Large-Area Electronics
Enabling large area applications with novel functionality and reduced manufacturing cost

Large area electronics is a rapidly growing $100B business, dominated by current and emerging applications in:
-	flat panel displays for TV, monitors, lap-tops and cell-phones;
-	solar cells and x-ray detectors;
-	RFID (radio frequency ID); and
-	e-paper and signage.

PARC Work

PARC developed core technology in amorphous silicon (a-Si) and low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) over the past few decades, and pioneered x-ray detector technology – which resulted in a major spinoff, dpiX (acquired by Siemens Medical/ Phillips Medical/ Thomson-CSF, Planar Systems, and Varian Medical).

Current work includes:

"Our ability to realize the engineering prototypes in a reasonable time frame is enhanced tremendously by our relationship with PARC" -- UniPixel, in EE Times

• Organic semiconductors — Enabling low-cost backplane manufacturing through polymer semiconductors made in solution and deposited by spin-coating or jet-printing. PARC expertise includes organic materials characterization, thin film transistors (TFT), and optical sensors.
   
• Printed Electronics — Fabricating TFT arrays in custom-built jet-printing systems. Two printing techniques PARC researchers developed are digital lithography (where a wax etch mask is printed) and all-additive printing (where all the active materials are printed).
   
• Flexible Electronics — Enabling new display functionality through flexible substrates. PARC has resolved most of the challenging technical issues involved, and has demonstrated reflective displays on plastic (using both low temperature a-Si and printed organic semiconductors), and LTPS OLED displays on steel foil.
   
• a-Si & LTPS — PARC researchers continue to develop innovative systems based on a-Si and LTPS, including high-performance pixel amplifiers for image sensors; low temperature a-Si for plastic substrates; and novel device structures.

R&D and Prototyping Facility Resources

PARC has a versatile process line that allows rapid prototyping of large area electronics concepts -- with a full range of large area processing for a-Si, LTPS, and organics. The line can process: 4”, 6”, and 8” glass, steel, foil, and plastic substrates. More...

Large Area Electronics Research at PARC
25 years of industry contributions

1980s

• Foundational research on doping and hydrogenation of amorphous Silicon (a-Si) for large area electronics

1990s

• Pioneered the development of flat panel x-ray imaging
• dpiX spun out to commercialize a-Si circuits for ultra-high resolution displays & medical x-ray imagers
• Laser crystallization of a-Si for low temperature polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs)

2000s

• Development of first a-Si and polymer semiconductor transistor arrays entirely patterned using jet printing
• Poly-Si TFT/OLED on flexible stainless steel substrates (with Universal Display Corp.)‏
• First demonstration of all-additive printed polymer TFTs
• Demonstrated 100V low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) array for controlling MEMS displays