Wake Forest researcher awarded NSF grant to develop novel flexible electronics
Oana Jurchescu researches potential of organic semiconductors
Advances in organic semiconductor technology could one day lead to video screens that bend like paper and electronics sewn into clothing.
A team of researchers at Wake Forest University will help to make these flexible devices a reality by studying the relation between the physical structure and electronic properties of organic semiconductor crystals.
Their aim is to elucidate the intrinsic characteristics of single crystals and provide feedback for the development of novel, high-tech electronics and thin film devices.
A $400,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award will support the new research. Award recipient Oana Jurchescu, an assistant professor of physics at Wake Forest University, said organic electronics have the potential to greatly impact the future semiconductor industry due to their low-cost, ease of processing, and versatility compared to the materials used now in electronic applications.
Current inorganic semiconducting materials such as silicon are processed in a vacuum at high temperatures. Jurchescu said this makes them expensive and limits their potential applications. Organic semiconductors on the other hand are not only inexpensive to process but can be applied to any medium-from metal and plastic to clothing and human skin at room temperature with spray paint or a device resembling an inkjet printer.
"Fast deposition at up to a hundred feet per second may allow their production in large volumes and at low cost per unit area, an introduction of 'electronics everywhere," Jurchescu said.
Examples of the potential technology include transparent solar cells on building windows, car roofs and bus stations, electronic displays in previously inaccessible spaces, and wearable electronics due to the organic plastics' thin, lightweight and conformal nature.
Other news from the department science
