New tech increases yields and performance of organic circuits

-Source: IEEE Circuits newsletter, Provided: Trendwatch, By Rick C. Hodgin, Dated: Friday, September 05, 2008

Chicago (IL) - Researchers from the Center for Neutron Research at National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), and Seoul National University (SNU), have cooperatively developed a way to tweak the a crucial design aspect for printed organic-based semiconductor circuits. The redesign not only makes them easier to manufacture, but also increases yield and will eventually lead to better performing organic circuits (relative to silicon).

Organic semiconductors are a very hot topic for future low-cost, high-volume applications. If the researchers can work out some of the performance limiting factors, flexible displays like rollable paper would be much easier to produce, as well as many devices which integrate circuitry directly into packaging and products in a cost-effective manner (vis-a-vis Minority Report). This becomes possible because of the way organic circuits are created.Created via ink-jetUnlike conventional semiconductors, which require complex and expensive vacuum as well as high heat and laser processes to manufacture, organic semiconductors are basically sprayed onto a thin film with a type of ink-jet printer. Polymer chemicals are deposited which quickly form into the electrical circuits. Some polymers are used for insulators, others for leads, and it's a 3D stacking effect which makes it all work.The new research has developed a way to move the gate from the top to the bottom, allowing for better molecular materials deposition and higher yields. These improvements add up to an easier-to-manufacture more-likely-to-work circuit and should allow researchers now to focus on performance and stability issues rather than simple design problems. The result: Organic based products could be brought to mass markets in a more timely manner.

Conclusion: The future for organic-based semiconductors will likely be extremely wide. Whereas we will most always turn to more complex forms like silicon- and germanium-based semiconductors for the highest-end performance, when it comes to low-cost manufacturing for "adequate" performance, there are few solutions available which promise as much as organic-based processes.