Glasgow University
Assembly Line
Printing process holds promise for bendable displays
A new process for creating flexible large area electronics could lead to breakthroughs in technologies including prosthetics, high-end electronics and fully bendable digital displays.
Until now, the most advanced flexible electronics have been mainly manufactured via a three-stage stamping process called transfer printing. Processes have been developed to make the stamping transfer more effective, but they often require additional equipment like lasers and magnets, which adds extra manufacturing cost.
The Glasgow team said they have eliminated the second stage of the conventional transfer printing process and replaced it with ‘direct roll transfer’ to print silicon straight onto a flexible surface.