TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 - AGENDA Agenda · 3:00 - 3:20 3.3 Flexible Organic Electronics: From Lab to Fab to the Next Wave of Products Mike Banach, FlexEnable 3:20 - 3:40 3.4 PI-SCALE:

FLEXIBLE & PRINTED ELECTRONICS CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION

7:00 - 8:30 CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST

8:00 - 10:00 PLENARY 1: MARKET & ROAD MAPS Chair: Keith Rollins

8:00 - 8:05 2017FLEX Introduction Keith Rollins, DuPont Teijin Films

8:05 - 8:10 Welcoming Remarks Ajit Manocha, SEMI

8:10 - 8:45 Technology Inflections in the Display Industry Brian Shieh, Applied Materials

8:45 - 9:25 Flexible and Stretchable Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing for Wearables: Challenges and Solutions

Anwar Mohammed & Jason Marsh, Flex and NextFlex

9:25 - 9:50 Optimizing the Design Process for Flexible Hybrids David Wiens, Mentor Graphics

9:50 - 10:00 FLEXI Awards Ceremony Daren Heidgerken, Lockheed Martin

10:00 - 10:50 MORNING BREAK Sponsored by Carpe Diem Technologies

10:50 - 12:40 PLENARY 2: MARKET & ROAD MAPS Chair: Melissa Grupen-Shemansky

10:50 - 11:25 eHealth new horizons with the Internet of Things David Bordonada, Libelium

11:25 - 11:50 Ten Challenges for the Flex/Hybrid Sensors Industry in the AG-Food Vertical

Francis Gouillart, Experience Co-Creation Partnership (ECCP)

11:50 - 12:15 Technology Roadmap: Trends and Needs in Printed and Flexible Electronics

Stan Farnsworth, OE-A; NovaCentrix

12:15 - 12:40 When Flexible Electronics Reach Critical Mass Dean Freeman, Gartner

12:40 - 2:15 LUNCH Sponsored by Applied Materials

2:15 - 4:00 SESSION 3: FLEXIBLE DISPLAYS Chair: Yu Xia

2:15 - 2:35 3.1 Flexible Electrophoretic Displays Go Big! Michael McCreary, E ink

2:35 - 3:00 3.2 OLED on Flexible Organic TFTs: Could Organic Semiconductors Revive Old Fabs and Enable Wrinkable AMOLED Displays and New Applications?

Eric Virey, Yole Développement

3:00 - 3:20 3.3 Flexible Organic Electronics: From Lab to Fab to the Next Wave of Products

Mike Banach, FlexEnable

3:20 - 3:40 3.4 PI-SCALE: Creating an Open Access Flexible OLED Pilot Line Service

Pavel Kudlacek, Holst Centre

3:40 - 4:00 3.5 FlexTrans - A Project to Transfer Flexible OLED Display Manufacture to Industry

Michael Cowin, SmartKem Ltd

4:00 - 6:00 EXHIBITOR RECEPTION In the Exhibit hall

Monterey Ballroom Plenary 1 & 2

Track A - Spyglass Session 3

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 - AGENDA

Agenda

Track B - Big Sur Session 4

Track C - Cypress Session 5

2:15 - 4:00 SESSION 4: FPE TECHNOLOGIES Chair: Bob Praino

2:15 - 2:40 4.1 Roll-to-Roll Processing Inflections for the Display & IoT Industry

Mani Thothadri, Applied Materials

2:40 - 3:00 4.2 Materials for Printed Transistors: More than Proof of Concept!

Paul Brookes, EMD Performance Materials Corp

3:00 - 3:20 4.3 A highly-efficacious Self-compensation Means to Reduce Variations due to the Bending of the Substrate

Joseph Chang, Nanyang Technological University Singapore

3:20 - 3:40 4.4 New UV Nanoimprint Lithography Roll2Roll technologies - from Lab2Fab

Thomas Kolbusch, Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH

3:40 - 4:00 4.5 Flexible Polyimide as a Device Substrate Temporarily Bonded to Round Silicon Carriers Allowing Processing in Standard Rigid Semiconductor Equipment

Emmett Howard, Flexible Electronics and Display Center of Arizona State University


2:15 - 4:00 SESSION 5: FHE MANUFACTURING METHODS I Chair: Bob Reuss

2:15 - 2:40 5.1 NextFlex Roadmap for a Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Ecosystem

Benjamin Leever, Air Force Research Laboratory

2:40 - 3:00 5.2 Additive Manufacturing Equipment for Flexible Hybrid Electronics

Peter Hessney, Sensor Films Inc.

3:00 - 3:20 5.3 Bridging the Interconnect Gap in Flexible Hybrid Electronics

Val Marinov, Uniqarta, Inc.

3:20 - 3:40 5.4 FlexTrate™ Characterization Tak Fukushima, University of California, Los Angeles

3:40 - 4:00 5.5 New Silicon Frontiers: Physically Flexible System-on-Chip

Richard Chaney, American Semiconductor, Inc.


TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 - AGENDA



8:00- 9:25 SESSION 6: STANDARDS & RELIABILITY - Sponsored by MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions

Chair: Neil Bolding

8:00 - 8:25 6.1 Recent developments in IPC Printed Electronics Standards

Neil Bolding, MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions

8:25 - 8:45 6.2 Overview of IEC Activities Related to FHE, including IEC TC 110 and TC 119

Kei Hyodo, Konica Minolta

8:45 - 9:05 6.3 Advances in Flexible Hybrid Electronics Reliability Douglas Hackler, American Semiconductor, Inc.

9:05 - 9:25 6.4 Accurate Testing of Flexible Hybrid Electronics Using Tension-Free Systems

Naotsugu Ando, YUASA SYSTEM

9:25 - 10:25 MORNING BREAK Sponsored by SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.

10:25- 11:50 SESSION 9: CONDUCTORS I Chair: Bob Praino

10:25 - 10:50 9.1 Possibilities and Limitations of Stretchable Electronics on TPU

Milan Saalmink, TNO/Holst Centre

10:50 - 11:10 9.2 Advanced Sheet-to-Sheet and Roll-to-Roll Thin-film Processing on Ultra-thin Flexible Glass for Flexible Electronic Devices

Manuela Junghähnel, Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP

11:10 - 11:30 9.3 Biodegradable conductors on biodegradable polymer foils

Michael Hoffmann, Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP

11:30 - 11:50 9.4 Controllable Fabrication of Transparent Touch Sensitive Device via Inkjet-Printing Polydopamine Nanoparticles on Flexible Substrate with Tunable Wetting Properties

Liang Liu, Binghamton University

11:50 - 1:30 LUNCH Sponsored by DuPont Advanced Materials & DuPont Teijin Films

1:30 - 2:55 SESSION 12: CONDUCTORS II Chair: Emmett Howard

1:30 - 1:55 12.1 Advancements in Printing nano Copper and Using Existing Copper Based Manufacturing Processes

Michael Carmody, Intrinsiq Materials

1:55 - 2:15 12.2 Advanced Conductive Films by Dielectrophoretic Alignment of Particles

Henrik Hemmen, CondAlign

2:15 - 2:35 12.3 Direct Metallization Polyimide Scott Trevino, PalPilot International

2:35 - 2:55 12.4

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017 - AGENDA

Track A - Spyglass Sessions 6, 9, 12 & 15


2:55 - 3:55 AFTERNOON BREAK Sponsored by Nanotronics

3:55- 5:40 SESSION 15: INLINE INSPECTION Chair: Stephen Farias

3:55 - 4:20 15.1 In Situ Materials Characterization Bryan Barney, NVision Instruments Inc

4:20 - 4:40 15.2 In-Situ Defect Detection: Practical Considerations and Results

Tim Potts, Dark Field Technologies, Inc.

4:40 - 5:00 15.3 High-speed, high resolution 3D metrology for improved process control of flexible electronic substrate production

Erik Novak, 4D Technology

5:00 - 5:20 15.4 Introduction to new high-resolution 3D Line Confocal Imaging technology and its potential uses in automated three-dimensional conductor trace profile, surface roughness and ink thickness measurement applications.

Juha Saily, FocalSpec, Inc.

5:20 - 5:40 15.5 Metrology Tools for Flexible Electronics and Display Substrate

Min Yang, Bruker Nano Surfaces

Track A - Spyglass Sessions 6, 9, 12 & 15

Printed photovoltaics, batteries & electronicsRoll-to-roll printing • Device fabrication

Module testing & validation • Materials analysisGrid management & simulation • Systems integration

Innovation support programs • Collaborative work spaces

Booth 2011wcet.washington.edu

[email protected](206) 685-6833


Track B - Big Sur Sessions 7, 10, 13 & 16


8:00- 9:25 SESSION 7: FPE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES Chair: Yu Xia

8:00 - 8:25 7.1 Printed Electronics at CDT Miguel Carrasco-Orozco, Cambridge Display Technology Ltd

8:25 - 8:45 7.2 Growth of New Printed Intelligence Driven Industry and Products

Harri Kopola, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd

8:45 - 9:05 7.3 Tools and Technology for Flexible Hybrid Electronics Marcel Grooten, DoMicro BV

9:05 - 9:25 7.4 Prototyping of Printed TFTs on Pilot Line for Smart Surface Application

Micael Charbonneau, CEA-LITEN


10:25- 11:50 SESSION 10: FPE APPLICATIONS Chair: Kei Hyodo

10:25 - 10:50 10.1 Printed Electronics: Success Stories and Future Commercial Applications

Guillaume Chansin, IDTechEx

10:50 - 11:10 10.2 All-Printing Process for Stretchable LED Matrix Display

Shu-Hao Chang, AUO

11:10 - 11:30 10.3 eWriters and the Leap to Commercialization in Flexible Electronic Components

Erica Montbach, Kent Displays

11:30 - 11:50 10.4 Integration and Scalable Manufacturing of Printed Microfluidic Devices

Jeffrey Morse, University of Massachusetts, Amherst


1:30 - 2:55 SESSION 13: SUBSTRATES Chair: Mark Poliks

1:30 - 1:55 13.1 Flexible Sintered Roll Format Ceramic for Electronic Applications

John Olenick, ENrG Incorporated

1:55 - 2:15 13.2 Research and Testing of Electronic Materials Made with a Novel Non-Silicone Stretchable Thermosetting Polymer

Tomoaki Sawada, Panasonic Automotive and Industrial Systems

2:15 - 2:35 13.3 Novel Polysulfide Substrates for Manufacturing Flex Displays and Flex Electronics

Tolis Voutsas, Ares Materials

2:35 - 2:55 13.4 Plastic Film for Flat and Curved Display Surfaces Shintaro Ozaki, Rikentechnos


3:55- 5:40 SESSION 16: ENCAPSULATION & COATING - Sponsored by Sartomer Americas

Chair: Chris Orilall

3:55 - 4:20 16.1 From flexible towards foldable thin film encapsulation for air stable OLED devices

Pavel Kudlacek, Holst Centre

4:20 - 4:40 16.2 Bringing Permeation Barrier Technology to Application: From Ultra-High Barrier Films to Functional Films for Flexible Electronics

John Fahlteich, Franhofer

4:40 - 5:00 16.3 Advanced Co-Polymers as Innovative Substrates and Encapsulants for Flexible Hybrid Electronics

Chris Stoessel, Eastman Chemical Co.

5:00 - 5:20 16.4 Flexible Functional Devices at Mass Production Level with the FLEx R2R sALD Platform

Edward Clerkx, Meyer Burger (Netherlands) B.V.

5:20 - 5:40 16.5 An Overview of Energy Curable Technologies Chris Orilall, Sartomer Americas



8:00- 9:25 SESSION 8: FHE MANUFACTURING METHODS II Chair: Tolis Voutsas

8:00 - 8:25 8.1 Global OLED Market with Key Technologies: Solution Process OLED

Choong Hoon Yi, UBI Research

8:25 - 8:45 8.2 Printed Hybrid Sensors for Health Monitoring Robert Street, PARC, a Xerox Company

8:45 - 9:05 8.3 Flexible Hybrid Electronics Fabricated with High-Performance COTS ICs using RTI CircuitFilmTM Technology

Scott Goodwin, Micross Advanced Interconnect Technology

9:05 - 9:25 8.4 Advancements in the Manufacture of Sensor Systems for Biomarker Monitoring

Rob Irwin, Molex, LLC


10:25- 11:50 SESSION 11: FHE APPLICATIONS I Chair: Mark Poliks

10:25 - 10:50 11.1 Hydration Sensor Patch for Human Performance Monitoring

Azar Alizadeh, GE

10:50 - 11:10 11.2 Scalable Sensor Fusion Platform for Multi-Modal Human-Machine Interface Applications

Albert Lu, Interlink Electronics Inc.

11:10 - 11:30 11.3 RFID Technology Transitional Tipping Point Raymond C. Wiley, Sun-Tec America, LLC

11:30 - 11:50 11.4 Physically Flexible Smart Asset Monitor and Tracking Tag

Richard Ellinger, American Semiconductor, Inc.


1:30 - 2:55 SESSION 14: FHE APPLICATIONS II Chair: Ahmed Busnaina

1:30 - 1:55 14.1 Flexible Near Field Communication Sensor Labels Built on a Printed Dopant Polysilicon TFT Platform

Soumiya Krishnamoorthy, Thin Film Electronics

1:55 - 2:15 14.2 Thermistor Arrays for Asset Monitoring Austin Shearin, Brewer Science

2:15 - 2:35 14.3 Flexible Temperature and Humidity Sensor Patch Abhilash Iyer, Saape Designs

2:35 - 2:55 14.4 E-textiles: Show Me the Money! James Hayward, IDTechEx


3:55- 5:40 SESSION 17: POWER TECHNOLOGY Chair: Bob Reuss

3:55 - 4:20 17.1 All Solid State, Thin Film Lithium Rechargeable Battery for Flexible Electronics

Brian Berland, ITN Energy Systems, Inc.

4:20 - 4:40 17.2 Flexible Thermoelectric Energy Harvesters with Liquid Metal Interconnects

Mehmet Ozturk, NC State University & ASSIST Engineering Research Center

4:40 - 5:00 17.3 Flexible and Stretchable Power Sources for Wearable Applications

Alla Zamarayeva, University of California Berkeley

5:00 - 5:20 17.4 Highly Reduced Graphene Oxide for Supercapacitor by Combining UV Irradiation and Thermal Treatment

In Gyoo Kim, ETRI

5:20 - 5:40 17.5 Development of a Very Thin "Flexible" Battery and Process for Manufacturing

Jim Manning, Custom Electronics, Inc.

Track C - CypressSessions 8, 11, 14 & 17




8:00 - 9:45 SESSION 18: PRINTING TECHNOLOGY-Sponsored by Chromaline Screen Print Products

Chair: Dan Kamben

8:00 - 8:25 18.1 Advanced Flexible Substrate Technology for Improved Accuracy, Definition, and Conductivity of Screen Printed Conductors

Art Dobie, Chromaline

8:25 - 8:45 18.2 Reverse-offset Printing Process and Equipment for Fine Patterning and Precision Overlay

Dongwoo Kang, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials

8:45 - 9:05 18.3 Flexible and Printable Li-ion Batteries Ryan Kohlmeyer, Air Force Research Laboratory

9:05 - 9:25 18.4 Research on Manufacturing of Plastic Films and Filaments through Roll to Roll Processing

Reza Mahboubfar, FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences

9:25 - 9:45 18.5 Innovative Roll-to Roll Equipment and Material Development Suite for Next Generation Technology from Carpe Diem Technologies and the University of Massachusetts Amherst

John Berg, Carpe Diem Technologies, Inc.


10:15 - 12:00 SESSION 21: NOVEL CONDUCTOR AND SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS

Chair: Mark Poliks

10:15 - 10:40 21.1 AgeNT™: AgNW/Carbon Nanotube Hybrid TCF – Progress Update

Bob Praino, Chasm Technologies, Inc.

10:40 - 11:00 21.2 Graphene/Ag Nanowires as Flexible Transparent Conductor

Tom Fedolak, Graphenea Inc.

