Organic electronics

The big companies like Samsung and Apple are talking about flexible mobiles and screes that you can roll like paper. But how does it work? This article will introduce you into the world of organic electronics.

Polymer electronics

Polymer electronics basically means to create electric circuits with organic molecules (polymers). These molecules can be conductors, semiconductors or isolators depending on their structure. To create circuits these molecules get printed on organic films. Today the polymer
electronic is still in its infancy but in only a few years, when better processes of production are developed, they allow producing these layers on a bigger scale, this area will grow and replace the classic microelectronics.

Advantages

The main advantage is the very low costs of production. In addition to that polymer circuits have the abilities that normal semiconductors don't have, for example the flexibility. Films with polymer circuits on it are as flexible as a normal paper which would makes it incredible good for usage in mobiles flat screens or to create electronic paper, to replace the E-Book readers from today. Another great ability of the polymers is that they can give up light, which enables the production of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for displays. Moreover they are able to absorb light and change it to energy for organic solar cells.

Disadvantages

A big problem of this technology is that it is not quite clear how long polymers can save the data which is the reason why it isn't already such a big area in the science.

Process of manufacture

There are two main methods to create organic circuits on thin films. The first method is the classic typographies they can be transferred on organic electronics. Examples for procedures are the ink jet printing or the silk-screen printing.
The other type is the spin coating in connecting with other methods like the photolithography. 

The problem with the manufacturing is that for these techniques the polymers have to be in solution, so many of them have to get chemically modified.

 

Conclusion

Considering all these information one an definitely say that organic electronics still have some challenges inside but anyway in my opinion the advantages are dominating. Just imagine that one day you could roll your 0.5-millimeter-thick TV like a poster and take it everywhere with you. Isn't that amazing? I think we will get the answer in the next ten years.