Advances Made In Transparent Electronics
Significant advances in the emerging science of transparent electronics, creating transparent "p-type" semiconductors that have more than 200 times the conductivity of the best materials available for that purpose a few years ago.
3-D flexible computer chips
New thin-film semiconductor techniques invented by University of Wisconsin-Madison engineers promise to add sensing, computing and imaging capability to an amazing array of materials.
Historically, the semiconductor industry has relied on flat, two-dimensional chips upon which to grow and etch the thin films of material that become electronic circuits for computers and other electronic devices. But as thin as those chips might seem, they are quite beefy in comparison to the result of a new UW-Madison semiconductor fabrication process.
INTRODUCTION
Researchers at Oregon State University and Hewlett Packard have reported their first example of an entirely new class of materials which could be used to make transparent transistors that are inexpensive, stable, and environmentally benign. This could lead to new industries and a broad range of new consumer products,HP is excited about the possibilities that this development may enable, especially for our customers in imaging and printing. OSU has used a multidisciplinary research approach to the creation of these new transparent transistors, purposefully focusing on materials that have desirable physical properties, and could be cheaply and realistically produced for the consumer marketplace. The group of "heavy metals" that could potentially yield new advances also includes such elements as gold, silver, mercury, arsenic or lead, but these elements have been intentionally avoided because of their real-world cost or toxic environmental concerns.
Zinc Oxide in Transparent Electronics
Transparent oxide semiconductor based transistors have recently been proposed using as active channel intrinsic zinc oxide (ZnO). The main advantage of using ZnO deals with the fact that it is possible to growth at/near room temperature high quality polycrystalline ZnO, which is a particular advantage for electronic drivers, where the response speed is of major importance. Besides that, since ZnO is a wide band gap material (3.4 eV), it is transparent in the visible region of the spectra and therefore, also less light sensitive. In this report we have discussed fabrication and characterization of high field-effect mobility ZnO-thin film transistor (ZnOTFT) deposited at room temperature by RF magnetron sputtering.
Flexible Electronic Curtain
Flexibility takes a whole new meaning here. It is all about flexibility of transparency and even shading. This is a join application of transparent electronics and liquid crystal molecules- a flexible translucent curtain. Japanese company Micro Reactor System Co. is going to market this curtain which flexible and thin (0.025mm to 0.4mm) electronic curtains.
Conclusion
The transparent technology has just been born and faces a bright future in the convergent display market, as the ever-changing market environment appears to be a global race to achieve new success. Eventually, the technology could be used to not only make computer and laptop screens but also become part of clothing and glass-base accessories. Because production is akin to semiconductor manufacturing and chemical processing, transparent electronics could be applied to plastics and even paper to create wall-size video, roll-up screens for laptops, and even fashionable electronic clothing that intelligently picks up fashion according to personal preferences.
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