11:00 - 11:20 21.3 Liquid Silicon Ink for Printable Active Components Doug Freitag, The Coretec Group

11:20 - 11:40 21.4 Nanocarbon Contacts in Flexible Electronics Applications

Jeongwon Park, University of Ottawa

11:40 - 12:00 21.5 Synthesis, Characterization, and Isolation of Metal Precursor Inks

Bruce Kahn, Rochester Institute of Technology

12:00 - 1:40 LUNCH Sponsored by FujiFilm Dimatix STUDENT POSTER AWARDS- Sponsored by FlexEnable, Presented by Mike Banach

1:40 - 3:25 SESSION 24: MILITARY & SECURITY - Sponsored by Lockheed Martin

Chair: Jeff Stuart

1:40 - 2:05 24.1 Utilizing Carbon Nanotubes in Thin-Film Flexible Electronics

Jon Nichols, Lockheed Martin

2:05 - 2:25 24.2 All-Printable Real-time Airframe Monitoring System (ARAMS)

Shiv Joshi, NextGen Aeronautics, Inc

2:25 - 2:45 24.3 Manufacturing Technologies to Enable Advanced Munitions

Giuseppe Di Benedetto, US Army ARDEC

2:45 - 3:05 24.4 Manufacturing for Tunable, Flexible Polymer Substrates for Asset Monitoring

Claire Lepont, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

3:05 - 3:25 24.5 Materials & Manufacturing Challenges for Wearable Electronics in the USAF Mission

Jeremy Ward, Air Force Research Laboratory

ADJOURN

Track A - Spyglass Sessions 18, 21 & 24

AGENDA - THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017


8:00 - 9:45 SESSION 19: 3D PRINTING Chair: Mike Idacavage

8:00 - 8:25 19.1 Closed-Loop Template-free printing of Passive Components

Dan Berrigan, Air Force Research Laboratory

8:25 - 8:45 19.2 3D Printing of Flexible Circuits and Sensors Matthew Schrandt, Optomec

8:45 - 9:05 19.3 Hybrid Printed Fabrication of Munitions Components & Systems

James Zunino, US Army ARDEC

9:05 - 9:25 19.4 Aerosol-Based Process and Apparatus for Stable Production-Level Printing of Electronic Inks

Dave Keicher, Sandia National Laboratories

9:25 - 9:45 19.5 3D and Aerosol-printed Conductor-dielectric Full-3D RF Metamaterials

Jesse Tice, Northrop Grumman


10:15 - 12:00 SESSION 22: DIRECT WRITE Chair: Stephen Farias

10:15 - 10:40 22.1 Direct-write fabrication of high-density interconnects Alan Shen, United Technologies Research Center

10:40 - 11:00 22.2 3D Flexible Metal Interconnection for FHE (flexible hybrid electronic) Devices using an Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) Technique

Yongjin Kim, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM)

11:00 - 11:20 22.3 Breakthrough dielectric and conductive material combinations for inkjet-printed multi-layer circuits

Wouter Brok, Meyer Berger

11:20 - 11:40 22.4 Direct-write printed electronics on textiles: A paradigm for automated textile electronics

Raj Bhakta, North Carolina State University, ASSIST Research Center

11:40 - 12:00 22.5 Ultra-Narrow Channels and Lines for All-Printed OTFTs

Ta-Ya Chu, National Research Council Canada


1:40 - 3:25 SESSION 25: EMERGING CAPABILITIES Chair: Bruce Kahn

1:40 - 2:05 25.1 Printing of Nano and Microscale Electronics and Sensors

Ahmed Busnaina, Nano OPS, Inc.

2:05 - 2:25 25.2 Highly Near-Infrared-Sensitive, Printed Flexible Thermistors

Austin Shearin, Brewer Science

2:25 - 2:45 25.3 Development of Scalable Manufacturing of Printed Electronics in an Open Access Testbed

Devin MacKenzie, University of Washington

2:45 - 3:05 25.4 Silver-based Ultrathin Transparent Top Electrode for Organic Light Emitting Diodes

Kwan Hyun Cho, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH)

3:05 - 3:25 25.5 Hybrid Additive Process for Slot Coating of Alternating-Stripe Films

Ara Parsekian, Georgia Institute of Technology

ADJOURN

Track B - Big SurSessions 19, 22 & 25




8:00 - 9:45 SESSION 20: SENSORS Chair: Ahmed Busnaina

8:00 - 8:25 20.1 Design and Manufacturing of a Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Biometric Human Performance Monitor (BHPM)

Charles Woychik, i3 Electronics, Inc.

8:25 - 8:45 20.2 Scalable Self-aligned Active Matrix IGZO TFT Backplane Technology

Albert van Breemen, Holst Centre

8:45 - 9:05 20.3 Short Wavelength Infrared Photosensors Based on Novel Narrow Bandgap Polymers

Tse Nga Ng, University of California San Diego

9:05 - 9:25 20.4 Printed and Flexible MRI Receive Coils Ana Claudia Arias, University of California Berkeley

9:25 - 9:45 20.5 Flexible “Roll-up” Voice-Separation and Gesture-Sensing Human-Machine Interface with All-Flexible Sensors

James Sturm, Princeton University


10:15 - 12:00 SESSION 23: RF TECHNOLOGY Chair: Bob Reuss

10:15 - 10:40 23.1 Advancements in wireless technology for flexible printed hybrid electronics: how Near Field Communication (NFC) is shaping the architecture of sensor systems

Jesse Cole, Molex, LLC.

10:40 - 11:00 23.2 Aerosol Jet Printed Functional Nanoinks: From New Materials to RF Components

Jesse Tice, NG Next, Northrop Grumman

11:00 - 11:20 23.3 Next generation of origami-based tunable RF structures using additive manufacturing

Syed Abdullah Nauroze, Georgia Institute of Technology

11:20 - 11:40 23.4 Direct-Write Flexible Meshed Patch Antenna on Nonwoven Material

Hasan Shahariar, North Carolina State University

11:40 - 12:00 23.8 RF Powered Transformable Sensor on a Flexible Substrate

Yunsong Xie, Argonne National Laboratory


1:40 - 3:25 SESSION 26: BIOSENSORS AND THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND US

Chair: Mark Poliks

1:40 - 2:05 26.1 A Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Wearable Biometric Human Performance Monitor (BHPM)

Jim Turner, Binghamton University

2:05 - 2:25 26.2

2:25 - 2:45 26.3 Fusion of Fashion and Function: Textiles as a Platform for a Flexible Electronics System

Sundaresan Jayaraman, Georgia Institute of Technology

2:45 - 3:05 26.4 Peratech Force Sensing Technology Solutions Wiiliam Beckenbaugh, PhD, Peratech

3:05 - 3:25 26.5 Titania-based sol-gels with Tunable Dielectric and Optical Properties

Robert Norwood, University of Arizona

ADJOURN

Track C - Cypress Sessions 20, 23 & 26



PLENARY 1: MARKET & ROAD MAPS Chair: Keith Rollins

1.1 2017FLEX Introduction - Keith Rollins, DuPont Teijin Films

1.2 Welcoming Remarks - Ajit Manocha, SEMI

1.3 Technology Inflections in the Display Industry - Brian Shieh, Applied Materials

Dr. Shieh will address various technology inflection points in displays and then focus specifically on the technologies that will continue to move flexible displays from a vision to a reality. He will discuss how the display industry shifted emphasis from simple scaling up to display performance and form factor which has led to the adoption of more advanced underlying technologies such as new transistor materials and design, in-cell/on-cell touch, OLED, and flexible device processing. The new technologies, especially those related to flexible, pose significant challenges. And while industry leaders have successfully productized rigid curved “flexible” displays, there are still challenges we must solve to make dynamically flexible displays viable.

1.4 Flexible and Stretchable Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing for Wearables: Challenges and Solutions - Anwar Mohammed & Jason Marsh, Flex and NextFlex

The 2017FLEX Conference keynote will showcase the dual perspectives of Flex, one of the largest volume global manufacturers of smart products, and NextFlex, America’s Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute, fully connecting the challenges, opportunities, and potential solutions for achieving large scale manufacturing of wearable electronics. Flex will describe the most challenging manufacturing problems facing the wearables industry, such as water ingress, flexibility/stretchability, interconnection, and the lack of standards for reliability testing followed by potential solutions in emerging manufacturing technologies such as nanomaterials, low temperature soldering, stretchable conductors, printable batteries and water resistant coatings. NextFlex will then outline relevant development projects now underway at the Institute focused on these and other issues, and provide insight on how collaboration between Industry, Academia, and Government is a model for realizing the promise of manufacturability of wearables and enabling the commercialization of novel new products in this growing market.

1.5 Optimizing the Design Process for Flexible Hybrids - David Wiens, Mentor, a Siemens BusinessDesign of FHEs has stressed the traditional design tool chain and processes borrowed from adjacent domains. This session will discuss the challenges of FHE design and the hand-off to manufacturing. Designs must be created and verified in 3D. New design constraint decks must be defined. Multi-physics analysis tools must consider new material and environmental conditions. The manufacturing product model must support new design objects to receive data from design. Best practices learned from the IC, packaging and PCB design disciplines will be addressed as they might apply to FHE to enable a co-design process that supports rapid design-to-mfg iterations.

PLENARY 2: MARKET & ROAD MAPS Chair: Melissa Grupen-Shemansky

2.1 eHealth new horizons with the Internet of Things - David Bordonada, Libelium

When we hear about the Internet of Things, Smart Cities or Precision Farming appear in our minds. However, eHealth is a growing market where wireless sensor networks are providing

new opportunities for telemedicine, auto-diagnosis and follow-up treatments. The new IoT platforms are integrating sensors to monitor and control the most important body parameters in small and portable devices. These new achievements mean an improvement for more than 2 billion people that can not access to a healthcare system. eHealth new systems and developments aim to cover this worldwide challenge: to enhance the universal accessibility to healthcare.

2.2 Ten Challenges for the Flex/Hybrid Sensors Industry in the AG-Food Vertical - Francis Gouillart, Experience Co-Creation Partnership (ECCP)

In their presentation, Francis Gouillart will offer ten starting points for the development of flexible/hybrid sensors for agriculture and food. After laying out those challenges and suggesting some possible areas of application, they will issue a call to action for members of the industry in working with ag and food stakeholders, using a process of ecosystem co-creation they will lay out.

Here are the ten issues confronting the ag and food industry today:

1. The need to provide seed-to-mouth traceability and documentation of sustainable practices: how can sensors and IoT create longitudinal transparency?

2. The tedium of regulatory reporting for farmers and food players: can sensor automation help?

3. Temperature, humidity and light: how can we track those three fundamentals of ag and food throughout the life of the produce?

4. The most dramatic unmet need of the ag-food value chain: will farmers be one day able to flood their fields with super-cheap soil sensors?

5. Responding to the demand for local: how to best track food-miles?

6. The democratization imperative: can we invent precision ag for small farms by engaging nontraditional ag and food players?

7. From produce to cases to pallets: how can we solve the challenge of tracking produce during storage and transportation?

8. The produce distributor’s core issue: how can we reduce waste by modeling ripeness through sensors?

9. Emulating a chef’s palate: can new-generation hyperspectral and gas sensors help predict taste?

10. The need to “de-commoditize” the agricultural-food market: will blockchain technology be able to convert sensor information and reveal intrinsic value of the produce?

2.3 Technology Roadmap: Trends and Needs in Printed and Flexible Electronics - Stan Farnsworth, OE-A; NovaCentrix

The label “Printed and Flexible Electronics” encompasses a wide variety of development and manufacturing technologies. It can be challenging for any organization, regardless of size and history, to keep pace with the changes in the technology space. Additionally, as a set of platform technologies, PFE technologies often have value in a wide variety of otherwise disparate applications. For example, conductive inks are important in displays, sensors, power transfer, and antennas for markets such as automotive, consumer electronics, photovoltaics, and wearables.

To better track and project developments and needs, the member organizations of the OE-A, the leading international association focused on FPE, work together and every 2 years compile and update a Roadmap for Organic and Printed Electronics. Now in its 7th edition, the current Roadmap was recently released in March 2017 at the LOPEC event in Munich. The Roadmap includes review of application areas including: OLED Lighting, Organic Photovoltaics, Flexible Displays and OLED, Electronics and Components, and Integrated Smart Systems. Technology categories include: Functional Materials, Substrates, and Printing and Patterning Techniques. In his talk, Stan will review highlights of the Roadmap, drawing attention to overall trends as well as highlighting key challenges/opportunities.

Abstracts

ABSTRACTS

2.4 When Flexible Electronics Reach Critical Mass - Dean Freeman, Gartner

The promise of flexible electronics has been hanging in the future for considerable time. In 2012 Gartner wrote

“Printed electronics is an application on the verge of breaking out. The implementation of printed electronics could have significant upside potential for the IT and supply chain markets.”

To those on the outside looking in it often seems that this is the case; however, progress is being made slowly but surely. Materials have progressed significantly over the past 5 years, as have manufacturing techniques giving rise to increased expectations. The growth of the IoT is helping to create some of those increased expectations, small flexible power sources, and sensors can help to drive compact or unique form factors for electronic devices. The health and fitness markets and OLEDS are markets demonstrating potential for growth as flexible devices and displays could revolutionize health and the display markets. How fast will these markets grow and what is the potential opportunity for flexible electronics? The author will cover the outlook for the electronics market and some of the key market drivers for flexible electronics.

SESSION 3: FLEXIBLE DISPLAYS Chair: Yu Xia

3.1 Flexible Electrophoretic Displays Go Big! - Michael McCreary, E ink

Electrophoretic displays (EPD) are best known for their use in electronic book readers. Now, the use of flexible EPD technology is being expanded to large architectural applications, including some that are powered by flexible photovoltaics and using no storage batteries. Indoor and outdoor signage and white boards are other larger EPD applications recently launched. The latest developments in full color EPD technology will be described. Such displays include only one non-patterned electrophoretic ink layer, no CFA, and only one TFT backplane layer. Targeted future applications for such color and the advantages of flex color will be discussed.

3.2 OLED on Flexible Organic TFTs: Could Organic Semiconductors Revive Old Fabs and Enable Wrinkable AMOLED Displays and New Applications? - Eric Virey, Yole Développement

This presentation will briefly review backplanes technologies for flexible displays and focus on the current status and potential of organic semiconductors TFTs (OTFTs). Organic semiconductors appeared in the mid 1980’s but their performance limited them to the status of laboratory curiosities. By the mid 2000’s, performance had increased to be on par with industry standard amorphous –Si. As of 2017, mobility comparable to oxides TFTs have been demonstrated. Organic TFTs enables truly flexible AMOLED displays with bending radius below 1 mm (“wrinkable”). The technology can easily be implemented in older, fully depreciated a-Si fabs with minimum capex and produce high performance displays. Most panel makers are working on OTFTs. But each has a different view regarding how they fit on their roadmap, ranging from R&D curiosity to defensive project or strategic and differentiating technology. This presentation will sort through the hype and misconceptions and provide an update on the status and roadmap for organic semiconductor displays.

3.3 Flexible Organic Electronics: From Lab to Fab to the Next Wave of Products - Mike Banach, FlexEnable

Organic electronics will play a pivotal role in interactive products, by enabling flexible displays and sensors that break form factor constraints of glass, and unlocking new use cases. Bringing such breakthrough technology from lab to fab has required development on multiple fronts, across materials, process and

device design. All the pieces are now in place to enable the mass production of high performance flexible colour video-rate displays and sensors (fingerprint, X Ray and image sensors). What will the first products be, and what value does organic electronics bring to different markets?

3.4 PI-SCALE: Creating an Open Access Flexible OLED Pilot Line Service - Pavel Kudlacek, Holst Centre

Flexible Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) provide unique features such as high flexibility, fine and direct patterning of light emission designs over large areas, transparency, and an ultrathin form factor which can be made in any shape. These features are difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish with conventional light sources, including LEDs. However, new technologies such as flexible OLEDs are not easily accessible to designers and product developers who often have to wait until mass production is in place before they can start with their work. The PI-SCALE open access flexible OLED pilot line service is set up to bridge that gap between R&D and mass manufacturing, accelerating the integration of flexible OLEDs in diverse applications.

The initiative combines fourteen expert partners from five European countries, initially focusing on product streams in the areas of automotive, designer luminaires, and aeronautics applications. This end user focus is underpinned by the processing capabilities of the key European research institutes in the field of flexible OLEDs (Holst Centre, Fraunhofer FEP, CPI and VTT) and is supported by the European Commission. This paper provides an update of the technical achievements and challenges of the distributed pilot line, the features and specifications of customizable flexible OLED product prototypes that it can offer to those using its services , and its roadmap for future flexible OLED offerings. This is presented in the context of the exciting opportunities and anticipated challenges of creating sustainable business around flexible OLEDs for lighting and signage applications.

