E Ink

For the first time in its 20-year history, the FLEX Conference dedicated an entire session to the important and timely twin topics of environmental sustainability and power consumption of electronic devices. The event planning committee recognized the urgent need to increase the awareness of how technology and electronics devices can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GGE) overall and meet aggressive targets to curb the impacts of climate change. Dr. Christine Ho, CEO of Imprint Energy, delivered the keynote for the session, focusing on the need for powering billions of sensors that will be deployed annually, and their role in reducing fossil fuel emissions through becoming aware of issues, monitoring our resources over time, and intervening early and often to combat waste in multiple sectors and industry. Quoting extensively from the organization Exponential Roadmap Initiative (ERI), Ho noted that “the digital sector has the potential to directly reduce fossil fuel emissions 15% by 2030 and indirectly support a further reduction of 35% by influencing consumer and business decisions and systems transformation.” The initiative’s playbook for reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and limiting global warming to 1.5° Celsius outlines how the digital sector can help remove 13 of the 27 gigatons (GT) of CO2 needed to reach this goal. Ho stated that the rapidly emerging Internet of Things (IoT), devices, software systems, and data insights are the backbone of this digital transformation. The IoT's vast network of sensors can transform multiple sectors, such as the logistics industry, which on an annual basis moves and ships more than 10 billion tons of products worldwide by ships, airplanes, long haul trucks, and train - contributing 17% of GGE and more than 4 gigatons of CO2 annually. Always-connected IoT sensors used by the logistics industry can reduce waste and damage in the supply chain, which is especially problematic for temperature-sensitive and damage prone pharmaceutical and food products, mitigating the need for producing high volumes of buffer inventory to replace damaged goods Noting that the attendees of 20 Years of FLEX Conferences were a big part of the current advancements of low-cost printed, active, shipping tags, Ho said that Imprint Energy’s flexible and thin, Zinc based batteries are ideal for IoT devices, since they boast a significantly smaller carbon footprint than Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries. Imprint Energy is working with systems designers and integrators to design the battery as an integral part of the device package and use low-power strategies to extend device lifetimes. Imprint recommends co-locating battery printing alongside the device integration to further minimize shipping and logistics. When manufactured separately, Imprint’s small footprint, low-operating temperature process line (less than 80°C) provides significant carbon footprint advantages over other technologies. Ho challenged the attendees, saying “we all need to participate in protecting our earth. We need to eliminate waste and contribute to reducing half of our current greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and we can do that by deploying a global digital skin with more than 100 billion IoT devices in 2030 and up to 1 trillion by 2050. We can minimize the device carbon footprint and maximize its longevity by considering the power capability, as well as design for re-use and re-cycling of the critical materials.” Following Dr. Ho’s presentation, FLEX kicked off a spirited panel discussion with experts from PowerRox, ITN Energy Systems, Birla Carbon, and Auburn University and chaired by Bob Praino and Eric Forsythe, from Chasm Advanced Materials and the Army Research Labs, respectively. The speakers summarized their on-demand presentations and looked at what is being done today to recycle Lithium-Ion batteries, how IoT devices are currently being powered, and drew comparisons between the early days of the Internet and development of the IoT. The speakers generally agreed that the power requirements of wireless cellular and Blue-tooth devices were still too high and run times too short. FLEX 2021 was a virtual event in the 2021 SEMI Technology Series. It was organized by SEMI FlexTech, SEMI NBMC, and NextFlex. Major sponsors included E Ink and Novacentrix. The event covered technical developments in flexible, printed and hybrid electronics, featuring more than 100 presentations and networking opportunities. Technical proceedings are available until March 26 at http://flex.semi.org. Heidi Hoffman is senior director in Corporate Marketing at SEMI.

