lichtemittierende elektrochemische Zelle
• – organische Fotovoltaik
• – organischer Feldeffekttransistor
• – organischer Fotodetektor für unterschiedliche Strahlungs bandbreiten.

In principle, this coating method can be used for the following types of components:

• - Organic light-emitting LED
• - Organic light-emitting electrochemical cell
• - organic photovoltaic
• - organic field effect transistor
• - organic photodetector for different radiation bandwidths.

By the method according to the invention, the following features are simultaneously fulfilled: High throughput + homogeneous layers + high material utilization / hardly any material losses + no complicated process technology + no health concerns due to solvent excesses.

The above embodiments, embodiments and developments can be, if make sense, arbitrarily combine with each other. Further possible refinements, developments and implementations of the invention also include combinations of features of the invention which have not been explicitly mentioned above or described below with regard to the exemplary embodiments. In particular, the person skilled in the art will also add individual aspects as improvements or additions to the respective basic form of the present invention.

Examples

The invention will be illustrated below with reference to some exemplary embodiments which, however, do not limit the same.

By way of example, the coating method according to the invention is demonstrated below with reference to the production of an organic photodiode.

As an exemplary embodiment, P3HT / PCBM colloids have been developed. The processing of component layers with such materials was previously implemented wet-chemically and not from the dry phase via sintering.

The problem of producing sintered layers from such donor acceptor materials is required. Reasons. Therefore, the process was divided into two independent process steps.

I) Preparation of P3HT / PCBM colloid structures adapted for sinter layers:

First of all, the preparation of a homogeneously distributed particulate powder from the materials necessary for film formation will be described.

All materials and solvents are cleaned and prepared free of oxygen in a glovebox or under adequate conditions, as well as all work is carried out to the ready-made, ready-to-use material mixture under such conditions.

P3HT and PCBM are dissolved in the same mass ratio in chloroform, in a round bottom flask. Subsequently, the mixture is sonographed and the sonographed mixture with about 1.5 times the volume of ethanol. The addition of ethanol immediately causes the formation of the finest in their composition homogeneous mixed particles, which settle slowly after switching off the ultrasound.

The round-bottomed flask is now connected to a vacuum rotary evaporator with inert gas flushing so that at the set bath temperature most of the chloroform is removed from the mixture (about 30 ° C).

The remaining ethanolic particle suspension is then filtered off with suction using a Schlenk frit and washed several times with ethanol and dried in an inert gas stream. The yields are almost quantitative.

Before the further processing of the obtained semiconductor material, it is finely ground in inert gas either in a mortar or in a vibrating ball mill. This aftertreatment serves only to form a flowable powder after drying the frit contents.

II) Conducting the sintering of organic layers:

A schematic representation of a sintering apparatus for organic layers is in 3 shown, which is a hot plate 10 , a substrate 11 , one (optional) lower electrode 12 the sintered or sintered layer 13 , a filler ring / frame 14 , a printing form 15 and a weight / externally applied pressure 15 for the exercise of pressure.

In order to realize an organic photodiode with a sintered P3HT / PCBM layer, the active surface of an ITO anode structure (eg, structured ITO glass) is now used as a substrate 11 covered with finely crushed colloidal P3HT / PCBM powder. To set specific layer thicknesses and to precisely define the surface to be sintered, a filler ring 13 whose diameter is larger by about 100 microns than that of the printing form (sintered punch) are placed on the ITO substrate. Thus, the material consumption is precisely metered and the sintering edge is homogeneously limited. At the same time, the amount of material is weighed before the sintering process, thus achieving good control over the subsequent layer thickness. Here is the ITO substrate 11 on a hot plate 10 with a temperature control from room temperature to> 160 ° C. About a printing apparatus is the printing plate 14 (Sinter stamp) in the filler ring 13 on the colloidal P3HT / PCBM powder pressed at a pressure of about 5 MPa. In addition, the heating plate 10 heated to a temperature of 140 ° C. Pressure and temperature now cause a compaction of the colloidal powder on the ITO anode. After a sintering time of about 5-10 minutes, the pressure is released and the printing form 14 finally removed. What remains is a sintered layer fixed on the ITO anode 12 (achieved layer thickness for this embodiment: 180 microns.) Here, however, was sintered without a filler ring). To P3HT / PCBM residues on the printing plate 14 or a breaking of the sintered layer during removal of the printing form 14 To prevent this produced example of aluminum or steel mold on the printing surface with Teflon ^® (eg by CVD, chemical vapor deposition) coated. Also a printing form 14 completely made of Teflon ^® is possible. Also, the filler ring 13 be coated with Teflon ^® .

