(Invited) Considerations for Materials, Processes, and Characterization of Flexible Electronics

Conventional methods of monolithic integration are reaching a practical limit for large-area electronics where miniaturization is not the major constraint for scaling the technology. An overview of novel printing approaches to fabricate thin-film transistors (TFTs) on flexible polymeric substrates for displays and image sensor applications will be presented. The effect of low-temperature processing of Si-based device characteristics will be discussed along with long-term device stability of organic and inorganic semiconductor TFTs under both electrical bias and mechanical strain. Finally, a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages between organic/polymeric and Si-based semiconductor devices on flexible platforms will be reviewed.