3.5 FlexTrans - A Project to Transfer Flexible OLED Display Manufacture to Industry - Michael Cowin, SmartKem Ltd

SmartKem, a pioneer in the development and supply of organic semiconductors were recently awarded 2M Euro EU H2020 funding to transfer their flexible organic semiconductor platform to industrial display partners in Asia. This presentation will detail the project, its objectives challenges, partners and application sectors for the resulting industrial grade flexible OLED product demonstrator.

SESSION 4: FPE TECHNOLOGIES Chair: Bob Praino

4.1 Roll-to-Roll Processing Inflections for the Display & IoT Industry - Mani Thothadri, Applied Materials

Next generation consumer electronic devices, including wearables are placing an ever increasing emphasis on form factor. This has resulted in an increase in the number of polymeric films used in their construction. As most of these polymeric materials are initially manufactured in the form of a roll, there has been a drive towards the utilization of so called roll-to-roll processing (R2R) in order to reduce both manufacturing line setup, cleanroom and materials costs. The work presented in this paper will summarize Applied Materials development activities for next generation large area flexible electronics applications. Focus will be given on large area deposition of silicon based layer systems using a front surface contact free R2R CVD processing platform for hardcoat & barrier applications. Further developments will also be discussed in terms of infrastructure & process development for patterning of micron level features and devices.


4.2 Materials for Printed Transistors: More than Proof of Concept! - Paul Brookes, EMD Performance Materials Corp

Over recent years advances in organic thin film transistor research have shifted from mobility and peak performance to processability, operational stability and integration. This is particularly true at EMD Performance Material where we have developed a portfolio of both organic active and passive materials and formulations designed to support application performance, with a demonstrated compatibility with real manufacturing processes such as high-throughput photolithographic and roll-to-roll printing processes. In this paper we present material developments undertaken to realize an all-printable, air-stable polymer transistor stack on plastic, by rotogravure. Novel formulation concepts for our SP500 semiconductor and matched dielectric set are exploited to achieve increased layer uniformity, yield and process stability in discrete transistors, without the need for extra surface treatments or temperatures exceeding 130°C. This further validates the market readiness of EMD Performance Materials solution-processed organic materials for Printed Electronics.

4.3 A highly-efficacious Self-compensation Means to Reduce Variations due to the Bending of the Substrate - Joseph Chang, Nanyang Technological University Singapore

Co-Authors: Joseph S Chang, Tong Ge and Jia Zhou A major challenge of Printed-Electronics (PE) is the variations, often intractable, of printed elements and circuits when the substrate is bent. The two reported solutions are to either use a very-thin substrate which may render it overly-frangible, or to deposit another substrate layer of equal-thickness over the top of the original substrate which may render the substrate overly thick and limiting. We propose a novel highly-efficacious self-compensation means involving printing one-half of a given printed element on the top-surface of the substrate and the other-half on the bottom-surface. This exploits the fact that when a substrate is bent, the top-surface and bottom-surface experience opposing stresses. We demonstrate that our proposed self-compensation means reduced the variations of printed elements and circuits due to bending by >100 times – without incurring hardware, area or power overheads although a means to print both sides of the substrate is necessary.

4.4 New UV Nanoimprint Lithography Roll2Roll technologies - from Lab2Fab - Thomas Kolbusch, Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH

• Background on the new seamless polymer sleeve technology

• Overview on the equipment layouts

• Product samples and surfaces which can be reached with Coatema Temicoat Technology

4.5 Flexible Polyimide as a Device Substrate Temporarily Bonded to Round Silicon Carriers Allowing Processing in Standard Rigid Semiconductor Equipment - Emmett Howard, Flexible Electronics and Display Center of Arizona State University

This presentation details how to Bond Polyimide to silicon wafers to form a temporarily rigid substrate to enable fabrication of flexible electronic devices using conventional silicon wafer semiconductor equipment. We will share details on controlling the polyimide adhesion strength to a variable value. We present data which shows our materials and methods produce low bow/warp allowing for robust quality control of Critical Dimensions (CD’s) and Layer to Layer Alignment, key requirements for fabrication of semiconductor arrays used for Displays and Sensors. We also present the de-bonding of the flexible polyimide substrate with devices present using a low cost method which does not require the use of Chemicals, UV, EPLaR, Heat, or Release Layers. The de-bond process does not damage the flexible polyimide or devices. No debris are generated resulting in no post de-bond cleaning required.

SESSION 5: FHE MANUFACTURING METHODS I Chair: Bob Reuss

5.1 NextFlex Roadmap for a Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Ecosystem - Benjamin Leever, Air Force Research Laboratory

In August 2015, the Department of Defense announced a $171M initiative to establish a Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Manufacturing Innovation Institute, subsequently named NextFlex, based in San Jose, CA. The mission of NextFlex is to catalyze a domestic manufacturing ecosystem in FHE, with an initial focus in human performance monitoring/wearable medical devices, asset monitoring/Internet of Things, flexible array antennas, and soft robotics. This presentation will provide a high-level overview of the NextFlex roadmaps for its Manufacturing Thrust Areas and Technology Platform Demonstrators, which serve as the basis for our investment strategy. The presentation will also describe the process by which approximately 200 subject matter experts have worked together in 9 technical working groups over the last 18 months to build the roadmaps. Finally, we will briefly describe a few of the NextFlex projects currently underway to address the manufacturing and technology gaps identified through this process.

5.2 Additive Manufacturing Equipment for Flexible Hybrid Electronics - Peter Hessney, Sensor Films Inc.

The presentation will review advances in materials and processes that are being developed for a government sponsored program to design prototyping and production equipment capable of meeting the demands of diverse applications in flexible hybrid electronics. The latest developments in creating an integrated manufacturing line for high-throughput, in-line materials deposition and pick-and-place techniques will be described. The digital deposition of conductive and dielectric materials to produce circuits that are then populated with discrete electronic components and converted to encapsulated finished articles will be described. The material sets and system design rules established to produce end-user prototypes will be reviewed based on selected inks and substrates.

The capability to mass produce flexible electronic components at very low cost is enabling business cases for the production of a myriad of new devices. The digital process advantages and system performance specifications appeals to electronic system manufacturers and other end-users seeking more efficient alternatives to screen or pad printing processes. Disposable wearable biosensors for human health monitoring, human-machine interfaces for consumer appliances and industrial equipment, and moldable, lightweight components for automotive and aerospace electronic assemblies are examples of applications under development.

5.3 Bridging the Interconnect Gap in Flexible Hybrid Electronics - Val Marinov, Uniqarta, Inc.

Methods for packaging ultra-thin, flexible ICs for Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) applications are not commercially available today as the methods used for the conventional ICs are not always directly applicable. Fundamental decisions in the packaging process are re-evaluated, starting with the principal question of how to address the widening interconnect gap between the ICs and the flexible circuit boards while maintaining flexibility and performance, especially, when the FHE systems are assembled on low-resolution, low-cost printed substrates. With conventional electronics, this gap is bridged by using rigid silicon, glass, or organic interposers. The FHE community needs to develop its own FHE-friendly interposer systems and flexible IC packaging platforms based on such interposers. For the first time, Uniqarta presents ChipStampTM, a flexible IC package. ChipStamp is a technical breakthrough that paves the way for the creation of an entirely new class of flexible and even stretchable IC packages designed for FHE applications.

ABSTRACTS

5.4 FlexTrateTM Characterization - Tak Fukushima, University of California, Los Angeles

We have adapted Fan-Out Wafer-Level Packaging (FOWLP) to integrate a heterogeneous set of small and thin dielets on a biocompatible flexible substrate we call FlexTrateTM. This technology allows to embed multiple dies (~625) and interconnect them at pitches below 10 μm. No wire bonding and solder bumping are required to integrate this flexible system consisting of the semi-rigid inorganic dielets and flexible polymeric substrates. The FOWLP is scalable, and high-performance inorganic semiconductor devices can be integrated onto flexible substrates without the use of organic semiconductor materials and printed wiring processes. In this work, we characterize the FlexTrateTM having high-density interconnects from the point of view of process integration and electrical properties as well as mechanical reliability/biocompatibility. Here, we employ a stretchable PDMS having low Young’s modulus and low-temperature curing properties. The extreme flexibility of FlexTrateTM with 100-μm-thick Si dielets are evaluated not only for wearable use but also implantable applications.

5.5 New Silicon Frontiers: Physically Flexible System-on-Chip - Richard Chaney, American Semiconductor, Inc.

Ideally, integrated circuits (ICs) should be as flexible as printed substrates for optimum FHE systems. Silicon-on-Polymer (SoP) technology has demonstrated fully flexible ICs that bend like a sheet of paper. American Semiconductor, working with AFRL, is addressing the necessary reliability characterization for implementation of SoP ICs for fully flexible FHE systems.

This paper describes the next major breakthrough that builds on the new SoP technology and will create the primary building block missing today for viable flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) applications – a high-performance, industry standard System-on-Chip (SoC). Requirements for FHE technology include things such as sensors integrated for human performance augmentation, smart labels for asset tracking/monitoring and surveillance, structural performance monitoring, low mass electronics for smart munitions and surface appliqués for next generation UAV manufacturing.

Although several basic ICs have been demonstrated in SoP, an advanced MCU is not currently available. This paper introduces a flexible “Swiss army knife” flexible SoC which utilizes SoP technology to meet the broad needs of NextFlex, AFRL’s Integrated Direct Write Electronics, and Nano-Bio Manufacturing Consortium (NBMC) programs for flexible processing. The device will include a low power MCU core, non-volatile memory, analog-to-digital converter, configurable OPAMPs, capacitive sense module, and will be approximately 1 mil (~25um) in total thickness and capable of conformal/dynamically flexible applications to less than a 5 mm radius of curvature.

This presentation will describe an overview of the FleX-SoC, provide updated test and reliability data, and discuss advanced integration methods.

SESSION 6: STANDARDS & RELIABILITY - Sponsored by MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions Chair: Neil Bolding

6.1 Recent developments in IPC Printed Electronics Standards - Neil Bolding, MacDermid Enthone Industrial Solutions

IPC activities on printed electronics standards will be reviewed covering IPC’s latest design guides, material and test method publications. The latest advances in 3D printing, etextile and conductive fabrics standards will also be reviewed.

6.2 Overview of IEC Activities Related to FHE, including IEC TC 110 and TC 119 - Kei Hyodo, Konica Minolta

I would like to introduce you what kind of activities we, IEC, International Electrotechnical Commission, in Flexible and Hybrid electronics field. We, IEC, have TC(Technical Committee) 110, Electronic Display Device, and TC 119, Printed Electronics. Those TCs are working very hard to have International Standards in FHE field. They already have many standards related to FHE. Through my presentation, I would like to explain what we, IEC, have, what we are doing and where we are going to go.

6.3 Advances in Flexible Hybrid Electronics Reliability - Douglas Hackler, American Semiconductor, Inc.

Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) reliability testing is a new field. American Semiconductor has been working with AFRL to address practical reliability standards and test methodologies for FHE systems.

Rather than try to develop new test methodologies and standards from scratch, we have drawn from other, related industries where applicable. We have completed extensive research of the smart card industry, semiconductor industry, and U.S. military to identify a variety of relevant test standards and procedures that can be used as guidance for forming FHE test methods. This list includes, but is not limited to:

• JESD22-A110E (HAST)

• JESD220A102E (Accelerated Moisture Resistance)

• JESD22-A108D (Temperature Bias and Operating Life)

• ISO/IEC 7810 (Identification cards – Physical characteristics)

• ISO/IEC 7816-1 (Identification cards – integrated circuit cards)

• ISO/IEC 10373-1 (Identification cards – Test methods)

• IPC-TM-650 (Flexural fatigue life for a given bend radius)

• ASTM D522/D522M (Mandrel Bend Test of Attached Organic Coatings)

• MIL-STE-883K 1010.9 (Temperature Cycling) • MIL-STD-883K 2018.6 (SEM Inspections)

This project included a review of over 30 relevant standards, procedures, and specifications for FleX FHE reliability assessment. A prioritization and down selection from this review resulted in identification of seven relevant test procedures for this initial reliability investigation.

This presentation will provide an overview of FHE reliability testing and methods. More importantly we will present results of FHE reliability tests to provide systems designers a baseline of current FHE capability.

6.4 Accurate Testing of Flexible Hybrid Electronics Using Tension-Free Systems - Naotsugu Ando, YUASA SYSTEM

Flexible devices are coming. Early failures could be disastrous for a new product. It is imperative that the devices withstand the mechanical stresses induced by their use, i.e., being worn on a human body, vehicle displays, bendable components. etc. Various mechanical stresses (bending, torsion, tension, compression, folding, etc.) will occur on wearable devices because of complex human movement. We have to isolate these stresses to study about each stresses with endurance testing systems. We have found that tension-free testing is an excellent way to get consistent results. Some developers are thinking that endurance testing will be at the end of the development process, but the winners will be conducting their endurance tests in the early stages of development so that durability is designed into the product.


SESSION 7: FPE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES Chair: Yu Xia

7.1 Printed Electronics at CDT - Miguel Carrasco-Orozco, Cambridge Display Technology Ltd

The field of printable electronics is enabling a large range of electronic components to be made from solution based materials and printing methods, thus allowing for flexibility in design, functionality, form factor and the scaling of their respective application. CDT continues to pursue and develop a wide range of these applications including flexible displays, OLED lighting, photodetectors, gas- and biosensors and energy harvesting and storage.

In this talk we will give a general overview of the status of our technologies. We will give special emphasis to our flexible OLED display, energy harvesting and storage solutions. Recent advances in our printed flexible OLED technology has enabled a lower voltage platform (5V) without requiring a low work-function cathode. We have also developed the processes to be compatible with short TACT times. These RGBW devices have lifetimes in excess of 2000 hrs, and we have demonstrated a shelf life greater than 5 years with a low cost lamination encapsulation solution. Additionally, the potential for such devices in consumer products such as white goods, have been confirmed by increasing the print area and integrating the flexible OLEDs with NFC and touch technologies.

The work on energy solutions is motivated by the ever increasing demand for thin and flexible energy harvesting and storage devices which in turn is fuelled by the need to power the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and the emerging field of wearable electronic devices. We will present our roadmaps and recent advances in printable thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and energy storage (ES) devices. More specifically, in terms of printable TEGs, our technology offers inherently good process-ability, low toxicity and suitability for printing techniques required for mass manufacture. We will discuss recent progress on device development and the n-type thermoelectric materials that have has thus-far remained a challenge. We will also show progress in tuneable hybrid ES devices that combine supercapacitor with battery properties on a non-toxic and heavy metal-free materials platform that can be processed from solution to enable facile integration with other devices. Specifically we will report that by using non-aqueous electrolytes, we have demonstrated tuneable voltages in the range of 2-3V.

7.2 Growth of New Printed Intelligence Driven Industry and Products - Harri Kopola, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd

Co-Authors: Harri Kopola, Jukka Hast, Ilkka Kaisto, Antti Kemppainen, Ralph Liedert and Kari Rönkä VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd The emerging activity in digitalisation of industries and IoT world new hardware needs have been accelerating industrialisation initiatives of large area electronics. Flexible printed hybrid electronics technologies are of emerging interest for new added value products and solutions for example in automotive, wearables & wellness and smart buildings . VTT has upgraded PrintoCent Pilot Factory covering full and seamless Roll-to-Roll printing, hybrid integration and overmolding manufacturing capability. PrintoCent ecosystem companies have made investments in industrial manufacturing capacity driving Injection molded structural electronics and flexible LED foil technology commercialisation and integration to new applications. European Commission is investing in two big Pilot line projects supporting key European Research Institutes to combine manufacturing capabilities for open access flexible OLED Pilot Line service and Hybrid printed electronics pilot line service. These initiatives are enabling accelerated growth of new industry and intake of these emerging technologies for the benefit of added value products. Examples of pilot manufactured technology and product demonstrators are shown.

