Organic semiconductors are organic materials which possess the ability of conducting electrons. The electronic conductivity of these materials lies between that of metals and insulators, spanning from 10-9 to 103 Ω-1 cm-1. Both short chain (oligomers) and long chain (polymers) organic semiconductors are known. The interest for this class of materials increased dramatically during the last four decades when a considerable amount of research showed their strong potential for practical applications such as light emitting diodes (OLEDs), field effect transistors (FETs) and others. The charm of “organic electronics” is due to the fact that all these devices are easier to fabricate than traditional silicon based ones that require rigorous processing techniques. Even though these organics analogs are not predicted to replace silicon technology they will have important role to play in the establishment of the “plastic electronics”, i.e. a new flexible based electronic circuitry. As a long-term application one can envision the application of these semiconductors in fabrication of nanoelectronic devices or what is often referred as “molecular electronics”.
The fast development of electronics based on organic semiconductors asks for large interactions between different countries, knowledge and experiences. The “Action Plan in Science, Technology and Innovation” signed in 2005 by Brazil and UK has precisely the objective of evaluating the cooperation possibilities between the two countries in priority areas. For these reasons the Centro de Gestão e Estudos Estratégicos, CGEE, (www.cgee.org.br) together with Inmetro, and with the support of Minister of Science and Technology (www.mct.gov.br), are promoting the first Brazil-UK workshop on Organic Semiconductors. The Inmetro is already involved with advanced organic materials metrology in its own Center of Organic Devices (CeDO) and its infrastructure will provide an opportunity for UK and Brazilian scientists to share research, explore future collaborations, and further existing links.
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