Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Flexible Devices: Fabrication and Applications

Description

This lecture covers the fabrication processes of flexible devices, including spin-coating polyimide films, forming polyimide substrates, and depositing thin metal films. It also discusses the properties of silicon thin films, encapsulation techniques, and vapor phase processed plastics for flexible electronics.

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Thin film

A thin film is a layer of material ranging from fractions of a nanometer (monolayer) to several micrometers in thickness. The controlled synthesis of materials as thin films (a process referred to as deposition) is a fundamental step in many applications. A familiar example is the household mirror, which typically has a thin metal coating on the back of a sheet of glass to form a reflective interface. The process of silvering was once commonly used to produce mirrors, while more recently the metal layer is deposited using techniques such as sputtering.

Amorphous silicon

Amorphous silicon (a-Si) is the non-crystalline form of silicon used for solar cells and thin-film transistors in LCDs. Used as semiconductor material for a-Si solar cells, or thin-film silicon solar cells, it is deposited in thin films onto a variety of flexible substrates, such as glass, metal and plastic. Amorphous silicon cells generally feature low efficiency.

Thin-film solar cell

Thin-film solar cells are made by depositing one or more thin layers (thin films or TFs) of photovoltaic material onto a substrate, such as glass, plastic or metal. Thin-film solar cells are typically a few nanometers (nm) to a few microns (μm) thick–much thinner than the wafers used in conventional crystalline silicon (c-Si) based solar cells, which can be up to 200 μm thick. Thin-film solar cells are commercially used in several technologies, including cadmium telluride (CdTe), copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS), and amorphous thin-film silicon (a-Si, TF-Si).

Flexible electronics

Flexible electronics, also known as flex circuits, is a technology for assembling electronic circuits by mounting electronic devices on flexible plastic substrates, such as polyimide, PEEK or transparent conductive polyester film. Additionally, flex circuits can be screen printed silver circuits on polyester. Flexible electronic assemblies may be manufactured using identical components used for rigid printed circuit boards, allowing the board to conform to a desired shape, or to flex during its use.

Crystalline silicon

Crystalline silicon or (c-Si) Is the crystalline forms of silicon, either polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si, consisting of small crystals), or monocrystalline silicon (mono-Si, a continuous crystal). Crystalline silicon is the dominant semiconducting material used in photovoltaic technology for the production of solar cells. These cells are assembled into solar panels as part of a photovoltaic system to generate solar power from sunlight. In electronics, crystalline silicon is typically the monocrystalline form of silicon, and is used for producing microchips.

Related lectures (33)

Thin-film transistors and flat-panel displays

Explores the history, applications, and technologies of thin-film transistors and flat-panel displays, including LCD, OLED, and advanced color e-paper.

Crystalline Silicon Absorption

Explores the properties of crystalline silicon absorbers in solar cells, discussing absorption coefficients, dispersion effects, and absorption mechanisms in semiconductors.

Silicon Material and Wafer Preparation

Explores the preparation of silicon material and wafers for photovoltaic applications, covering topics such as the crystalline silicon standard chain and alternative wafering techniques.

Thin Film Technologies

Explores thin film technologies for photovoltaic devices, including CdTe, CIGS, and III-V solar cells, discussing their advantages, drawbacks, and market status.

Formation of Al back-surface field