7.3 Tools and Technology for Flexibel Hybrid Electronics - Marcel Grooten, DoMicro BV

DoMicro BV is a startup company providing a state of the art integrated manufacturing solution for hybrid and printed electronics. A multifunctional and fully automated toolset enables flexible manufacturing and versatile processing of any kind of electronic structure or hybrid product. Within this toolset inkjet printing is key and instrumental in processing multi materials, flexible substrates, parts and 3D-components. Inkjet printing addresses only local areas or spots where traditionally whole substrates are coated by spin coaters or deposition chambers requiring further removal steps to create the needed patterns. Pre-programmed routing process steps can be flexible rearranged and integrated. This enables a revolutionary new approach for low to mid volume manufacturing compared to the traditional fixed sequence and long logistic worldwide chains for high volume manufacturing of electronic products. System integration and fully automated processes and handling creates a value proposition for versatile hybrid and printed electronic products reducing time to market. DoMicro can optimize processes, recipes and move R&D effort swift and seamlessly into ramp up mode for volumes. This new and smart manufacturing principle will be presented and discussed.

7.4 Prototyping of Printed TFTs on Pilot Line for Smart Surface Application - Micael Charbonneau, CEA-LITEN

This paper will introduce the methodologies and recent results developed at CEA-LITEN for the scale-up of printed TFTs circuits for flexible sensor systems. The paper will introduce the ecosystem of printed devices developed on PICTIC Pilot Line (GEN1 format) and the 4 prototyping platform set-up for TFT device optimization, circuit design, process scale-up and reliability. The papers will focus on the Process flow developed for Printed OTFTs and scale up of the technology on GEN1 format with gravure printing technics. Statistical performances of polymer based OTFT with mobility ~ 1cm‐/V/s will be presented as well as integration in multiplexing circuits and active matrix (50ppi). The downscaling strategy of printing resolution down-to 50 μm workout in collaboration with Material and Tool supplier within ATLASS- Eu Project will be also presented as well as roadmap for mobility/voltage optimization.

SESSION 8: FHE MANUFACTURING METHODS II Chair: Tolis Voutsas

8.1 Global OLED Market with Key Technologies: Solution Process OLED - Choong Hoon Yi, UBI Research

There is no doubt that OLED is the major trend in Display industry. The technology is not yet matured but, it has many advantages to dominate the market. So not just companies, but the governments also give attention to this display with massive investment.

Current OLED market has been grown up with Evaporation technology from small to large size display. However there is still some challenges to overcome for further growth. Especially, for large size display, Solution Process OLED can possibly make its milestone in the market.

8.2 Printed Hybrid Sensors for Health Monitoring - Robert Street, PARC, a Xerox Company

Printing is a rapidly developing technology for a wide variety of devices, with much of the current focus on flexible smart labels, wearables, health monitoring, sensors and displays. These applications typically require hybrid integration of several materials and components, including various types of sensor materials, printed organic thin film transistors (TFT) for logic and other circuit functions, and silicon integrated circuits (IC) for computation and wireless communications. The sensor technology, ICs and other circuit elements need to be chosen carefully to

ABSTRACTS

integrate with the TFTs and match the functional and performance requirements of the application. The talk describes recent flexible hybrid electronic prototypes developed at PARC with examples from various health monitoring sensor systems, illustrating strategies for TFT circuit and sensor design. The devices are fabricated with custom platforms having multiple printing modalities, including ink-jet, aerosol and extrusion to provide side-by-side deposition of different sensor materials covering a wide range of viscosity. Recent work on the development of organic electrochemical TFTs for biological and physiological sensing applications will also be described.

8.3 Flexible Hybrid Electronics Fabricated with High-Performance COTS ICs using RTI CircuitFilmTM Technology - Scott Goodwin, Micross Advanced Interconnect Technology

Flexible hybrid electronics is a rapidly growing field which is driven by applications such as wearable sensors and flexible displays. For flexible electronics to take full advantage of the computing power available in semiconductor circuits, the use of COTS high performance devices is of high importance. RTI CircuitFilmTM technology leverages the advanced 3D integration processes of wafer thinning, bonding, and direct interconnects to enable the embedding of thinned COTS devices into flexible substrates for advanced systems. Thinned COTS devices maintain their performance characteristics even when they are 30μm thick and highly flexible. The RTI CircuitFilmTM process incorporates standard semiconductor process technologies to provide good control of the fabrication process. A demonstration system was fabricated and tested at the Micross Advanced Interconnect Technology facility using the RTI CircuitFilmTM technology. Results will be presented of this proof-of-concept demonstration, and potential applications of the RTI CircuitFilmTM technology presented.

8.4 Advancements in the Manufacture of Sensor Systems for Biomarker Monitoring - Rob Irwin, Molex, LLC

There is enormous interest in the development of wearable electronic devices and, in particular, products that can go beyond measuring biometric parameters to measuring biomarkers in bodily fluids. Achieving accurate, consistent and noninvasive measurement of biomarkers is a huge challenge and the industry is still in the early stages of product development. To realize commercial success, cost effective means of manufacturing these sensor systems must be developed while at the same time improving performance, especially as it relates to form factor. Molex has recently completed an initial project with the long term goal of creating a sensor platform capable of measuring lactate in sweat. Lactate is a potentially important biomarker as it can indicate the onset of fatigue or dehydration in individuals. The lactate sensor was based on functionalized carbon nanotubes to provide selectivity and sensitivity in a complex fluid. The construction of the device took advantage of recent developments in the fabrication of thin, flexible silicon die and compatible integration methods. This talk will focus on the manufacturing aspects of the device and provide insight into the current state of manufacturing readiness.

SESSION 9: CONDUCTORS I Chair: Bob Praino

9.1 Possibilities and Limitations of Stretchable Electronics on TPU - Milan Saalmink, TNO/Holst Centre

Stretchable electronics have gained much interest in the industrial and academic world. Recent developments provide routes to integrate stretchable electronics on textiles and thermoplastic materials allowing applications in fabric, clothing and medical applications. Thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) is a suitable, stretchable electronics,.substrate for its high comfort level, robustness (washability) and wide industrial applications.

9.2 Advanced Sheet-to-Sheet and Roll-to-Roll Thin-film Processing on Ultra-thin Flexible Glass for Flexible Electronic Devices - Manuela Junghähnel, Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP

Ultra-thin glass is a flexible substrate material with thicknesses less than 100 μm and offers excellent surface properties. The recent developments in the improvement of the reliability for flexible glass by the glass manufactures with possible bending radii less than 10 mm. This opens up new possibilities for flexible electronic devices with highest performance and quality. In our study, we present coating results of transparent conductive ITO films on flexible glass sheets with a size of 600 x 600 mm‐ in an in-line sheet-to-sheet magnetron sputtering process. We report about the transfer of the optimized sputter process to the pilot scale roll-to-roll coater FOSA labX 330 for applying ITO thin-films on flexible glass in a roll-to-roll process. With this coating machine, we are able to achieve excellent ITO thin-films on rolls with a maximum length of 100 m, glass widths of 300 mm under pilot-scale conditions, with sheet resistances in the range of 10 Ω. This is an important progress for thin-film processing on flexible glass in high-volume manufacturing processes. Beside the technological challenges on the sheet-to-sheet and the roll-to-roll processing, we investigated the dependency of the bending radius and the fracture stress of the substrate-coating compound from the applied sputtering process parameter.

9.3 Biodegradable conductors on biodegradable polymer foils - Michael Hoffmann, Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP

For various types of applications, flexible electronics devices are desirable which need to operate only a few days and decompose afterwards. As substrate material for such devices, polylactic acid (PLA) is a common choice since it is clinically approved for absorbable implants and it is established as being biodegradable according to EN 13432. As conductor material, magnesium also is a well-established material for absorbable implants.

We show how conductive tracks of magnesium can be produced by vacuum thermal evaporation onto PLA foils. A direct deposition onto pristine PLA foils does not yield metallic films. A planar layer of Mg can be achieved by pretreatments like outgassing, high energy plasma or seed layers. The production of narrow structures requires a combination of methods. In this way, we are able to produce conductive tracks of 120 μm nominal width a resistance comparable to planar Mg layers on glass.

9.4 Controllable Fabrication of Transparent Touch Sensitive Device via Inkjet-Printing Polydopamine Nanoparticles on Flexible Substrate with Tunable Wetting Properties - Liang Liu, Binghamton University

We report an inkjet-printing technique for the fabrication of highly resolved polydopamine (PDA) nanoparticle line arrays (NPLAs) with controllable line-to-line spacing via convective particle self-assembly on engineered substrate surfaces. The produced patterns can achieve minimum line width of 5μm and tunable line-to-line spacing ranging from 60 to 400μm. Conversion of the NPLAs into electrically conductive micro-wire arrays was achieved by a subsequent electroless metallization process, and a transparent capacitive touch sensing device based on the micro-wires was demonstrated. A theoretical model was also developed for investigating the growth mechanism of the NPLAs, and exhibited reasonably good agreement with our experimental observations. This model facilitates the oriented fabrication of micro-wire arrays for practical applications. This technique offers the advantages of low-cost and process versatility, and has been demonstrated to be compatible with the additive manufacturing of flexible electronics.


SESSION 10: FPE APPLICATIONS Chair: Kei Hyodo

10.1 Printed Electronics: Success Stories and Future Commercial Applications - Guillaume Chansin, IDTechEx

Using printing technologies to manufacture flexible electronic devices is not an entirely new concept. IDTechEx analysts have been following this market for over 15 years and have found that the most successful products have often been very simple. However, as materials and manufacturing equipment reach higher levels of performance, we can expect new applications to come to market (in sensors and displays for instance). The analysis predicts that fully printed sensors will reach $7.6bn revenues by 2027.

10.2 All-Printing Process for Stretchable LED Matrix Display - Shu-Hao Chang, AUO

In this work, we present the all-screen printing process to prepare stretchable light emitting diodes (LED) matrix sheet. Silver conductive circuits and insulators were layer-by-layer printed on the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Plasma pre-treatment for PDMS played a critical factor due to its natural hydrophobic properties. After the surface modification, the water contact angle of PDMS was obviously decreased. As a result, the printability and the adhesion of ink based circuits were significantly improved. The LED was well attached to the printed circuit by using the commercial soldering paste. To consolidate the LED matrix, the whole film was encapsulated with gel-typed PDMS. Integration with Arduino microcontroller, LED matrix was functioned to show the scrolling text and combined with clothing for wearable applications. This technique is expecting to be applied to variety of stretchable electronics, such as sensing device or health-care applications.

10.3 eWriters and the Leap to Commercialization in Flexible Electronic Components - Erica Montbach, Kent Displays

The flexible, roll-to-roll manufactured liquid crystal film in the Boogie Board® eWriter device started with a technological breakthrough leading to the entire company’s evolution; from being research centric to becoming a manufacturing business, while concurrently creating the novel eWriter market niche. The eWriter technology, based on ChLC, has inherent reflective color, bistablity, and requires no power to maintain a static image. By applying localized pressure to the eWriter with either a stylus or fingertip, a bright line is written on the dark background of the display. The immediate writing response time, natural writing feel – similar to pen on paper, and smear free palm rejection make this an excellent device for written notes. Recent technological advancements will be presented, including translucent colored back substrates, multiple color eWriters, large format eWriters, and partial erase of eWriters. This will include results for optical properties, electrical properties, mechanical writing performance, and environmental performance.

10.4 Integration and Scalable Manufacturing of Printed Microfluidic Devices - Jeffrey Morse, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Advances in microfluidics technology have the potential for revolutionizing bio-analytical procedures, with example applications including enzymatic analysis, DNA analysis, and proteomics. Emerging applications include point-of-care diagnosis of diseases, along with wearable and point-of-care (POC) health status and performance assessment. While microfluidics incorporate specific fluidic architectures at the micro/nanoscale to achieve sample acquisition, prep, and delivery functions, broader system functionality is managed through the integration of multiple subsystem components including valve and pumping mechanisms, flow metering, and analyte detection. For single use wearable or disposable medical devices, microfluidic analytical systems fabricated by scalable print and roll-to-roll manufacturing processes offer a compelling approach to integrate the required

system functionality, control, and intelligence via low-cost, high throughput, industry relevant process platforms. We will describe substrate, materials, processes, and scalable production platforms suitable for the integration of multifunctional microfluidic devices and systems suitable for wearable and POC device configurations.

SESSION 11: FHE APPLICATIONS I Chair: Mark Poliks

11.2 Scalable Sensor Fusion Platform for Multi-Modal Human-Machine Interface Applications - Albert Lu, Interlink Electronics Inc.

Proliferation of products and applications in the Internet of Things (IoT) landscape is driving the need for advanced device and system technologies including sensors, actuators, mixed-signal data acquisition, digital signal processing, wireless connectivity, data analytics and visualization. This presentation describes a novel scalable sensor fusion platform architecture that integrates flexible hybrid / printed electronics based devices, MEMS devices and silicon electronics. The presentation will conclude with a demonstration of a wearable implementation of the sensor fusion platform that provides multi-parameter motion sensing and augmented reality visualization.

11.3 RFID Technology Transitional Tipping Point - Raymond C. Wiley, Sun-Tec America, LLC

The RFID and sensor marriage is a long standing union, however the face of both technologies has changed from where it began to where it is now. The emergence of Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) using printing and conductive inks as an enabling technology component has created a second transitional tipping point for applications using RFID technology. Changes in the overall cost models for RFID applications have opened new markets and created revenue streams from application that were not believed possible before. The presentation will assess the impact that FHE has had on RFID technology, the changes required in manufacturing as a result of using FHE’s, and will conclude with lamination equipment solutions to meet these new processing challenges.

11.4 Physically Flexible Smart Asset Monitor and Tracking Tag - Richard Ellinger, American Semiconductor, Inc.

Environmental exposure monitoring, especially temperature, is crucial for assessing and maintaining viability of high-value items including pharmaceuticals, life science materials, industrial supplies and food during shipment and storage. American Semiconductor is working under a NextFlex program to deliver low profile, physically flexible Smart-Tags capable of automatically logging environmental data and wirelessly transmitting the data using an industry-standard RFID protocol. This low-cost flexible hybrid electronics system will include a flexible antenna, battery, complex integrated circuit and wireless communications. The Smart-Tag will be supported by a full product infrastructure of readers, documentation, test data, volume manufacturing flows and a clear commercialization path. The Smart-Tag is also planned as a platform to enable future integration of more complex flexible integrated circuits and additional sensors to create high-value asset monitoring. PakSense (an Emerson Company and industry leader in intelligent sensing products specifically designed to monitor perishable goods) will perform field-testing and participate in defining commercial goals. In addition, Boise State University will provide workforce development, education and training for FHE design and manufacturing.

SESSION 12: CONDUCTORS II Chair: Emmett Howard

12.1 Advancements in Printing nano Copper and Using Existing

ABSTRACTS

Copper Based Manufacturing Processes - Michael Carmody, Intrinsiq Materials

Until now, much of the driving force for using nano copper inks and pastes in flexible and hybrid electronics applications has been the cost benefits of copper compared to other noble metals. In the course of developing copper inks and pastes for real world applications, we have found that the ability of printed copper to be soldered to and used as the core conductive material that matches existing worldwide copper back-end processing providing further manufacturing benefits beyond the lower cost of copper. In this presentation, we will show that nano copper inks and pastes can be applied to low temperature and flexible plastic substrates by a variety of deposition methods including inkjet printing, screen printing, slot die coating, aerosol jetting, ultrasonic spraying, and pneumatic pumping. A variety of sintering techniques appropriate to particular substrates has been used to create final highly conductive copper conductors. We will show how existing, worldwide, manufacturing back-end processes such as masking, plating, etching, soldering and pick & place can be used to create printed interconnected components for real world production applications.

12.2 Advanced Conductive Films by Dielectrophoretic Alignment of Particles - Henrik Hemmen, CondAlign

CondAlign AS is a technology development company located in Oslo, Norway. CondAlign develops a unique technology where an electric field is applied to polymer matrices to manipulate and align particles. The particles align due to dielectrophoresis and induced dipole-dipole interactions, allowing a wide range of particles and matrices to be used. After alignment, the viscous polymer-particle structures are fixated by curing the matrix.

Applications for the technology includes electrically and thermally conductive films, where the particle alignment permits a dramatic reduction of particle content, improved performance or added functionality. Without alignment, these materials are typically particle rich systems with concentrations above the percolation threshold.

The process is demonstrated and ready for scale up. The first commercial product will be biomedical electrodes, with expected market entry in 2017. For thermal applications, we have demonstrated over 100% improved thermal conductivity, compared with non-aligned samples.

At FLEX2017, Condalign will explain the basic principles of its technology and present a couple of applications under development.

