Search
Menu
Deposition Sciences Inc. - Difficult Coatings - LB - 8/23

New Thin-film Transistors Could Mean Flexible Screens

Facebook X LinkedIn Email
ARGONNE, Ill., May 29, 2014 — Ultra-thin, flexible transistors could lead to the next generation of screens for computers, smartphones and televisions.

A team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Lab has created transparent transistors 10 atomic layers thick. Traditional thin-film transistors are used for screens and displays, such as flat-screen TVs and smartphones; until now, however, such transistors have been able to produce only rigid displays.

“This (discovery) could make a transparent, nearly invisible screen,” said Andreas Roelofs, interim director of Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials. “Imagine a normal window that doubles as a screen whenever you turn it on, for example.”


A scanning electron microscope image of the thin-film transistor. Courtesy of Saptarshi Das, Argonne National Lab.


The researchers used a strip of tape to remove a sheet of tungsten diselenide that was only a few atoms thick — a technique invented by scientists at the University of Manchester. Next, they used chemical deposition to grow sheets of other materials on top, allowing them to build the transistors layer by layer.

Meadowlark Optics - Building system MR 7/23

The transistors were found to maintain optimal performance in a wide range of temperatures (from -320 °F to 250 °F), the researchers said, which is a valuable property given how hot some electronics can run.

The on/off ratio of the transistors was then measured, as was the field effect carrier mobility, which measures how completely the electrons can move through.

“We were pleased to find that the on/off ratio is just as good as current commercial thin-film transistors,” said Saptarshi Das, lead researcher and postdoctoral scientist at Argonne. “But the mobility is a hundred times better than what is on the market today.”

The researchers also studied how the transistors acted under stress by bending the films. Existing thin-film transistor material would crack under such pressure. The new transistors’ properties did not change, Roelofs said. Instead, “the layers just slide.”

The team hopes to add logic and memory to the flexible films. This would allow for development of not only screens, but an entire flexible, transparent TV or computer.

The research is published in Nano Letters (doi: 10.1021/nl5009037).

For more information, visit www.science.energy.gov.

Published: May 2014
Glossary
machine vision
Machine vision, also known as computer vision or computer sight, refers to the technology that enables machines, typically computers, to interpret and understand visual information from the world, much like the human visual system. It involves the development and application of algorithms and systems that allow machines to acquire, process, analyze, and make decisions based on visual data. Key aspects of machine vision include: Image acquisition: Machine vision systems use various...
nano
An SI prefix meaning one billionth (10-9). Nano can also be used to indicate the study of atoms, molecules and other structures and particles on the nanometer scale. Nano-optics (also referred to as nanophotonics), for example, is the study of how light and light-matter interactions behave on the nanometer scale. See nanophotonics.
transparent
Capable of transmitting light with little absorption and no appreciable scattering or diffusion.
2DAmericasArgonne National LabCenter for Nanoscale MaterialsConsumerIllinoisindustrialmachine visionnanoOpticsResearch & Technologythin-film transistorstransistorstransparentUniversity of ManchesterUS Department of Energytungsten diselenidefield effect carrier mobility

We use cookies to improve user experience and analyze our website traffic as stated in our Privacy Policy. By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies unless you have disabled them.