5 and 6 shows the mechanism of sintering in a microscopic view. In 5 is the uncompacted powder 30 on the substrate 11 in the filler ring 14 filled. The distance between the powder particles is large and there is not necessarily continuous contact. 6 shows the sintered layer 12 after compression under pressure and temperature. The particles touch and have been deformed by melting and pressing.

After sintering, an aluminum cathode (layer thickness about 200 nm) is vapor-deposited on the sintered layer by means of physical vapor deposition. Alternatively it could be shown that it is already possible during the sintering process a piece punched aluminum foil 31 as a top contact (see 7 )

Another alternative for applying a second contact or a second layer is in 8th shown. There are two different powders 30 and 32 layered and pressed together.

In the 9 the current density-voltage characteristic of a photodiode with a sintered P3HT / PCBM layer is shown. Both the dark-current 51 as well as the Hellstrom characteristic 52 are shown here. Obviously, one observes the rectification behavior of a typical organic photodiode with a dark current 51 at -10V of 6.9 10 ^-6 mA / cm ² and 5.5 10 ^-5 mA / cm ² at + 10V. Furthermore, when irradiated with light from a halogen lamp, a response of the diode in the form of a bright current is observed 52 with 3.7 10 ^-5 mA / cm ² at -10V.

Thus, the feasibility of an organic photodiode with a sintered P3HT / PCBM heterojunction was demonstrated for the first time.

In 4 Another embodiment of a "sintering machine" for a roll-to-roll process is presented. This is a "heatable rolling mill". In principle, there are already machines that do such a thing, such as in the form of electrophotographic machines (copiers and laser printers), and which can be adapted accordingly for the inventive method. In 4 a schematic diagram of a copier is shown, which is used to produce such sintered layers on flexible substrates 20 would be able to when the cartridge 24 is filled with the described organic semiconductor materials. The picture drum 26 This is done by the charging device 21 electrostatically charged, light from a light source 22 is reflected by the original V, which images the desired structure to be formed as when copying, and through the lens 23 on the picture drum 26 blasted, and thus corresponding image areas on the image drum 26 formed by erasing the charge with the reflected light. Now, the organic semiconductor material by means of the cartridge 24 on the picture drum 26 applied and on the through the support device 25 loaded substrate 20 applied, with the substrate through the image drum 26 and counter roll 28 to be led. As a fixing unit are heated rollers 27 provided, for example, at 140-180 ° C aufintern the material. All materials of the sintering process according to the invention are electrostatically active and could be applied from (toner) cartridges. Electrodes can also be applied in this way.

For non-flexible substrates, an adequate arrangement of the copier modules can be achieved via a linear substrate transport.

The production and efficient production of organic semiconductor layer systems can thus be carried out by R2R processes (for example multiple passes of the substrates in a sintered cascade).

Claims (14)

 A method of making an organic device comprising a substrate and at least one layer, wherein the at least one layer is made by a sintering process comprising a) providing a powder comprising at least one organic semiconductor component; b) applying the powder to a substrate; c) applying pressure to compress the powder.  A method according to claim 1, wherein in step c) the substrate is heated prior to applying the pressure to compress the powder.  A method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the organic semiconductor component consists of at least two compounds.  A method according to claim 3, wherein the at least two compounds are solubilized by means of at least one first solvent, subsequently precipitated by addition of another substance, and finally the first solvent and the further substance are removed. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the powder of powder grains having a diameter of 0.01 to 200 .mu.m, preferably 0.5 to 100 microns and more preferably 1 to 10 microns.  Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the substrate has a first electrical contact and optionally a first intermediate layer.  Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein after the production of the layer optionally a second intermediate layer and then a second electrical contact are applied and these are preferably sintered with.  The method of claim 7, wherein the second electrical contact is realized by the introduction of a metallic foil.  Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein electrical contacts are mounted laterally of the powder in step b) or of the compacted powder in step c). Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the application of the powder is locally limited, preferably using a frame, more preferably using a frame which is coated at least on the inside with an anti-adhesion coating, such as Teflon ^® .  Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the layer after the preparation has a thickness of at least 1 micron, preferably at least 10 microns and more preferably at least 100 microns. Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the application of pressure by using a stamp or a roller, which are preferably coated with an anti-adhesion coating, such as Teflon ^® , takes place.  An organic component produced by a method according to any one of the preceding claims. Organic component according to claim 13, characterized in that it is an electro-optical component, preferably a photodetector.

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