12.3 Direct Metallization Polyimide - Scott Trevino, PalPilot International

Component CSP/WLP pitches continue to reduce from 400um to 200um driven by miniaturization demand of the IoT and hand held device markets. Routing requirements are reducing line & space characteristics to less than 25um (1 mil) while lower PCB cost trends are still expected. Based on the reel to reel low cost processes, flex PCB structures are well position to support future high density solutions if the flex laminate solutions can support stable, ultra-thin Cu foil structures with superior peel strength characteristics. PMR Co., LTD & PalPilot are introducing a new polyimide laminate technology “Direct Metallization on Polyimide” which enables Cu foil thickness of 2um (and less) while maintaining superior peel strength characteristics required by fabricator of semi-additive processing. The ability to improved peel strength characteristic while maintaining low cost, is based on a new laminate system infused with saline dispersed particles which creates a nano-anchoring system. In addition to fine line & space characteristics, this unique nano-anchoring technology easily enables different polyimide laminate possibilities including, lower Dk/Df systems, black (or opaque) polyimide laminates options with improved electrical characteristics.

SESSION 13: SUBSTRATES Chair: Mark Poliks

13.1 Flexible Sintered Roll Format Ceramic for Electronic Applications - John Olenick, ENrG Incorporated

Flexible electronics require better durability and reliability for improved lifetimes, under extreme conditions during manufacturing, or in operation. ENrG’s Thin E-Strate®, a lightweight, thin ceramic is an ultra-barrier for protecting moisture and air sensitive films, yet offers design opportunities as a support for flexible devices / circuits. In 2015, ENrG Incorporated initiated a roll-to-roll (R2R) flexible ceramic development for its Thin E-Strate® product to address a variety of electronic market applications. The path to R2R first required production scaling the ceramic to half its thickness - reaching 20 microns - and the development of both sheet and R2R laser cut processing of multiup imaged circuits. For the target product market opportunities of solid-state batteries, LED packaging, SOFCs, and OLEDs, a R2R ceramic would be revolutionary by offering high temperature capable benefits for continuous coating processing and for flexibility in final products. This presentation describes the results of FlexTech Alliance funded projects enabling ENrG to reduce the thickness of Thin E-Strate® to ≤ 20μm, demonstrate laser cutting smaller substrates from larger ceramic sheets and from ceramic ribbons of varying widths from 11-35mm, and illustrate product demonstrations including solid-state batteries, flip-chipped LED flex circuit, OLEDs, sensors and flexible printed conductors.

13.2 Research and Testing of Electronic Materials Made with a Novel Non-Silicone Stretchable Thermosetting Polymer - Tomoaki Sawada, Panasonic Automotive and Industrial Systems

Researchers from Panasonic Electronic Materials are developing a unique and proprietary non-silicone thermosetting stretchable polymer technology which addresses many of the challenges associated with current material sets used for making stretchable electronics. Films made from this polymer exhibit excellent elongation properties and can be repeatedly stretched up to 170 %, with practically no permanent deformation (hysteresis.) This films also have a high degree of temperature resistance and do not degrade even after immersion in liquid solder at 260°C. Encapsulated constructions have been made by laminating b-staged film over circuits, components and other features. Given the combination of temperature resistance and high surface energy, it may be possible to metalize the surface of film with copper patterns and mount components using conventional reflow soldering materials and processes. This paper provides details on the technology development and applications research being conducted with this new polymer.

13.3 Novel Polysulfide Substrates for Manufacturing Flex Displays and Flex Electronics - Tolis Voutsas, Ares Materials

Ares Materials has developed a novel polysulfide-based flexible substrate (Pylux™) for the manufacturing of flexible electronics (including displays, sensors, etc.). Our polymer resin can be die-coated or spin-casted at the target thickness and then UV-cured to form a solid film. The combination of our superior optical, mechanical, chemical, and thermal properties can provide solutions for various layers, common in displays (or other electronic systems), including TFT substrate, Color Filter substrate, Touch Sensor substrate, Cover Lens, and OCA. Ares has developed mature Sheet-to-Sheet process technology and has on-going development for qualifying a Roll-to-Roll process for Pylux™. We are currently working with various partners to test and optimize our material for several display and non-display applications, some of which will be presented and discussed in this talk.


13.4 Plastic Film for Flat and Curved Display Surfaces - Shintaro Ozaki, Rikentechnos

The characteristic of Japanese hard coated transparent plastic film “Repty DC100” will be demonstrated and benefits highlighted. It has “9H” pencil hardness surface as well as good scratch resistance. Custom surface coating such as anti-glare and anti-fingerprints functions are available. Its backside can be printed and decorated for display cover lenses. It is bendable and Roll-to-roll processing is OK.

SESSION 14: FHE APPLICATIONS II Chair: Ahmed Busnaina

14.1 Flexible Near Field Communication Sensor Labels Built on a Printed Dopant Polysilicon TFT Platform - Soumiya Krishnamoorthy, Thin Film Electronics

Thin, highly flexible Near Field Communication (NFC) wireless sensor labels, that sense temperature, humidity and light, are demonstrated with 3 bit resolution. At the heart of the system is an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that communicates through an NFC RF interface for readout through an Android based mobile device. ThinFilm’s printed dopant poly-Silicon (PDPS) thin film transistor (TFT) technology was used and the dies were fabricated on a stainless steel substrate. Measurement results demonstrating the feasibility of the architecture are presented. This paves the way for low cost, robust, disposable wireless electronics that power the Internet of Everything. This work was enabled by a grant from Flextech for a project led by ThinFilm Electronics titled “Flexible, Dual Use, Active Sensor Labels”.

14.2 Thermistor Arrays for Asset Monitoring - Austin Shearin, Brewer Science

Brewer Science’s asset monitoring systems use a derivative sensing technique with an array of flexible printed thermistors to identify the warning signs of an asset failure event and alarm the user to act accordingly. Failure events can be defined as events that shut down tools, damage equipment, or cause loss of chemical product.

Brewer Science’s thermistors have less than 250 ms response time. This allows us to go beyond providing simple temperature measurements. We are able to rapidly characterize the changes in the environment by calculating the derivative of the signal in real time.

Brewer Science has demonstrated this monitoring system to improve the safety of lithium polymer batteries, as they have been known to catch fire during use. Batteries degrade due to a number of causes that can be difficult to predict. As a battery ages, its internal resistance rises, increasing the likelihood of triggering a runaway exothermic reaction. However, even a brand new battery can become dangerous due to improper use or manufacturing defects. By measuring the battery’s surface temperature we can track the health of a battery and predict the occurrence of a thermal runaway event and advise the user before the battery self-destructs.

This talk will discuss the processing methods that allow Brewer Science to create flexible temperature sensors for monitoring multi-dimensional systems, the mechanisms used to characterize the environments, and discuss the many applications of derivative sensing for asset monitoring.”

14.3 Flexible Temperature and Humidity Sensor Patch - Abhilash Iyer, Saape Designs

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a seamless and transparent integration of electronics for gathering data from our daily life. Among the plethora of applications enabled by the IoT, seamlessly monitoring temperature and humidity data has been one of the most important for areas like health care and industrial IoT. This paper details the development of a flexible multi-sensor unit which consists of a flexible temperature and humidity sensor patch of

size (6cm x 4cm x 0.5mm), ultra-thin flexible lithium polymer battery, the necessary firmware to communicate the sensor data to a cloud data services through a nearby access point using the wireless communication technology like Wi-Fi. The temperature and humidity sensor patch is basically a flexible hybrid electronic circuit which is developed on a Kapton polyimide substrate that has an ability to perform remote sensing and as well as transmit the data to a cloud service. The firmware inside the sensor patch is developed to support ultra-low power consumption from the selected flexible battery to deliver long hours of performance. The transmitted data is stored in a secured private server and can be used to extract meaningful insights from the raw sensor data by implementing the necessary machine learning algorithms on top of the data ingestion layer in the software. This patch has potential applications in the smart connected health care industry and industrial IoT. In this paper, we would also describe the complete manufacturing process of the sensor patch.

14.4 E-textiles: Show Me the Money! - James Hayward, IDTechExElectronic textiles (e-textile) have risen from the research labs into real commercial markets over the last 15 years. With investment pouring in from industry globally, key players are positioning themselves to make the most of this growing market. The result is a market with increasing diversity and significant uncertainty, with winners yet to emerge. In this presentation, IDTechEx will describe the current e-textiles landscape, spanning the entire value chain from materials through to end products. In total, IDTechEx have profiled the activities of over 110 companies and counting within this space. In this presentation, IDTechEx will describe the key trends that are driving this industry, provide case studies for the most interesting examples, and will present 10-year market forecasts describing varied growth across a series of key markets.

SESSION 15: INLINE INSPECTION Chair: Stephen Farias

15.1 In Situ Materials Characterization - Bryan Barney, NVision Instruments Inc

This paper will describe the method of characterization of optical thin films during the deposition process that allows the coating engineer to understand and adjust the properties of optical films during deposition. A test case set up will be used to describe the method whilst characterizing the effect of a specific film during deposition and the resultant exposure to atmosphere.

15.2 In-Situ Defect Detection: Practical Considerations and Results - Tim Potts, Dark Field Technologies, Inc.

The need to inspect films and glass, during deposition, is crucial. Barrier films and other high-value films for flexible electronics and displays must be contaminant free, and in-situ inspection for defects of 1μm and larger is required in real time. Currently, deposition is performed “blind” – there is no feedback for contamination or defect detection until after the roll or sheet has been produced. Off-line inspection means rewinding and handling – adding to the cost and the risk of creating more defects. In-situ inspection must contend with many challenges including vacuum conditions inside the chamber, space constraints, alignment challenges and other factors. A special high-resolution Solid State Laser Reflection (SSLR) design has been completed and proven for in-situ inspection at resolutions to 1.5μm. All active modules are located outside the chamber. This self-aligning system delivers RTR or sheet-based inspection inside the chamber, in transmission, reflection or both. System theory will be explained, application examples will be given and practical/critical installation considerations will be presented.

15.3 High-speed, high resolution 3D metrology for improved process control of flexible electronic substrate production - Erik Novak, 4D Technology

ABSTRACTS

To improve profitability and market size of flexible electronic offerings, critical features that can affect performance must be monitored, including surface roughness, defect density, defect size and slope. Ideally, in-situ metrology can be employed in roll-to-roll equipment to allow real-time process control of these key parameters. Barrier film permeability, circuit performance, and overall yield may all be better controlled via real-time measurements from within the roll-to-roll processing equipment. This paper will present a compact, low-cost, large-field 3D metrology module for in-situ measurements with sub-nanometer vertical resolution and micrometer-scale lateral resolution for accurate roughness and defect height determination. A variety of samples were measured at various transverse locations across meters of length. Large sampling size reveal variations in process both in the machine direction and transverse direction. Also, fine-scale differences in surface quality were seen in real-time as process parameters change.

15.4 Introduction to new high-resolution 3D Line Confocal Imaging technology and its potential uses in automated three-dimensional conductor trace profile, surface roughness and ink thickness measurement applications - Juha Saily, FocalSpec, Inc.

This paper introduces FocalSpec’s recently patented optical Line Confocal Imaging (LCI) technology that was developed to measure 3D features of various surface and material types at sub-micron resolution. LCI enables automatic microtopographic scanning of challenging objects that are difficult or impossible to measure with traditional methods. Examples of such products include glossy and mirror-like metal surfaces and transparent polymer films and sheets. LCI can be used to measure fast-moving surfaces in real-time as well as stationary product samples in laboratory. Operational principle of the LCI method and its strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Three potential applications for LCI sensors on flexible and printed electronics products are examined: 1. 3D conductor trace width and cross sectional trace profile measurement. 2. Surface roughness measurement for monitoring Ra/Rz value of copper surfaces. 3. Ink thickness measurement in printed electronics applications.

15.5 Metrology Tools for Flexible Electronics and Display Substrate - Min Yang, Bruker Nano Surfaces

This paper will discuss about metrology tools that could be used to characterize the critical dimensions of various features, surface morphologies and defects on flexible electronic circuits and display substrates. Different tools will be compared for various applications. Automatic classification and/or binning techniques will be explored.

SESSION 16: ENCAPSULATION & COATING - Sponsored by Sartomer Americas Chair: Chris Orilall

16.1 From flexible towards foldable thin film encapsulation for air stable OLED devices - Pavel Kudlacek, Holst Centre

At Holst Centre, a thin film encapsulation for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) was developed comprising two amorphous hydrogenated silicon nitride layers (SiN) with a relatively thick organic coating for planarization (OCP) in between the SiN layers. This thin film encapsulation can prevent moisture related degradation of OLEDs for >2500h at accelerated climate conditions (60C, 90% rel. hum.) and was successfully transferred to Philips Lighting for OLED production. Similar thin film barrier can be applied on top of a plastic substrate to enable flexible OLEDs. We have realized flexible OLEDs using this approach and found that the thin film barrier protects the OLEDs for >1500h at 60C and 90% rel. hum. and the barrier remains intact even after 100 000 x rolling over 10mm radius. To advance further we

have improved the original concept and realized thin film barrier encapsulated OLEDs that are foldable down to 1mm bending radius. Our contribution will address challenges in development of the flexible and foldable transparent thin film encapsulation and moreover will give a short status of encapsulation technology at Holst Centre.

16.2 Bringing Permeation Barrier Technology to Application: From Ultra-High Barrier Films to Functional Films for Flexible Electronics - John Fahlteich, Franhofer

This paper – presenting results from the European Projects PI-SCALE and SMARTONICS – discusses roll-to-roll vacuum coating and processing of ultra-high permeation barrier films. It evaluates the influence of the machine configuration and web winding parameters as well as web substrate quality on defect and particle formation and barrier performance of oxide and nitride barrier films both during barrier coating itself and during subsequent deposition of a transparent electrode on the barrier film. Under proper processing conditions, even sputtered single layer barriers allow water vapor transmission rates in the range of 10-4 g/(m‐d) (at 38°C / 90% r.h.) in a pilot scale roll-to-roll process at 650 mm web width. Potential for improving the performance further by adding wet coated planarization layers will be discussed.

16.3 Advanced Co-Polymers as Innovative Substrates and Encapsulants for Flexible Hybrid Electronics - Chris Stoessel, Eastman Chemical Co.

The emerging field of Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) aims at combining printed electronics with higher-functionality semiconductor components in flexible, stretchable, and conformable application formats for a wide range of applications. Conventional substrate materials for FHE are largely carried over from legacy flex electronics such as RFID or flexible circuit boards, but limit FHE’s desired functionality particularly for stretchability, flexibility and conformality. Commercially mature copolymers that are used for non-FHE applications may offer such added functionality when they are considered as substrates or encapsulants for FHE. We will discuss a case scenario where an advanced co-polymer used for shrink packaging of consumer goods was the basis of an innovative solution to lightweight structural components, and will examine the necessary polymer know-how that enabled design tools such as Finite Element Modeling (FEM), structural analysis and prototyping to engineer creative new applications. The example suggests that mature advanced co-polymers exist at attractive Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) and Manufacturing Readiness Levels (TRL) that may enable desirable new functionalities for FHE, and we will propose approaches to customize, characterize, and functionally enhance such new copolymers for successful FHE integration.

16.4 Flexible Functional Devices at Mass Production Level with the FLEx R2R sALD Platform - Edward Clerkx, Meyer Burger (Netherlands) B.V.

For flexible devices and their market introduction, high deposition rates spatial atomic layer deposition (sALD) offers a unique opportunity: it combines high quality materials with competitive costs and high throughput. At Meyer Burger (Netherlands) B.V. we have paved the road to sALD mass production of flexible devices with the introduction of the FLEx R2R sALD, a fully modular platform, which integrates a sALD coating step with pre-and-post sALD steps (eg. surface treatment and activation, planarization, protective layers). The design of the R2R platform allows for a throughput of over 40 m2/hour of uniform (deviations less than 1% over 500 mm width), 20 nm AlOx coating on 125 micron PET foil, high quality moisture barriers (WVTR of 10-5g/m2/day at 20°C/50% RH). A detailed introduction of the R2R platform and the performance of our functional foils as well as a brief discussion on the scalability will be presented.


