Indian Institute of Science researchers find way to make elastic semiconductors
Semiconductor devices such as transistors are contained in most electronic items and are either made of amorphous silicon or amorphous oxides, both of which are not flexible or strain tolerant.
Published: 12th July 2023 08:16 AM | Last Updated: 12th July 2023 08:16 AM | A+A A-
Iamge used for representational purpose only. (File Photo)
BENGALURU: The Indian Institute of Science has created a new low-cost, easy-to-manufactured semiconductor that could revolutionize the display industry. Researchers have found that 40% of polymer can be added to semiconductors to make them elastic in nature without deteriorating their performance. However, previous studies suggest polymer usage of only up to 1-2 %.
Semiconductor devices such as transistors are contained in most electronic items and are either made of amorphous silicon or amorphous oxides, both of which are not flexible or strain tolerant.
“Introducing Kapton polymer to the oxide semiconductors may increase their flexibility, but in limited amounts to not compromise the semiconductor’s performance,” said IISC’s report published in the Advanced Materials Technologies called Super Flexible and High Mobility Inorganic/Organic Composite Semiconductors for Printed Electronics on Polymer Substrates.
Subho Dasgupta, co-author of the study and Associate Professor at IISC said, “Such semiconductors can be used to fabricate fully printed and flexible television screens, wearables, and large electronic billboards alongside printed organic light emitting diode display front-ends.”
Experiment and Challenges
“The flexible semiconductor was made of two materials; a water-insoluble polymer such as ethyl cellulose that provides flexibility, and indium oxide, a material that supports electronic transport properties,” revealed the study. Usually, semiconductors use sputtering (depositing thin films of different constituents on silicon wafers), however, the team at IISC used inkjet printing to deposit the material onto various flexible substrates ranging from plastics to paper.
Just like words and images printed on paper, electronic components can be printed on any surface using special functional inks containing either electrically conducting, semiconducting, or insulating materials.
“However, sometimes it is very difficult to get a continuous and homogeneous film. Prior to high-temperature annealing, the printed semiconductor layer has to be preheated on the Kapton substrate,” said the first author Mitta Divya, former PhD student at IISC. Another challenge was the right environmental conditions under which the ink can be printed.
