2D-3D Shell Structure Allows Successful Eco-friendly Flexible Printed Electronics

High-performance flexible electronics is a big target for engineering, and an environmentally benign one would be even more useful. Now, using a “shell structure”, researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a thin film transistor (TFTs) that is “flexible”, “printable” and “environmentally benign”.

Researchers have published their work in Advanced Science with the title of “High-Performance P-Channel Tin Halide Perovskite Thin Film Transistor Utilizing a 2D–3D Core-Shell Structure“. While the semiconductor industry is still facing a chip shortage, this improvement in metal halide perovskites (MHPs) may lead to better solutions for the future of the semiconductor industry.

What is the technology behind the new electronics?

MHPs have long experimented with materials within the electronics industry but they have their issues such as their performance and thresholds. While there are two types of MHPs, one being 2D and the other being 3D, there are also 2 different problems to solve. “2D MHPs have grain boundary issues”, decreasing conductivity, and “3D MHPs have high hole density” which means that they have bigger threshold voltages to work, affecting performance. Most materials used in production are also harmful to the environment since they usually contain lead.

With their new material, the team solves these individual problems with their new 2D/3D structure. With this innovation, solving alignment problems and isolating 3D MHP structures with linking them to 2D ones; resolve both the problems mentioned. While the alignment solves boundary issues, isolating 3D structures resolve the threshold voltage problems. Also, the material is mostly made with zinc, an environmentally benign and mostly sustainable resource. Another advantage of the new system is that it allows for “high performance” flexible and printed electronics with a mosaic-like structure.

2D/3D structure Credit: Tokyo Institute of Technology Press Release

The technology of the future

With a lot of space-based research and sustainability actions around the world, printable sustainable electronics have become a need. While achieving these criteria of the future, new products are also required to bring their own edge to the industry. This one is stellar research that brings both to the table, with still having a lot of technical details and improvements to be made.

The future of the machinery would be practical, built-on-the-way, flexible smart machines that require a combination of every engineering field. This one, with the previous research from someone else (Read: This Novel Technology Stores Wind Power Under Water), and the ones that came before will lead to the future of engineering and electronics.

Reference

Kim, J., Shiah, Y.-S., Sim, K., Iimura, S., Abe, K., Tsuji, M., Sasase, M., Hosono, H., High-Performance P-Channel Tin Halide Perovskite Thin Film Transistor Utilizing a 2D–3D Core–Shell Structure. Adv. Sci. 2021, 2104993. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202104993