16.5 An Overview of Energy Curable Technologies - Chris Orilall, Sartomer Americas

Energy Curable Materials are at the center of many industries/ technologies, e.g., Electronics (Photoresist, Display), Additive Manufacturing, etc. Here, reactive monomers and oligomers in the liquid phase are deposited and UV energy or high energy electrons (E-beam) subsequently initiate polymerization to form a continuous coating, layer or adhesive film. The choice of starting materials provides for precise control over the properties (mechanical, chemical and optical, etc.) of the final cured material. This presentation will highlight the basics of UV chemistry, equipment and formulating strategies. Structure-property relationships of key parameters (e.g., glass transition temperature) and device performance will be demonstrated. A molecular engineering will also be emphasized: tailor-made backbone (molecular structure) and functionality of oligomers to control materials and device properties. Finally, the versatility to incorporate other components such as block copolymers, dyes, fillers and nanoparticles to produce novel organic- inorganic materials for emerging and disruptive technologies will be underlined.

SESSION 17: POWER TECHNOLOGY Chair: Bob Reuss

17.1 All Solid State, Thin Film Lithium Rechargeable Battery for Flexible Electronics - Brian Berland, ITN Energy Systems, Inc.

ITN Energy Systems and ENrG Inc. have developed and demonstrated a promising new thin, flexible solid state lithium rechargeable battery (SSLB) for flexible electronics, smart wearables, and medical devices. Combining ITN’s solid state lithium battery technology with ENrG’s ultra-thin flexible ceramic solves the capacity and packaging issues that have thus far limited the thin film battery technology to limited niche markets. With a capacity greater than 20 mAh in a thickness less than 250 microns, including hermetic packaging, the new SSLB enables energy density greater than 1,000 Wh/l while maintaining the long recognized benefits of enhanced safety and durability provided by the all solid state chemistry.

This project presents results from FlexTech Alliance funded projects enabling the demonstration of the new SSLB on 20 micron thick, flexible ceramic substrates. The new SSLB supports operation across a wide range of duty cycles including high current pulses required for many wireless, display, and medical device applications. Results are presented for the batteries performance, including environmental and safety compliance testing.

17.2 Flexible Thermoelectric Energy Harvesters with Liquid Metal Interconnects - Mehmet Ozturk, NC State University & ASSIST Engineering Research CenterIn this paper, we present recent progress on our flexible thermoelectric modules utilizing bulk thermoelectric legs and Eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) liquid metal interconnects. EGaIn provides stretchability with self-healing properties with negligible contribution to the total device resistance. This unique approach is compatible with standard rigid legs used in commercial modules thus providing a pathway to use materials of the highest quality in flexible modules. The devices can withstand thousands of bending cycles with no sign of failure or performance degradation due to stretchability and self-healing properties of the interconnects. While there are many different potential applications for such flexible modules, one key application pursued at the ASSIST Engineering Research Center is wearable electronic devices powered by the body heat. The ultimate goal is continuous long-term monitoring of human health and performance without having to recharge or replace the batteries. The proposed approach enables manufacturing of large area flexible modules with small form factors that are conformal to the skin.

17.3 Flexible and Stretchable Power Sources for Wearable Applications - Alla Zamarayeva, University of California Berkeley

Flexible and stretchable power sources are key components of wearable electronic devices that are designed as compliant systems. Developing flexible and stretchable batteries that are safe and exhibit mechanical endurance that is on par with commercial standards remains a challenge. We present a unique approach to construct intrinsically safe silver-zinc batteries with mechanically robust geometries. It relies on utilization of current collectors with enhanced mechanical design such as helical springs and serpentines as a structural support and backbone for the battery components. The batteries based on helical band springs comprised the wire-shaped batteries that are resilient to fatigue and retain specific capacity of 1.2 mAh cm-1 at 0.5C discharge over 17,000 flexure cycles at a 0.5 cm bending radius. Serpentine shaped batteries maintained their specific capacity while being stretched to varying degree and directionality. The batteries were integrated with organic photovoltaic module into wearable bracelet that could harvest and store energy ranging from microwatts to milliwatts depending on illumination. [1] 1. A. M. Zamarayeva, A. E. Ostfeld, M. Wang, J.K Duey, B. Lechene, I. L. Deckman, G, Davies , D. A. Steingart, A. C. Arias, In Review 2017

17.4 Highly Reduced Graphene Oxide for Supercapacitor by Combining UV Irradiation and Thermal Treatment - In Gyoo Kim, ETRI

A quick and simple graphene oxide (GO) reduction process that restores electrical conductivity suitable for the electrode material of the supercapacitor will be presented. A photo-reduction of GO has advantages of avoiding hazardous chemicals and achieving quick and efficient process for deoxidizing GO coated on any substrates. Furthermore, it increases specific surface area and surface roughness of GO film. But, it has a limit in reducing all parts of GO film, and especially, the bottom side of GO attached to a substrate has hardly been reduced. We suggest a combined process of the photo-reduction with a thermal reduction process to solve the problem. Structural changes as a result of the reduction processes of GO film were analyzed by FT-IR, X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and electrical conductivity measurement. The electrochemical properties of supercapacitors with GO electrodes reduced by the proposed process were measured by cyclic voltammetry.

17.5 Development of a Very Thin “Flexible” Battery and Process for Manufacturing - Jim Manning, Custom Electronics, Inc.

This challenging project required a very careful analysis and definition of requirements as well as bringing together a wide range of technical concepts and data points and then stepping back and re-defining the steps of the battery cell manufacturing process.

The first element, which was absolutely critical to the success of the project was the definition of “flexible.” By understanding the requirements and specifying them as having to bend back and forth over a 4” roll a limited number of times and tolerate gentle flexing in use (not being folded over 180 degrees), it was possible to define the required mechanical deformations.

The second element was the product analysis and conceptual development which took base knowledge of lithium ion battery cell construction and looked at questions such as “what are the necessary elements of a lithium ion cell?

However, this multifunctional component design did not lend itself to traditional lithium ion electrode manufacturing processes or cell assembly techniques. It was necessary to reach into other industries for technology to commercially apply fairly thick electrode coatings in specific patterns (screen printing or 3D printing) and an ultrasonic rotary seamer to seal the edges. It was also necessary to develop a ceramic separator to withstand the processing and bending pressures.

The thin cell contains only a single anode and cathode folded

ABSTRACTS

around it. The assembly involves a series of sequential indexed individual steps which can be implemented as a manual or easily automated assembly line type of process. While the process has not yet been automated, the project included the assembly of a manual line and demonstration of production of reproducible viable prototypes.

SESSION 18: PRINTING TECHNOLOGY-Sponsored by Chromaline Screen Print Products Chair: Dan Kamben

18.1 Advanced Flexible Substrate Technology for Improved Accuracy, Definition, and Conductivity of Screen Printed Conductors - Art Dobie, Chromaline

One of the major concerns with screen printing of low temperature curing polymer thick film (PTF) pastes onto common flexible PET substrate materials is the overwhelming spread of the paste beyond the design line width after printing. Industry observation and controlled testing have shown this spread can be as much as 80% over the circuit design’s intended line width. This issue prevents designers from increasing circuit density and/or reducing circuit real estate without incorporating other, more involved and more costly patterning methods. In many cases, flexible circuit fabricators desiring finer more accurate circuit elements may have to subcontract parts out of house in order to incorporate other patterning methods and in turn lose control of both cost and lead time to the hands of their subcontracting partners. This presentation will provide results of numerous in-house and field testing, comparing printed line width control, edge definition, and improved conductivity of printed polymer Ag conductors on different flexible PET substrates.

18.2 Reverse-offset Printing Process and Equipment for Fine Patterning and Precision Overlay - Dongwoo Kang, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials

For a decade, KIMM has carried out the researches of the reverse-offset printing and the process to print the micron-sized patterns has been well established. Nowadays, we are focusing on the overlay accuracy of the reverse-offset printing. Firstly, the parameters of process and equipment affecting the printing positions were investigated by the finite element model and the developed first prototype of the printing equipment. As a result, the printing position repeatability of sub-microns in sigma level was obtained by minimizing the effects of variations in process and equipment. Then, we started the researches that can compensate the printing positions actively to locate the patterns from the repeated positions to repeated and correct positions in our second prototype of the reverse-offset equipment. The early result of the overlay printing showed that the equipment can provide the reproducible overlay accuracy of 4.1 μm (mean+2sigma level).

18.3 Flexible and Printable Li-ion BatteriesPrintable energy storage facilitates innovation in the manufacture of flexible electronics in that it will enable direct integration of a power source into a device during the fabrication process. To enable such advancement, we demonstrate a universal approach to develop free-standing and flexible electrodes for printable, high-performance Li-ion batteries. This simple approach utilizes a well-dispersed and directly castable mixture of active material, carbon nanofibers, and polymer to make printable electrode inks. Free-standing electrodes of three common Li-ion battery active materials (Li4Ti5O12, LiFePO4, LiCoO2) are prepared, each showing excellent cyclability and rate capability. To complement this component, we demonstrate a dry phase inversion technique representing a step toward controlled, printed porosity in Li-ion battery electrolytes. Our approach utilizes a solvent/weak non-solvent system to generate porosity within a polymer matrix

and a ceramic Al2O3 filler to fine tune the pore size distribution to impart desirable tortuosity within the membrane. In other words, no additional processing steps such as coagulation baths, stretching, or etching are required for full functionality of our electrolyte, which makes it a viable candidate to enable completely additively manufactured Li-ion batteries. Compared to commercial polyolefin separators, these electrolytes demonstrate comparable high rate electrochemical performance (e.g. 5C), but possess better wetting characteristics and enhanced thermal stability. Finally, sequentially printing this electrolyte ink over a composite electrode via a direct write extrusion technique has been demonstrated while maintaining expected functionality in both layers. These ink formulations are an enabling step towards completely printed batteries and could allow direct integration of a flexible power source in restricted device areas or on non-planar surfaces.

18.4 Research on Manufacturing of Plastic Films and Filaments through Roll to Roll Processing - Reza Mahboubfar, FH Aachen University of Applied Sciences

Through ultrasonic hot embossing, a stack of several films with 50 to 300 μm thickness are usually used to imprint microstructures. In order to replace the manual steps, an automated roll-to-roll processing should be developed.

By automating the time-consuming steps such as positioning, fixing and demoulding, the ultrasonic hot embossing which previously has been used only in laboratory operation will be more profitable for mass production. In this case, films up to six feed rollers can be combined into a stack, embossed and rewound into a roll. Also the automatic embossing of microfluidic structures such as straight channels or heat exchangers with a depth up to 1 mm was investigated and minimum cycle times were determined. For the reason that temperature has a direct influence on embossing result, the temperature profile especially during the short cycle times in the ultrasonic hot embossing were examined. With an active cooling of instrument and sonotrode, short cycle times from 2 to 4 seconds can be achieved.

18.5 Innovative Roll-to Roll Equipment and Material Development Suite for Next Generation Technology from Carpe Diem Technologies and the University of Massachusetts Amherst - John Berg, Carpe Diem Technologies, Inc.

This paper presents several of the very latest developments in equipment, process, and materials resulting from the collaboration between Carpe Diem Technologies and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Tool developments to be reviewed include the commissioning of a roll-to-roll (R2R) spatial atomic layer deposition tool, a R2R nanoimprint tool capable of patterning polymer, hybrid and inorganic materials, a direct write integrated lithography and interferometry tool and a R2R inkjet printing tool with inline photonic cure. We will also describe innovative materials systems that combined with the tools offer next generation capabilities for printed functional materials and devices. These tools are part of a new, open access, large area print and roll-to-roll manufacturing demonstration facility at UMass Amherst.

SESSION 19: 3D PRINTING Chair: Mike Idacavage

19.1 Closed-Loop Template-free printing of Passive Components - Dan Berrigan, Air Force Research Laboratory

Template-free 3D printing of electronic devices by direct ink writing has the potential to broaden electronics integration to include complex integrated form factors, but success requires precise, adaptive control over materials and interfaces. An in-line metrology feedback-loop was developed to measure layer thicknesses during the build and feed-forward parameters for


automated printer adjustment. Resulting single- and double-layer high-voltage capacitors are 3D printed with capacitances as large as 322 pF (at 1 kHz) and breakdown voltages over 1,000 V. This closed-loop control scheme is a significant step towards automated, template-free, 3D printing of electronics.

19.2 3D Printing of Flexible Circuits and Sensors - Matthew Schrandt, Optomec

Printed sensors are of high-interest on 3D and flexible substrates using a variety of metal and resistive materials. Aerosol Jet® is an ideal printing tool for precision deposition of polymeric and metal inks for these sensors. It is a non-contact, high resolution printing technology that is compatible with a wide range of conductive, insulating, and resistive materials. We present the printing of robust and flexible circuits and sensors using a variety of materials including Ag, Cu, and CuNi metal inks. Through the use of laser sintering we demonstrate low-temperature sintering on a variety of substrates. We also present the functionality of strain gauge and thermocouple printed sensors in terms of robustness with flexing, thermal coefficients, resistance stability, gauge performance, and thermocouple Seebeck coefficient. Finally, we address material optimization for Aerosol Jet® 3D printing and process optimization to mitigate resistance drift and optimize flexing stability for such sensors.

19.3 Hybrid Printed Fabrication of Munitions Components & Systems - James Zunino, US Army ARDEC

Recent advances have enabled the U.S. Army to design and develop numerous new processes and applications for munitions, Soldiers and weapons systems. By combining multiple AM technologies together (i.e. Metals, Plastics, Electronics, Energetics, etc.) the DOD is able to fabricate devices and systems previously unachievable. By integrating printed electronics, energetics, and power sources into/onto 3D structures, new solutions and applications can be realized to enhance our Warfighters’ capabilities.

19.4 Aerosol-Based Process and Apparatus for Stable Production-Level Printing of Electronic Inks - Dave Keicher, Sandia National Laboratories

Sandia National Labs and IDS are collaborating to develop a production-level process and apparatus for stable, repeatable deposition of conductive, resistive, and insulating inks for Flexible Electronic Printing applications. A secondary goal of the collaboration is the provision of a commercial system for Direct Write Electronic (DWE) applications at a fraction of the cost of developing DWE systems. The technology, Mycrojet, is based on a patented Sandia Labs method for focusing aerosol particles using a series of aerodynamic lenses. The Mycrojet print head uses a sheathed aerosol flow that propagates through at least two aerodynamic lenses matched to an aerosol droplet size distribution, and is capable of printing high-definition traces with line widths of approximately 10 to 1000 microns. The technology has been used to print embedded sensors, 3D capacitors, and Direct Write copper traces. The Mycrojet system routinely demonstrates unassisted run times of more than four hours, and is capable of unassisted, continuous printing of high-quality traces for more than eight hours. The relative standard deviation (the ratio of standard deviation to the average) of the physical and electrical properties of printed traces is typically less than 5%. A detailed description of the Mycrojet process and apparatus will be presented, including a discussion of the focusing principles, a characterization of trace micrographs and electrical properties, and an analysis of printing stability tests.

19.5 3D and Aerosol-printed Conductor-dielectric Full-3D RF Metamaterials - Jesse Tice, Northrop Grumman

The use of AMTs, in the form of 2D printing technologies, have gradually grown in prominence in academia and gained industrial adoption for the fabrication of RF electronics, for applications in

low cost devices and wearables. Nevertheless, these efforts have almost exclusively consisted in adapting standard RF designs for operation on flexible and/or 3D-printed planar substrates: the 2.5D (stacks of 2D planes) paradigm that pervades classical RF design and fabrication has not been shifted. In order to do so, an additional dimension needs to be added.

The goal of the presented research is to introduce the use of the additional degree of freedom provided by 3D printing technologies for the manufacturing of full-3D RF elements and circuits that cannot be fabricated with traditional technologies. The proposed approach relies on the combination of high-resolution stereolithography (SLA) dielectric printing and conformal aerosol-printed metal-nanoparticle-ink-based conductive traces. The work covers the selection, printing, processing and optimization process of the additively-deposited materials, as well as their topological and high frequency electrical characterization. In addition, the design, fabrication, and testing of two novel 3D metamaterial printed RF structures, uniquely enabled by the singular properties of AMTs, are described. These printed structures not only constitute the first examples of functional full-3D multi-material RF designs, but are also demonstrated to provide orders-of-magnitude performance improvements compared to their 2D counterparts. This work may thereby set the foundation for the emergence of an entirely new class of 3D-printing-enabled RF components and systems.

SESSION 20: SENSORS Chair: Ahmed Busnaina

20.1 Design and Manufacturing of a Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Biometric Human Performance Monitor (BHPM) - Charles Woychik, i3 Electronics, Inc.