Tracking and quickly diagnosing COVID-19 infections, working from home and telemedicine recently came into sharp focus as technology executives and other subject matter experts from microelectronics heavyweights recently gathered for the first-ever virtual SEMI CTO Forum to explore how the microelectronics industry and their own companies can leverage future technology trends to drive growth. Themed Intelligent Medtech and Wearable Technologies, the forum drew CTOs from ARM, Babblelabs, Brewer Science, Dell, Dow/Dupont, E-Ink, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Intel, Lam Research, KLA, Microchip, ON Semiconductor, Qualcomm, Tokyo Electron, Ulvac, Veeco and Xilinx. The event is designed as a strategic driver of pre-competitive innovation. Following are key takeaways from the forum. Microfluidics Promises to Speed COVID-19 Diagnosis More than 240 companies worldwide are developing microfluidics solutions to improve diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and other conditions, said forum speaker Dr. Kurt Petersen, a member of Band of Angels, Silicon Valley's oldest angel investment group, with an illustrious background1 in technology. And their innovations are bearing fruit. Cepheid, a company founded by Dr. Petersen, has developed a disposable microfluidic cartridge, Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2, used by doctors to swab the inside of a patient’s mouth. Highlighting the vital role of MEMS in medical electronics, the tiny powerful devices are behind a test that can detect COVID-19 infection in under 40 minutes. Dr. Petersen also cited a few examples of implantables and injectables under development, including: In vivo chemical sensing: Profusa developed a continuous glucose monitoring sensor via an optical patch. Glaucoma pressure monitors: Injectsense built a silicon chip the size of a grain of rice that is embedded in the eye to measure eye pressure. Retinal implants: Second Sight implanted a 60-electrode array chip that projects images onto the retina to improve vision. Microelectronics Takes Aim at Battling COVID-19 The event’s CTO roundtable, a platform for discussing societal and technology issues, revealed microelectronics technology will likely give rise to solutions for combatting pandemics and new business opportunities both in the short and long run. Areas of the greatest interest included: Tracking and Security: Infection tracking accuracy is key to limiting the spread of viruses yet comes with inherent privacy and security challenges. The consensus view of the executives was that developing trusted hardware capabilities is critical for adoption of accurate infection-tracking technologies. Remote Operation: Executives expect working from home or the use of telehealth to continue building momentum long after pandemic. To give staying power to the remote communications at the heart of these trends, microelectronics ecosystems will need to boost compute performance, both at the edge and in the cloud, while increasing bandwidth to enable applications such as augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and advanced data analytics. Edge intelligence: The challenge of remote communications spans both people and the Internet of Things (IoT). Questions persist about how hundreds of billions of sensors will connect to the cloud and how much power they will consume. The need to push computing to where data is generated – at the edge – is rising and the necessary underlying technologies will only come by combining various forms of distributed computing and analytics. The microelectronics industry’s ability to seize these opportunities will only be possible with huge strides in innovation, raising concerns among the CTOs about the financial viability of cutting-edge devices because of increasing device complexity and R D costs. Technology partnerships and collaborations – an area where SEMI is contributing and will continue to expand its efforts as it works with the CTO community – will be critical to containing R D costs. SEMI will help the executives identify and mobilize the resources key to future innovation. Improving Home, Work Productivity and Experiences Key to AR Adoption Smart wearables also offer great promise. In just over a decade, AR and VR have grown from science fiction to practical uses such as AR applications for smart contact lenses, said Dr. Mike Wiemer, Co-Founder and CTO of Mojo Vision2. Dr. Wiemer said that while many AR applications remain under development, the technology will only see widespread adoption once it starts to improve productivity and efficiency at home and work and the quality of other experiences. The smart augmented reality contact lens developed by Mojo Vision is a step in that direction. The product’s built-in display gives users timely information about everything they see while remaining invisible by packing 70,000 pixels into a space smaller than a half a millimeter across, making it the smallest and densest dynamic display ever made. The contact lens is powered by an ARM-based processor, with later versions adding an image sensor, eye-tracking sensors and a communications chip. SEMI thanks EMD Performance Materials and Telit for sponsoring the CTO Forum. For more information on the CTO Forum and SEMI’s Smart Data-AI initiative, please sign up on our webpage. 1 Dr. Kurt Petersen is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, an IEEE Medal of Honor winner, and a Life Fellow of the IEEE for his contributions to the commercialization of MEMS technology. 2 Dr. Wiemer also co-founded Solar Junction, where he led technical teams to two world records in solar cell efficiency (43.5% and 44%). He also has patents and papers in Semiconductor Devices Applications, Silicon Photonics, Materials Integration, Lasers, Solar Cells, Solar Systems, and Analog Circuits. Tom Salmon is Vice President of Collaborative Technology Platforms at SEMI. Pushkar P. Apte, Ph.D., is Strategic Technology Advisor for the Smart Data AI Initiative at SEMI.

