Develop Solution-based Processes for Flexible and Printing Electronics

Low cost and flexible integrated circuits will enable many new applications for our daily life. Amorphous silicon (a-Si) is the current material of choice for low-cost thin film transistors (TFTs) that are widely used as switching devices in active-matrix liquid-crystal displays. Organic (molecular crystals or polymeric) semiconductors with the advantages of flexibility and compatibility with solution-based low-cost processes (e.g. spin coating and ink jet printing) and plastic substrates are major candidates. Another promising but less explored approach is to deposit inorganic compound semiconductors using solution-based processes. Inorganic compound semiconductor has higher carrier mobility and better long-term stability. The recent advance in soft solution processing of inorganic materials offers an exciting opportunity to develop large area manufacturing technologies for inorganic TFTs. In this talk, I will report our progress towards developing solution-based processes that are suitable for roll-to-roll deposition or ink jet printing of inorganic semiconductors.