A FHE device, capable of detecting and wirelessly transmitting human ECG results and body temperature was designed, fabricated, and tested. The flexible BHPM was demonstrated to remain functional while being worn by human subjects undergoing a range of physical movements. The device was fabricated as an integrated unit, including printed sensors, photolithographically defined metal circuitry, and electronic components on a single flexible substrate. The BHPM used a flexible 50μm Kapton-HN® polyimide substrate having 2μm thick Cu circuits on both sides, connected by plated thru holes, and was constructed by a semi-additive plating, or pattern plating, process. These copper circuits provided the surface for solder to attach all of the surface mount electronic devices on one side of the substrate, including a Li-ion battery. On the opposite side, “skin side”, two types of sensors were incorporated. ECG sensor electrodes were formed from ink-jet printing and cure of precursor gold nanoparticle ink. In addition, a temperature sensor (thermistor) was incorporated using nickel-oxide filled epoxy as a variable resistor between two closely spaced gold electrodes. Circuit design and materials changes were shown to affect the flex fatigue life and interfacial reliability, of electroplated Cu circuits, and electroplated Cu pads over-printed with gold nanoparticle ink. The integrity of the interface between the plated features and the ink-jet printed Au was further examined as a function of surface finish on the plated metal. Sponsors: The United States Air Force Research Labs (AFRL) and the Nano Bio Manufacturing Consortium (NBMC), Contract # FA86501327311-7.

20.2 Scalable Self-aligned Active Matrix IGZO TFT Backplane Technology - Albert van Breemen, Holst Centre

Organic image sensors are interesting for a wide variety of applications ranging from consumer products to medical/healthcare and industrial applications. Adding semi-transparency enables new image sensor applications like integrated fingerprint sensors in mobile displays, interactive surfaces and advanced X-ray detectors.We have successfully fabricated semi-transparent image sensors by a monolithic integration of a semi-transparent

ABSTRACTS

active matrix TFT backplane and a solution processed slot-die coated organic photodetector. A new integration scheme of a self-aligned IGZO TFT backplane with an OPD cathode is presented that allows the realization of semi-transparent photodetectors with up to 84% transparency of the backplane in a scalable 5 mask step process on GEN1 size (320x352 mm). A solution processed organic photoactive layer is slot-die coated directly on the active matrix TFT backplane, resulting in a VGA size (480x640 rows and columns) semi-transparent image sensor.

20.3 Short Wavelength Infrared Photosensors Based on Novel Narrow Bandgap Polymers - Tse Nga Ng, University of California San Diego

Short wavelength infrared (SWIR) sensors are important to applications in environmental monitoring, medical diagnosis and optical communications, but there are only a few organic semiconductors that show optoelectronic response in the SWIR region. Recently we demonstrated a family of novel donor-acceptor polymers with narrow bandgap responsive in the SWIR region, and the bulk heterojunction photodiodes based on these polymers show detectivity up to 1012 Jones at a wavelength of 1.2 micron, with absorption edge extending out to 1.7 micron. As the initial performance is very promising, we proceed to investigate the stability of the encapsulated devices and to infer the degradation mechanisms. The performance of photodiodes were monitored by IV measurement, external quantum efficiency (EQE) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The IV measurement and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were conducted both in the dark and under illumination, to track over several weeks the change in charge generation and recombination processes under the short circuit and open circuit conditions. The characteristics from band-to- band absorption and from absorption in charge-transfer states were compared to quantify the lifetime and recombination losses of photogenerated carriers in these devices.

20.4 Printed and Flexible MRI Receive Coils - Ana Claudia Arias, University of California Berkeley

MRI data acquisition is inherently slow and signal-to-noise (SNR) starved. This limits the spatial resolution, diagnostic image quality, and typically results in long acquisition times that are prone to motion artifacts. Our approach uses printing for the design and fabrication of MRI receive coils. Our method addresses the imaging limitations by enabling highly flexible, lightweight devices that conform to the human body, much like bespoke garments. We have performed a detailed analysis of the materials properties and the performance of the printed components when applied to MRI. We have shown that our printed coils exhibit excellent image quality, comparable to conventional made of state-of-the-art non-printed components. Our coils yield better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), in realistic clinical scenarios when conventional coils could often be displaced more than 18 mm away from the body. We have fabricated prototype printed arrays that are incorporated within infant blankets for in vivo studies. Our work represents the first fully functional, fully printed flexible MRI coils for 1.5T and 3T clinical scanners. I will discuss materials needs, printing processes and results from preliminary clinical studies.

20.5 Flexible “Roll-up” Voice-Separation and Gesture-Sensing Human-Machine Interface with All-Flexible Sensors - James Sturm, Princeton University

As a model of a “natural” human-machine interface, we present a hybrid system which can separate the separate the speech of individuals when multiple people are speaking at once and sense human gestures such as hand swipes from a distance well over 50 cm, implemented via a single “roll-up” sensing sheet on the scale of meters. The user does not need to use “artificial” aids such as clickers, lapel microphones, and so forth. The voice separation relies on a 2-meter array of microphones feeding into a modified

“inverse beam-forming” algorithm, and the gesture sensing relies on ultra-sensitive capacitive sensing with flexible sensors. After a system review, this talk will focus on the performance of flexible passive microphones compared to conventional state-of-the-art MEMS microphones with a built-in preamplifier both on a component and system level. Fundamentally, the microphones respond to the mechanical deformation of the substrate on to which they are mounted, rather than a built in diaphragm like conventional microphones. Therefore the response of the microphones to sound can be one or two orders of magnitude larger when mounted on a flexible platform than a rigid platform, and allow the sensors to be placed on the back side of the flexible platform (opposite from the speaker). Since the gesture-sensing electrodes can also be mounted on the back-side, the system is aesthetically-pleasing. Multiple simultaneous speakers were successfully separated with the flexible microphones, and system performance metrics vs. conventional microphones will be presented. There will be a system demonstration to accompany the talk.

SESSION 21: NOVEL CONDUCTOR AND SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS Chair: Mark Poliks

21.1 AgeNT™: AgNW/Carbon Nanotube Hybrid TCF – Progress Update - Bob Praino, Chasm Technologies, Inc.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are the topic of much research and are actively being regarded as having the potential to revolutionize many industries requiring unique opto-electronic and mechanical performance enhancements. To-date, CNTs alone have not delivered sufficient performance of conductivity and optical transparency required for demanding applications, in part because application requirements have moved faster than CNT materials development. A new structure comprised of a hybrid structure of silver nanowires and carbon nanotubes was described in 2016, delivering a sheet resistance (Rs) of 50 ohms/‐ and 95% visible light transmission (%T). Over the past year, ongoing work has resulted in improvements in Rs over a range of %T, which has opened the door to new applications. In addition, environmental testing has been extended in a variety of formats and structure modifications have enabled the use of a number of customer requested substrates with improved adhesion. A review current state of this development program will be presented.

21.2 Graphene/Ag Nanowires as Flexible Transparent Conductor - Tom Fedolak, Graphenea Inc.

Beyond today’s incumbent technology, and among the many flexible transparent conductors, Graphene/Ag Nanowires is a good performance and cost effective solution. Production processes, electrical and optical characterization and future steps for market adoption will be discusses. An overview of the current CVD Graphene market (1) will be also presented to assess the technological potential of this solution. (1) Proceedings of the IEEE 101(7):1793-1800 · July 2013 DOI: 10.1109/JPROC.2013.2263112

21.3 Liquid Silicon Ink for Printable Active Components - Doug Freitag, The Coretec Group

A newly developed “liquid silicon” precursor will be discussed. Cyclohexasilane (CHS; Si6H12) has been used to make silicon-based films (such as polysilicon, silicon nitride, silicon carbide and others), as well as silicon nanowires and quantum dots will be discussed. CHS offers a more versatile, lower-cost and safer pathway to a variety of silicon based products being considered for flexible and printable electronics.

21.4 Nanocarbon Contacts in Flexible Electronics Applications - Jeongwon Park, University of Ottawa


Integrated nanoelectronic devices on flexible substrates can offer enhanced functionality than silicon-based devices for advanced wearable technology. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene are potential candidate materials for flexible hybrid electronics applications, due to their tolerance to electromigration under high current densities and excellent electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. We study an all-carbon nanostructure as a potential building block for various flexible electronic device applications. We examine the key performance characteristics of the 3-D CNT/graphene nanostructure pertinent to potential applications in flexible chips. Combining with electrical measurements and Raman spectroscopy, analyses of high-resolution TEM images of CNT/graphene interface nanostructures provide the necessary knowledge for continuous improvements of the fabrication process and to reduce contact resistance. Our study will provide the necessary knowledge for evaluating these nanostructures for flexible hybrid integration, which is vital for developing high-performance sustainable materials for the flexible electronics industry.

21.5 Synthesis, Characterization, and Isolation of Metal Precursor Inks - Bruce Kahn, Rochester Institute of Technology

Recent progress in multi-material printing has allowed scientists and engineers to incorporate conductive circuits, sensors, actuators, and other elements into printed components. The associated printing inks frequently use nanoparticles, whose low sintering temperatures allow metal or ceramic materials to be deposited and cured using traditional printing processes and substrates. However, the formulation and stabilization of high quality nanoparticle inks is often complicated by factors including rapid oxidation and particle agglomeration. In contrast, precursor inks are particle-free solutions which can contain high metal content, be printed, and subsequently converted to their metallic state by a thermally or photonically induced chemical reactions. These inks show promise in overcoming many of the problems associated with nanoparticle inks. This paper focuses on inkjet precursor metal ink formulation, complex isolation, and device printing. Copper, nickel, and silver precursor inks have been formulated which have the appropriate rheological properties for inkjet printing. These inks can be sintered rapidly using photonic sintering.

SESSION 22: DIRECT WRITE Chair: Stephen Farias

22.1 Direct-write fabrication of high-density interconnects - Alan Shen, United Technologies Research Center

This presentation discusses direct write (DW) fabrication of interconnects on flexible substrates for wear sensor applications. The objective is to minimize the line-to-line spacing through process modeling and optimization of the printing parameters based on the n-Scrypt Tabletop 3Dn DW system. Several silver pastes containing high loading of silver particles were evaluated. The particle size distribution of the silver particles was measured using light scattering, while the exact silver loading was determined by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). To model the DW process, the steady shear rheology of the silver pastes was characterized and the experimental data were subsequently fitted to a power-law fluid model. The volumetric flow rate of the silver pastes during DW was then simulated using a finite element method (COMSOL). Experimentally, silver lines with different cross-sectional areas were obtained, depending on the interplay between the volumetric flow rate, gap, and translation speed of the print nozzle.

22.2 3D Flexible Metal Interconnection for FHE (flexible hybrid electronic) Devices using an Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) Technique - Yongjin Kim, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM)

FHE devices are recently recognized as the next generation

technique combining benefits from both sides such as flexible organic fields and rigid Si based fields. While the organic based field gives much flexibility with the characteristics of low cost production, they also suffer from its inherent limitations such as low charge transport, process temperature limitation, and etc. Those limitations, based on material itself, make the flexible electronic device very difficult to compete with Si-based rigid electronics that have excellent device performance. However, the rigid Si based devices are also very weak when they are in use for the flexible applications. This is why we think the FHE is the next generation technique. In order to achieve and visualize this new concept, thin device (≤ 50μm) showing high device performance was attached on the surface of deformable/flexible polymer substrates to construct flexible electronic device circuits and it is required to interconnect the thin Si based chip on the flexible polymer substrate. For this specific interconnection, we utilized an ElectroHydroDynamic (EHD) micro-patterning system which is not damaging the flexible substrate unlike the conventional wire bonding method that mechanically damages during the bonding process. To form narrow Ag based metal interconnections, we optimized various experimental parameters (flow rate [μl/min], applying voltage [kV], working distance [‐], jetting velocity and acceleration [mm/s, mm/s2]) and the metal lines were sintered at 150 oC for 30 mins to remove any solvent contained in the solution based Ag ink.

22.3 Breakthrough dielectric and conductive material combinations for inkjet-printed multi-layer circuits - Wouter Brok, Meyer Berger

Despite decade-old industry forecasts, directly printing multi-layer structures of conductive and dielectric inks has been a challenge until very recently. Conductive inks that can be applied reliably, sinter at temperatures compatible with polymer substrates and exhibit sufficient conductivity have developed to a point where they are fit for many applications. Similarly, inks of polyimide, acrylates and epoxies are applied in numerous applications. However, the combination of inkjet printed conductive and dielectric materials has suffered from incompatible material properties. One can think of different shrinkage rates during processing of the materials, incompatible sintering and curing requirements, adhesion issues and even chemically incompatibilities between the two material sets. By doing extensive research into the properties of the both material categories, trying many combinations of (commercially available) materials, analysing the results and possible failure modes, and by working together with material suppliers, we have identified combinations of dielectric and conductive inks that perform well enough to enable a variety of printed circuit applications. In this paper we will present an overview of the issue we have overcome, will quantify the results of the work and show-case various circuits produced thus far.

22.4 Direct-write printed electronics on textiles: A paradigm for automated textile electronics - Raj Bhakta, North Carolina State University, ASSIST Research Center

Textiles provide a broad range of applications in electronics, particularly as a platform for integrating sensors and displays. A large driver for this momentum is wearable technology for fitness and health applications, as well as home textiles for internet-of-things (IoT) connectivity. Printed electronics offers an alternative technology roadmap for textile electronics.

Our direct-write process allows us to print interconnects and other devices onto textiles by varying dispense velocity and fluid pressure. It allows for commercially available screen-printable inks to be used with minimal ink waste, minimal post-process clean up, and design flexibility through software driven designs. Ink penetration into the textile can also be controlled using this process by increasing the fluid pressure. This allows for electrical vias to be made easily, leading to devices such as true printed

ABSTRACTS

circuit boards on textiles. We have made devices such as printed heaters, printed circuit boards, printed antennas, interconnects, and sensors. Our print speeds for the direct-write process are 10x faster than what is seen in the academic and patent literature. This new process allows for rapid prototyping of large area electronics on textiles and interface films. It can also print directly on textiles with or without interface materials. This technology presents a new manufacturing paradigm for printed electronics on textiles, increasing the use-cases for textile electronics devices.

22.5 Ultra-Narrow Channels and Lines for All-Printed OTFTs - Ta-Ya Chu, National Research Council Canada

We report the development of inkjet-printed organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), inverters and logic circuits on PET substrate. Charge carrier mobility reached 1 cm2/Vs and 0.1 cm2/Vs on p-type and n-type 3-layer-printed OTFTs with an operation voltage of 15 V. Thin and uniform dielectric layer was achieved by introducing coffee ring effect during printing process. All printed OTFTs with a channel length of 3 μm were fabricated by direct printing process. We also succeeded in inkjet printing sub-micrometer Ag lines by using a commercial 10 pl nozzle and proper control of the ink-substrate interaction and drying process. Our results demonstrated the full potential of printed transistors for flexible electronics in the near future.

SESSION 23:RF TECHNOLOGY Chair: Bob Reuss

23.1 Advancements in wireless technology for flexible printed hybrid electronics: how Near Field Communication (NFC) is shaping the architecture of sensor systems - Jesse Cole, Molex, LLC.

“The Savage, MN location of Molex (formerly Soligie Printed Electronics) is focused on providing customers with system level solutions for Printed Electronics and Flexible Hybrid Systems. This involves applying Molex manufacturing capabilities for printing conductive traces, attaching electronic components, and product converting. Molex employs sheet- and roll-based equipment that facilitates ramp-up of manufacturing from prototypes to high volume production.

This talk covers an overview of modern low-power wireless communication protocols (including NFC), the main elements in a functioning communication system, and the impact of component selection on the overall product architecture. This talk also covers case studies for devices that were designed to exploit aspects of flexible printed hybrid electronics, focusing on multi-parameter engineering tradeoffs between functionality, form factor, and power.”

23.2 Aerosol Jet Printed Functional Nanoinks: From New Materials to RF Components - Jesse Tice, NG Next, Northrop Grumman

Printable inks that have applicability to the aerospace industry are highly desirable, however there has been no evidence that printed materials are robust or reliable enough to survive the harsh air or space environments. Traditional aerosol jet printed metals tend to react over time, even under ambient conditions. Here, the results of initial reliability tests will be presented to demonstrate the potential of tailored inks for aerosol jet printing in space environments. We will also introduce a new phase change ink based on germanium telluride (GeTe) that when aerosol jet printed yields an amorphous material that can be thermally switched between crystalline and amorphous states. This is critical for printed, reconfigurable radio frequency (RF) switches and now enables rapid prototyping of new RF components. Devices of these phase change materials have been printed and their electrical performance will be discussed.