SEMI’s annual FLEX Conference Exhibition returns to Monterey, California, February 18-21, 2019, bringing together nearly 100 speakers on the major developments at the leading edge of printed/flexible/hybrid sensors and electronics technology.The maturing technology for smarter sensors, in a wider range of flexible formats, is enabling new opportunities across a wide range of applications, from healthcare to agriculture. And that means sensor suppliers need to connect with a broader range of users to build the next generation of innovative outside-the-box solutions. SEMI gathers the flexible/hybrid integration supply chain, leading researchers and potential customers at this annual event to help advance the sector.Collaborative efforts for sensors emerging markets: global health, faster crop development, military monitoringThere’s huge potential for smarter, more accessible sensor systems to detect infectious diseases and aid decision-making for community health workers around the globe, but new technologies and manufacturing methods alone will not be enough to meet the needs of these resource-constrained environments, argues Arunan Skandarajah, program officer at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He’ll introduce the foundation’s funding and partnering priorities for sensing and imaging for diagnostics and decision support and discuss potential paths forward for development.Recent advances in plant genomics and high-throughput phenotyping have big potential to enable faster development of crop varieties that better withstand adverse conditions – but that will depend on getting fast feedback from sensor data from the field. There’s immediate need for robust, high-efficiency, low-cost sensor technologies to collect on-the-ground microclimate and resource-use data from tractor-based sensors to field scanners, says Nadia Shakoor, Danforth Plant Science Center. She’ll discuss the sensors researchers need to develop high-yielding, energy- efficient crops that are resilient to variable climates.Military interest in biosensor patches to monitor human physiology and performance, and other sensor solutions for flexible imaging and point-of-care diagnostics, are also drivers of collaborative research between industry and universities. The Nano-Bio Materials Consortium (NBMC), a SEMI strategic association partnership with the Air Force Research Lab, will offer a workshop to discuss its potential needs, and how to get involved in its development program to create an integrated suite of nano-bio materials and production technology. Progress in scaling printed/hybrid flexible electronics manufacturing technologyThe maturing manufacturing supply chain continues to make progress towards scaling volume manufacturing of higher performance products, with recent innovations in materials and assembly technologies.Cal Poly researchers will report results from the recent FlexTech benchmark study of the flexible hybrid electronic industry. The study looks at the current state of maturity of the technology, its manufacturing processes, and its main applications while projecting the roadmap for future development. The study covers passives, sensors, batteries, antennas, speakers, PV and energy harvesting, and flexible hybrid integration.Catch up on new process development capabilities and recent work at the NextFlex Flexible Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing Institute’s San Jose Technology Hub for prototyping and pilot manufacturing. The institute has been adding engineers and projects as it looks towards the next generation of technology for sector growth. Innovations in scalable assembly of thin die on flexible substratesSeveral companies will update on recent progress developing solutions for the industrial-scale, high-yield assembly of fragile thinned die on to flexing substrates. American Semiconductor reports new automated assembly capacity for flip chip die attach and interconnect for devices with up to 100 I/Os and 100um pitch pads. The company also notes that it now has flexible Bluetooth ICs from two major suppliers available in semiconductor-on-polymer chip-scale packages, finally enabling improved wireless capacity for flexible hybrid systems.CEA-Leti will present its latest developments in flip chip bonding of thin bare die on flex. It uses gold stud bumps on the die, with 150°C thermocompression bonding to PEN Film. The researchers have also developed a wafer-level die process that thins and encapsulates die before removing them from the carrier wafer. systeMECH will also present its results for direct die placement of 300nm die on flexible polyester. Innovations in materials for easier processing, higher performanceDevelopments in substrates and processing may now enable use of photonics for laser patterning and flash curing on flexible substrates. Brewer Science will report developments on new polymers that can be quickly and cleanly etched with the mid-UV wavelengths commonly used for laser drilling and etching on printed circuit boards, bringing this improved performance to printed electronics as well. The polymers can be processed at less than 200°C with desirable qualities for substrates, adhesives, protective layers and the