• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.386-390
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• 2023

Stiffness-engineered stretchable substrate technology has been widely used to produce stretchable displays, transistors, and integrated circuits because it is compatible with various flexible electronics technologies. However, the stiffness-engineering technology has never been applied to transistor-based stretchable strain sensors. In this study, we developed thin-film transistor-based strain sensors on stiffness-engineered stretchable substrates. We designed and fabricated strain-sensitive stretchable resistors capable of inducing changes in drain currents of transistors when subjected to stretching forces. The resistors and source electrodes of the transistors were connected in series to integrate the developed stretchable resistors with thin-film transistors on stretchable substrates by printing the resistors after fabricating transistors. The thin-film transistor-based stretchable strain sensors demonstrate feasibility as strain sensors operating under strains of 0%-5%. This strain range can be extended with further investigations. The proposed stiffness-engineering approach will expand the potential for the advancement and manufacturing of innovative stretchable strain sensors.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.66 no.4
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• pp.721-726
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• 2017

We fabricated stretchable thin-film transistors(TFTs) on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate with patterned polyimide island structures by using an amorphous InGaZnO semiconductor and parylene gate insulator. The TFTs exhibited a field- effect mobility of $5cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$ and a current on/off ratio of $10^5$ at a relatively low operating voltage. Furthermore, the fabricated transistors showed no noticeable changes in their electrical performance for large strains of up to 50 %.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.389.2-389.2
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• 2014

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based electronic devices are widely used for various applications in large area electronics, biomedical wearable interfaces and implantable circuitry where flexibility and/or stretchability are required. A few fabrication methods of electronic devices directly on PDMS substrate have been reported. However, it is well known that micro-cracks appear in the metal layer and in the lithography pattern on a PDMS substrate. To solve the above problems, a few studies for fabrication of stiff platform on PDMS substrate have been reported. Thin-film islands of a stiff region are fabricated on an elastomeric substrate, and electronic devices are fabricated on these stiff islands. When the substrate is stretched, the deformation is mainly accommodated by the substrate, and the stiff islands and electronic devices experience relatively small strains. Here, we report a new method to achieve stiff islands structures on an elastomeric substrate at a various thickness, as the platform for stretchable electronic devices. The stiff islands were defined by conventional photolithography on a stress-free elastomeric substrate. This technique can provide a practical strategy for realizing large-area stretchable electronic circuits, for various applications such as stretchable display or wearable electronic systems.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.500-500
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• 2011

With recent advances in flexible and stretchable electronics, the development of physically responsive field-effect transistors (physi-FETs) that are easily integrated with transformable substrates may enable the omnipresence of physical sensing devices in electronic gadgets. However, physical stimuli typically induce whole sensing physi-FET devices under global influences that also cause changes in the parameters of FET transducers, such as channel mobility and dielectric capacitance that prevent proper interpretations of response in sensing materials. Extended-gate structures with isolated stimuli have been used recently in physi-FETs to demonstrate performances of sensing materials only. However, such approaches are limited to prototype researches since isolated stimuli rarely occur in real-life applications. In this report, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrated that integrating piezoelectric nanocomposites directly into flexible organic FETs (OFETs) as gate dielectrics provides a general research direction to physi-FETs with a simple device structure and the capability of precisely investigating functional materials. Measurements with static stimulations, which cannot be performed in conventional systems, exhibited giant-positive d33 values of nanocomposites of barium titanate (BT) NPs and poly (vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)).

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2012.08a
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• pp.67-67
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• 2012

Graphene, two-dimensional one-atom-thick planar sheet of carbon atoms densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice, exhibits fascinating electrical properties, such as a linear energy dispersion relation and high mobility in addition to a wide-range optical absorption and high thermal conductivity. Graphene's outstanding tensile strength allows graphene-based electronic and photonic devices to be flexible, bendable, or even stretchable. Recently many groups have reported high performance electronic and optoelectronic devices based on graphene materials, i.e. field-effect transistors, gas sensors, nonvolatile memory devices, and plasmonic waveguides, in which versatile properties of graphene materials have been incorporated into a flexible electronic or optoelectronic platform. However, there are several fundamental or technological hurdles to be overcome in real applications of graphene in electronics and optoelectronics. In this tutorial we will present a short introduction to the basic material properties and recent progresses in applications of graphene to electronics and optoelectronics and discuss future outlook of graphene-based devices.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.34-42
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• 2014

Flexible devices have been developed from their rigid, heavy origins to become bendable, stretchable and portable. Such a paper displays, e-skin, textile electronics are emerging research areas and became a mainstream of overall industry. Thin film transistors, diodes and sensors built on plastic sheets, textile and other unconventional substrates have a potential applications in wearable displays, biomedical devices and electronic system. In this review, we describe current trends in technologies for flexible/wearable electronics.

• Proceedings of the Materials Research Society of Korea Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.69.3-69.3
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• 2012

A high-performance low-voltage graphene field-effect transistor (FED array was fabricated on a flexible polymer substrate using solution-processable, high-capacitance ion gel gate dielectrics. The high capacitance of the ion gel, which originated from the formation of an electric double layer under the application of a gate voltage, yielded a high on-current and low voltage operation below 3 V. The graphene FETs fabricated on the plastic substrates showed a hole and electron mobility of 203 and 91 $cm^2/Vs$, respectively, at a drain bias of - I V. Moreover, ion gel gated graphene FETs on the plastic substrates exhibited remarkably good mechanical flexibility. This method represents a significant step in the application of graphene to flexible and stretchable electronics.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.67 no.6
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• pp.799-803
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• 2018

We demonstrated memory thin-film transistors (MTFTs) with organic ferroelectric polymer poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) and an amorphous oxide semiconducting indium gallium zinc oxide channel on the elastomeric substrate. The dielectric constant for the P(VDF-TrFE) thin film prepared on the elastomeric substrate was calculated to be 10 at a high frequency of 1 MHz. The voltage-dependent capacitance variations showed typical butterfly-shaped hysteresis behaviors owing to the polarization reversal in the film. The carrier mobility and memory on/off ratio of the MTFTs showed $15cm^2V^{-1}s^{-1}$ and $10^6$, respectively. This result indicates that the P(VDF-TrFE) film prepared on the elastomeric substrate exhibits ferroelectric natures. The fabricated MTFTs exhibited sufficiently encouraging device characteristics even on the elastomeric substrate to realize mechanically stretchable nonvolatile memory devices.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.17-22
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• 2011

ZnO-based thin-film transistors (TFTs) have been fabricated and the mechanical characteristics of electric circuits, such as stress, strain, and deformation are analyzed by the finite element method (FEM). In this study, a mechanical-stability design guide for such systems is proposed; this design takes into account the stress and deformation of the bridge to estimate the stress distribution in an $SiO_2$ film with 0 to 5% stretched on 0.5-${\mu}m$-thick. The predicted buckle amplitude of $SiO_2$ bridges agrees well with experimental results within 0.5% error. The stress and strain at the contact point between bridges and a pad were measured in a previous structural analysis. These structural analysis suggest that the numerical measurement of deformation, SU-8 coating thickness for Neutral Mechanical Plane (NMP) and ITO electrode size on a dielectric layer was useful in enhancing the structural and electrical stabilities.