Flexible electronics: Integration processes for organic and inorganic semiconductor-based thin-film transistors

Abstract

Flexible and transparent electronics have been studied intensively during the last few decades. The technique establishes the possibility of fabricating innovative products, from flexible displays to radio-frequency identification tags. Typically, large-area polymeric substrates such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are used, which produces new requirements for the integration processes. A key element for flexible and transparent electronics is the thin-film transistor (TFT), as it is responsible for the driving current in memory cells, digital circuits or organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). In this paper, we discuss some fundamental concepts of TFT technology. Additionally, we present a comparison between the use of the semiconducting organic small-molecule pentacene and inorganic nanoparticle semiconductors in order to integrate TFTs suitable for flexible electronics. Moreover, a technique for integration with a submicron resolution suitable for glass and foil substrates is presented.