like for many electronics applications.Novacentrix will update on improvements in photonic curing equipment for fast heating to enable the use of high-temperature solders without damaging low-temperature substrates. Atotech will report results from its multiyear initiative to develop lower temperature solder pastes for better performance than SAC-based materials on a variety of substrates. Printed graphene and carbon nanotubes find applications in sensors and RF devicesBonbouton will introduce its commercial smart insole using a printed graphene sensor to monitor skin temperature to detect early signs of foot ulcers in diabetic patients. The company inkjet-prints graphene oxide followed by thermal reduction to fabricate graphene supercapacitor electrodes for temperature and pressure sensing.C2Sense will update on its development of carbon nanotube gas sensors to monitor food condition to prevent waste. The sensitized carbon nanotubes selectively detect ethylene from fruit or ammonia from chicken to accurately track the condition of the foods as they pass through the supply chain. Georgia Tech will report results of printing not only sensors from carbon nanotube ink but even RF and mm-wave diodes and transistors for high-frequency, long-range, low-cost RFIDs. Innovations in display materialsMaterials for flexible displays continue to see innovations – from solutions for foldable displays to plenty of new options for improved transparent conductive films and force-sensitive films. Solotech will introduce a cross-inked polymer that it says offers both high hardness and excellent foldability as a reliable covering for foldable/bendable displays. Atotech will describe its development of selective electroless copper deposition for metal mesh and TFT electrode patterns for touch screens to eliminate the need for costly mask and etching steps after deposition. Chasm Advanced Materials suggests hybrids of the conductive metals and carbon nanotubes offer a promising alternative for flexible transparent conductive films.C3Nano reports on nanowire ink, fused after printing, for flexible transparent conductors. Peratech will report on its printable pressure touch technology that it describes as high-resolution and low-cost for better localized, force-sensitive touch. Jabil will share the results of its evaluations of five of the available printed force-sensitive sensors. E Ink will introduce new capabilities for its electrophoretic display technology – it’s now possible to write on it with a magnetic stylus, and there’s a variable transmission version for electronic windows. Next generation technologies from universities and startupsResearchers from major research institutions and startups will talk about developments in flexible/printed/hybrid electronics including innovations in biological/electronics interfaces, via skin or neurons, and demonstrations of piezoelectric and better stretchable circuits. Emerging technologies for biosensors and human/machine skin interfaces Georgia Tech researchers will detail their electrical interface with human skin for wireless control of a remote-control car and a wheelchair by electrical signals from the body. They’ve developed a flexible elastomer skin patch patterned with thin film metal/polymer nanostructures made by CMOS processes, and metal pads compatible with conventional reflow soldering. Other Georgia Tech researchers will report their work on better cochlear implants made of encapsulated polymer printed with conductive microcoils for pulsed micro-magnetic stimulation that can focus more tightly on specific areas of auditory neurons. Seoul National University will introduce its flexible organic artificial nerves that can activate an insect’s leg muscle. Researchers there have devised a pressure sensor connected to a ring oscillator that converts the pressure signal into voltage pulses, which are then integrated by a transistor into a signal that replicates a post-synaptic current to communicate with the biological nerves.Epicore Biosystems will report on its advances in manufacturing and packaging technology that enable its skin-interface electronics and microfluidics systems in thin stretchable format to continuously monitor electrical, acoustic and biochemical signals. The technology is now entering commercial development with industrial partners. GE Global Research will update on its field testing of sweat-sensing devices to monitor hydration. Emerging technologies for piezoelectric actuators and improved stretchable sensors and circuits PARC will report on audio speakers made of PVD piezoelectric film on polyimide with inkjet-printed flexible hybrid operating circuits, and Novasentis will talk about its piezoelectric electroactive polymer for different kinds of vibrations for wristband notifications. UTC will share its learnings from deploying large numbers of stretchable flexible hybrid sensors conformably over large areas on aerospace and infrastructure assets to sense temperature, vibration, strain and damage for critical safety.The Air Force Research Lab reports promising results for stretchable circuits made with liquid metals, which maintain their high conductivity even when stretched. Silent Sensors will discuss its printed flexible manufacturing technology for low-cost, stretchable energy storage and piezoelectric energy harvesting for monitoring the condition of automobile tires.By Heidi Hoffman, senior director of technology community marketing, SEMI

