Organic semiconductors are not only a subject of advanced research worldwide but have already shown to offer interesting opportunities in the realization of new products of high innovative content. These new materials are indeed the heart of transitors, of light sources (LEDs, based on their electroluminescent properties), of light harvesting devices such as photovoltaic cells and photodetectors, of memories, diodes and sensors. These devices profit from the optoelectronic properties of organic semiconductors, that can be chemically tailored, and exploit their mechanical flexibility as thin films in the solid state, their solubility, their processability at almost room temperature and therefore on virtually all substrates, their compatibility with large area coverage when deposited by means of scalable “printing ” techniques. All these features offer a stimulating environment for addressing new applications, mostly still unexplored.

The course aims at providing the scientific and technological background of this emerging field of optoelectronics and to present the state of the art concerning both the research findings and the industrial realizations. In particular, the course will illustrate the physical, chemical and electronic properties of the organic semiconductors, the working principle of the most important devices and the most promising technologies for their fabrication (as those derived from graphical arts such as ink-jet printing, spray coating, flexography and others), finally describing a large variety of applications.

The course is specifically addressed to: