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Multi-project wafers for flexible thin-film electronics by independent foundries
Hikmet Çeliker1,2, Wim Dehaene1,2, Kris Myny3,4
1ESAT, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Nature
|April 24, 2024
Summary
A new thin-film transistor (TFT) platform enables fabless manufacturing for flexible electronics. This approach accelerates the development of TFT-based devices by adapting the multi-project wafer concept.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Semiconductor Device Physics
Background:
- Flexible and large-area electronics, including displays, sensors, and wearable devices, heavily depend on thin-film transistors (TFTs).
- Current TFT fabrication lacks a universal design approach, unlike silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, hindering cost-effective manufacturing and design complexity.
- This limitation increases costs and complexity for TFT-based flexible electronics, slowing integration into mature applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a stable and high-yield TFT platform for the fabless manufacturing of flexible electronics.
- To demonstrate the applicability of the multi-project wafer (MPW) concept to mainstream TFT technologies.
- To accelerate the adoption and design complexity of TFT-based flexible electronic applications.
Main Methods:
- Development of a universal TFT platform supporting wafer-based amorphous indium-gallium-zinc oxide (a-IGZO) and panel-based low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) technologies.
- Adaptation and expansion of the multi-project wafer (MPW) concept for TFT fabrication, analogous to silicon CMOS.
- Design and fabrication of the 6502 microprocessor in both a-IGZO and LTPS TFT technologies as a proof-of-concept.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of a stable, high-yield TFT platform for fabless manufacturing.
- Validation of the MPW approach for two mainstream TFT technologies (a-IGZO and LTPS) on flexible substrates.
- Fabrication of the 6502 microprocessor using the developed TFT platform, showcasing its capability for complex designs.
Conclusions:
- The established TFT platform and adapted MPW approach provide a foundry model for TFT manufacturing.
- This innovation is expected to significantly reduce costs and complexity in TFT-based flexible electronics.
- The findings will accelerate the growth and development of diverse applications leveraging advanced TFT technologies.
