An amic acid or amic ester precursor can be applied to a substrate and thermally converted into a thin organic semiconducting layer of the corresponding arylene diimide. This semiconducting layer can be used in various semiconductive articles such as organic light emitting diode (OLED), photodetector, sensor, logic circuit, memory element, capacitor, photovoltaic (PV) cell, or electronic devices. In this manner, the arylene diimide need not be coated but is generated in situ from a solvent-soluble and easily coated precursor compound.