23.3 Next generation of origami-based tunable RF structures using additive manufacturing - Syed Abdullah Nauroze, Georgia Institute of Technology

Modern day communication devices house multiple communication, sensing and energy harvesting modules integrated into a single device. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to realize tunable radio frequency (RF) structures (e.g. antennas and filters) to reduce overall cost and size of the device by using a single RF structure for multiple modules. However, one of the key disadvantages of traditional RF structures is that they require complex electronics to tune their RF behavior. This work presents first-of-its-kind flexible broadband tunable origami-based RF structures such as frequency selective surfaces (FSS) and antennas using additive manufacturing techniques such as inkjet-printing and 3D-printing. The RF structures are designed using basic origami structures such as Miura-Ori and can be tuned on-demand by simply changing the shape of the structure. The Miura structure also allows realization of multilayer FSS structures without use of any complex mechanical fixtures or substrate between layers thereby considerably reducing the overall size, cost and complexity of the structure. The experimental results show that the origami-based FSS can significantly increase the angle of incidence rejection and bandwidth compared to traditional FSS. Moreover, the origami-based antennas demonstrate, for the first time, the possibility of integrating multiple antennas to the same origami structure thereby giving the user the flexibility and the freedom to choose a different type of antenna for a given application. These structures showcase for the first time the true potential of origami-based RF structures and their feasibility for future applications like Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Skins (SS).

23.4 Direct-Write Flexible Meshed Patch Antenna on Nonwoven Material - Hasan Shahariar, North Carolina State University

Conformal and flexible radio frequency (RF) devices have drawn the interest for communication applications in wearable electronics, including sensing and health monitoring. Of particular interest is the use of a textile as a platform for these devices, but is challenged by the impact of the antenna design on the properties of the textile. This paper presents the fabrication of a meshed patch antenna on an Evolon® nonwoven textile by using a high-throughput direct-write process. Direct-write process is very flexible processing technology for prototyping custom designed passive electronics. Our selection of textile material as a print media which has a high surface area and lower surface roughness enables a high-throughput printing while maintaining good print resolution. Mesh design of the patch can be optimized to tune the resonance frequency of the antenna. In short, mesh structure of patch antenna printed by direct-write process make the antenna flexible and breathable which is very advantageous in wearable platform. The antenna also demonstrate a fast response with the change of environment such as moisture.

23.5 RF Powered Transformable Sensor on a Flexible Substrate - Yunsong Xie, Argonne National Laboratory

We present a RF powered transformable sensor device. This device is built on a conventional flexible polyurethane film. It features with two micro-stripline antennas with different sizes. Individual RF Schottky diodes are connected to both of these two antennas as the RF energy converters. The device is designed to be wrapped to occupy small space when first deployed. When a RF signal is sensed, the device is triggered to greatly expand in area, much larger RF energy can be harvest to drive the circuits in the device to be fully functioned. It is believed that such device will be of significant interest to both civil and military use.


SESSION 24: MILITARY & SECURITY - Sponsored by Lockheed Martin Chair: Jeff Stuart

24.1 Utilizing Carbon Nanotubes in Thin-Film Flexible Electronics - Jon Nichols, Lockheed Martin

The Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center is actively developing flexible electronics to enable and enhance applications by utilizing the large-area, lightweight, and conformal attributes of the technology. Both passive and active thin-film electronics, including gas and electro-optic sensors, logic circuits, memory, advanced packaging, and active-matrix arrays with integrated row and column drivers, have been fabricated on polyimide films. The NMOS circuits are comprised of enhancement-mode metal oxide thin-film transistors and carbon nanotube fabric resistive elements. The flexible circuits are capable of low-voltage operation (1.5V) and have shown good radiation tolerance and thermal stability (>100C operation and >200C survivability in air). Nanomaterials have been incorporated into flexible electronic circuits as both active (e.g. non-volatile memory and sensors) and passive (e.g. resistive traces and ESD protection) elements. They have been used to tailor thin-film and device properties including resistivity, Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR), absorption, thermal conductivity, and gas sensor sensitivity/selectivity.

24.2 All-Printable Real-time Airframe Monitoring System (ARAMS) - Shiv Joshi, NextGen Aeronautics, Inc

This presentation presents development work to produce printable strain measurement sensor array. The feasibility of a total printed solution by low-cost large-area printing of passive and active devices that enable two-dimensional strain mapping is demonstrated. The NextGen team has designed and fabricated 4 x 4 array containing 64 multiplexed gages. The current design uses discrete commercial transistors. A custom DAQ system was designed and built to work with resistance variation of printed gages. A parallel effort in developing printed transistors with appropriate characteristics is underway and has been successful in identifying and overcoming technical challenges. A flexible hybrid sensor array design is the best near term solution for large area strain sensing.

24.3 Manufacturing Technologies to Enable Advanced Munitions - Giuseppe Di Benedetto, US Army ARDEC

Manufacturing technologies are critical for the next generation of smart munitions for small and medium caliber applications. In order for new munitions to meet their intended performance requirements and stay within cost targets, several manufacturing technologies must be matured. U.S. Army ARDEC is investigating and developing techniques to apply printed materials onto a complex geometry to increase performance and reduce the weight and size of a variety of munitions and warheads. Current methods for printing high precision traces are limited to three-axis motion applications and incapable of complex surfaces. This limitation requires printing traces on a flat surface and wrapping them into the desired geometry. The current industrial base is not focused on overcoming these limitations as designs that utilize more complex techniques are not mature. In a similar fashion, work in the printing of specialized materials is very limited as the applications are almost all defense related. This study focuses on current research and development of six-axis capability necessary to print on hemispherical topography. Several examples will be presented to display the progression and the future direction of six-axis additive manufacturing by U.S. Army ARDEC.

24.4 Manufacturing for Tunable, Flexible Polymer Substrates for Asset Monitoring - Claire Lepont, University of Massachusetts, Lowell

New devices and structures for Flexible Hybrid Electronics will depend on advances in multifunctional polymer substrates, inks, and printing approaches for rapid manufacturing. For example, the manufacturability of printed RF and MW electronics will be achieved by the development of scaled processes for the creation of tunable dielectric substrates and conductive patterning. In this work, the flexible tunable substrates were created by embedding barium strontium titanate (BST) nanoparticles in a variety of polymer matrices using the twin screw extrusion process. Extruded sheets were fabricated for printing using a continuous process. Dielectric properties were measured as a function of BST loading over the frequency range of 1-10 kHz. The dielectric constant of the composite substrates increased with increasing volume fraction of BST. The extruded sheets were characterized by contact angle for surface and wetting properties, by scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the dispersion of the filler into the polymer matrices, and for surface roughness. The development of a scalable manufacturing process for substrate fabrication and printing will lead to the design of the next generation adaptive printed RF and microwave components and devices for future asset monitoring systems.

24.5 Materials & Manufacturing Challenges for Wearable Electronics in the USAF Mission - Jeremy Ward, Air Force Research Laboratory

Within the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate of the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), we are addressing the specific materials and processing challenges that are preventing wearable electronics from meeting the mission-specific needs of the United States Air Force (USAF). Advancements in wearable electronics are expected to impact a wide range of missions, including aircraft pilots and crew, special operators, aeromedical evacuation personnel, and various analyst teams. We are working to address these challenges through in-house research into new materials, innovative packaging schemes, and new approaches to conformal and integrated electronics. Additionally, we support both the Nano-Bio Manufacturing Consortium (NBMC) and NextFlex – America’s Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute to grow and foster the flexible hybrid electronic ecosystem using industry- and university-led projects. I will share the unique opportunities that universities, government labs, and industry have to engage with our teams to grow their understanding of and capability to create wearable electronics that are relevant to the USAF Mission.

SESSION 25: EMERGING CAPABILITIES Chair: Bruce Kahn

25.1 Printing of Nano and Microscale Electronics and Sensors - Ahmed Busnaina, Nano OPS, Inc.

A new printing technology for printing of nano and microlectronics and Sensors on Flexible or Rigid Substrates has been developed. The new technology is capable of printing feature a 1000 times smaller (about 20 nanometers) than inkjet. This printing technology can print inorganic or organic conductors, semiconductors (including III-V and II-VI), and dielectrics. The technology uses minimum energy and water compared to conventional electronics nanofabrication. The technology is capable of printing 1000 times faster than inkjet, 1000 times smaller patterns and costs 10-100 times less than conventional fabrication. This presentation will show the applications of this technology in printing electronics and sensor applications. The presentation will also show the second-generation fully automated robotic printer that will include built in inspection and annealing modules in addition to a registration and alignment module. Nano OPS strategic partner Mialra, Inc. designs and builds the automated modules, robots and the alignment module.

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25.2 Highly Near-Infrared-Sensitive, Printed Flexible Thermistors - Austin Shearin, Brewer Science

Near-Infrared (IR) sensitive thermistors were prepared using fully printed carbon-based resistive-type thermistors and encapsulating them with an IR-absorbing coating. The sensors were found to be sensitive to an IR (peak) wavelength range from of 2.7 micrometers to 9.0 micrometers, and were able to detect a blackbody IR radiance of as low as 0.195 W/cm*2/steradian up to 10 cm away from the blackbody source. The near-IR sensitive thermistors were found to have a temperature coefficient of resistance of 4000 ppm/C and rise time of < 250 ms. All sensors tested were hermetically sealed to achieve IR/temperature selectivity over other environmental entities such as moisture, O2, CO2, volatile organic compound (VOC) vapors, etc. In addition, the sensors are were printed on a thermally stable flexible substrate to make them operable at high ambient temperature. The mechanism of operation and potential applications will be discussed.

25.3 Development of Scalable Manufacturing of Printed Electronics in an Open Access Testbed - Devin MacKenzie, University of Washington

A new development center for scalable approaches to large manufacturing of energy devices and printed electronics has been opened at the University of Washington and is open to the NextFlex community. This center brings together state of the art roll-to-roll, sheet and 3D printing and flexible electronics processing along with extensive characterization equipment for large area device, module and lifetime testing and analysis. Recent results from the tested in printed metal air batteries, flexible nanocomposite-functionalized graphene gas sensors and rapid processing of solar energy harvesting will be presented as examples of the flexible electronics capabilities available.

25.4 Silver-based Ultrathin Transparent Top Electrode for Organic Light Emitting Diodes - Kwan Hyun Cho, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH)

Metal-based transparent electrodes are one of the important candidate materials for flexible transparent conductive electrodes. Due to the potential damage to underlying films, the fabrication process is a major issue for the transparent top electrode in organic optoelectronic devices. We investigated the damage-free, ultrathin, bulk-like, silver-based film by suppression of surface plasmon absorption. Using Al seed layer, high-quality transparent electrodes with transparent and sheet resistance have been obtained due to the suppression of surface plasmon absorption. We applied these silver-based films to the top cathode electrode for high transparent organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). In addition, we demonstrated strong micorcavity effect using silver-based top cathode electrode. Top emission OLED using silver-based top electrode with strong micorcavity enhanced the power efficiency and current efficiency, compared to the conventional ITO based bottom emission OLED.

25.5 Hybrid Additive Process for Slot Coating of Alternating-Stripe Films - Ara Parsekian, Georgia Institute of Technology

Scalability in manufacturing constitutes a persistent challenge for large-area printed electronics. Additive-only liquid phase deposition strategies have long been recognized for the potential to minimize material waste and consolidate processing steps. In practice, however, patterned printing with established techniques often necessitates costly pre-treatments and subtractive manufacturing steps. This work presents and develops a novel technique for printing alternating stripes of two materials simultaneously. The influence of material properties and processing requirements are addressed for this technique, which is a hybridization of slot die extrusion and inkjet printing.

In situ observation of polymer solution coating on polyethlylene terephthalate (PET) substrate highlights miscibility as a key requirement for highly stable and robust printing. Analyses of the fluid mechanics and wetting phenomena at deposition are also conducted with respect to minimum feature size. These results are used to provide a quantitative projection for the pattern capabilities achievable with this hybrid method. This discussion provides meaningful insight towards the feasibility of hybrid extrusion coating as a strategy to produce alternating-stripe patterns for use in photovoltaics, microfluidics, sensors, and other thin film applications.

SESSION 26: BIOSENSORS AND THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND US Chair: Mark Poliks

26.1 A Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) Wearable Biometric Human Performance Monitor (BHPM) - Jim Turner, Binghamton University

ECG signals and skin temperature are monitored using a 2”x2” Kapton® substrate with ECG electrodes and a screen-printed thermistor on one side connected to the electronics on the other side by plated thru hole vias. The ECG signals are detected, amplified and filtered by an analog chip, and digitized and preprocessed using a microcontroller with built-in BlueTooth®. The high-sensitivity temperature-dependent thermistor signals are feed directly to the microprocessor. ECG functionality was verified by comparing output signals with certified ECG inputs. Human heart rate and heart rate variability parameters were monitored during rest and mild exercise. We are comparing plated and printed gel electrodes, and developing capacitive coupled electrodes connected to high-gain, low-noise, ultrathin FleX™ OpAmps. Power consumption is minimized by component selection and custom software that controls duty cycle, and on-board signal analysis and change detection that enables communication only when significant changes are detected.

26.3 Fusion of Fashion and Function: Textiles as a Platform for a Flexible Electronics System - Sundaresan Jayaraman, Georgia Institute of Technology

To realize the concept of the “Internet of the Individual,” there is a critical need for a robust platform for the integration of sensors and electronics that does not impose any additional social, psychological or ergonomic burden on the human – the information node. Moreover, the infrastructure or platform must be unobtrusive, shape-conforming and pervasive, while harnessing the information from the individual through integrated electronics. Such a flexible hybrid electronics system is even more important in areas impacting the quality of life of individual, e.g., those suffering from incontinence, patients prone to pressure ulcers resulting from lying in bed for prolonged periods of time due to illness or injury, etc. We will present the concept of textiles as a meta-wearable – a flexible information infrastructure – and discuss the design and development of a textile-based flexible hybrid electronics system for a specific healthcare application.

26.4 Peratech Force Sensing Technology Solutions - William M. Beckenbaugh, Peratech

Peratech has pioneered a new generation of force sensing components based on our proprietary range of QTC (Quantum Tunneling Composite) additive-deposition inks compatible with flexible printed circuit material sets. Because of this ability to integrate Peratech’s nanomaterial-based composite onto existing electronics, Peratech offers engineers and designers low-profile sensor constructions with simple integration and rapid prototyping needed to rapidly create the next generation force-touch user interfaces in a wide range of electronics products.


Coupled with our sensing circuit reference designs and software, incident forces from as little as 3 grams to over 20 Newtons can repeatedly be monitored. We will describe our QTC material system function, options for application into a broad range of component designs, and review our engineering methods for integration and assembly into products at the printed circuit and module levels. In the presentation summary, we will discuss the OEM product types currently in production or qualification in addition to new market segments with active developments requiring addition of dynamic force sensing to the capabilities for human to machine input.

26.5 Titania-based sol-gels with Tunable Dielectric and Optical Properties - Robert Norwood, University of Arizona

We will discuss sol-gel dielelctric materials based on blends of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTMS) with a novel titanium dioxide sol-gel produced via an epoxide cataylst starting from titanium tetrachloride. The blended system is flexible, by virtue of the MAPTMS component, and exhibits a low-frequency dielectric constant ranging from 5 to more than 10 based on the composition. These same systems exhibit tunable optical properties, with refractive indices at 1 micron wavelength ranging from 1.5 to 1.9. The titania sol-gel has the benefit of long shelf-life (month) compared to its alkoxide acid catalyzed counterparts (minutes). We report on dielectric and optical properties measurements of these unique systems and consider their application in flexible optoelectronics. In addition, we discuss the use of these materials for optical waveguide based biosensors; we will discuss the demonstration of such a device for detecting cytochrome-C via evanescent wave absorption.

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Documents

TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 2017 - AGENDA Agenda · 3:00 - 3:20 3.3 Flexible Organic Electronics: From Lab to Fab to the Next Wave of Products Mike Banach, FlexEnable 3:20 - 3:40 3.4 PI-SCALE: