Three kind of 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic diimides (BTDs) with halogenated phenyl groups were synthesized through one-step reaction with high yields. Top-contact organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) were fabricated via vacuum deposition of BTDs as the semiconducting channel materials on N-octadecylphosphonic acid (ODPA) treated SiO2/Si substrates. The electronic characterization was measured in ambient condition. All these derivatives exhibit excellent n-channel OFET transport with the highest mobility up to 9.2 x 10(-2) cm(2)v(-1)s(-1) for BTD-ClAN deposited at room temperature. The crystallinity and morphology of film were improved by modified the substrate and demonstrated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Our results indicates that introducing electron-withdrawing substituents into 1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylic diimides is an effective way to achieve high OFETs performance. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.