Peel-and-stick simplicity isn’t just for adhesive bandages any more. IoT and flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) are bound to change hardware business models. And flexible displays will breathe life into any surface.These were among the insights foreshadowing the future of the FHE, electronic textiles, IoT, MEMS and sensors industries at the FLEX Japan and MEMS Sensors Forum Japan 2018. At the April event, organized by SEMI-FlexTech-MSIG, nearly 200 attendees shared their observations and lessons learned in the development of processes, products and applications. Presentations and discussions revealed these five takeaways.1. Expect the unexpected with FHE developmentFlexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) continues to shrink the size and weight of products, enabling new markets and concepts. “FHE takes printed electronics and adds ICs for getting performance out of the PE structure,” said Wilfried Bair of NextFlex, adding that “peel- and-stick electronic products are one example of unexpected new markets enabled by FHE capabilities.” One potential application is large peel-and-stick safety sensors adhered to buildings to warn of structural dangers.Another surprising turn: With new insights into OLED technology originally developed for flexible displays, Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) has devised an innovative medical diagnostic tool for markets such as biomedical and agricultural monitoring. The tool features an atmosphere-processable OLED component with a simplified OLED structure encapsulated in aluminum foil.2. IoT and FHE devices should change hardware business modelsThis is the standard business model for many new FHE products: develop a product, manufacture it, find customers and sell. FHE and IOT device developers were encouraged by Jam Kahn of Gemalto to consider flipping the script: During FHE product development, explore building an after-market revenue stream by controlling and mining the data for trends it reveals. Because of its data harvesting potential, IoT is an excellent emerging technology for this strategy.The “Experience Economy” could create 200 connectable items per person, generating strong revenue streams from the collection and analysis of massive amounts of sensor-generated data. The key is for the data to be actionable. That means hardware suppliers must extend their focus to software development. “A recent study of California investors found that by 2025, 60 percent of global business profits will be from data,“ noted Harri Kopola of VTT, who advised hardware producers to examine business models that produce continuous value by leveraging software. “With FHE, we are creating the path to digitization for non-digital industries, and these industries need complete solutions,” he said.Hardware provider Xenoma, for example, sells an electronic shirt with sensors for measuring muscle movements, heart rate and other health-related data. Xenoma’s Ichiro Amimori said the company offers its open-source software development kit for free under one condition: The developer must share the collection data with Xenoma. The idea is that the more data collected, the greater Xenoma’s ability to improve human health over the long term and achieve its long-term vision of alleviating disease.3. Roll-to-roll and sheet-to-sheet manufacturing will meet in the middleOne of the big advantages of flexible and printed electronics was its promise to enable the manufacturing of electronics on a roll-to-roll (R2R) process in atmospheric (or close) conditions, like newspaper, rather than one sheet at a time, as with displays or wafers. But as development of inks and interconnects progressed, along with the placement of discrete and thinned-die components and basic flexible substrates on a moving web, most research and development (R D) and limited-production runs moved to sheet-fed systems to control material costs for experiments and low-volume production. R D on printing electronics processes split into two camps: the simple printed components camp on R2R, and the camp backing more flexible hybrid electronics development on a sheet-by-sheet basis. But progress didn’t stop.Harri Kopola of VTT highlighted new R2R inspection and test capabilities in the VTT pilot line in Finland. R2R processing advances incorporate ideas from biology, chemistry, optics, optoelectronics, advanced inspection and test capability, illustrating the multidisciplinary nature of FHE. While accurate, high-speed, pick and place of thinned, bare die remains the domain of sheet-to-sheet manufacturing, look for more improvements in accuracy and speed.Another new manufacturing concept that turns business models on their heads – “minimal fabs” – focuses on creating limited-run equipment and processes that use 3D printing and do not require cleanrooms. With a relatively low cost of entry, the approach enables electronics to be produced affordably anywhere.4. Powering the IoT is a grand challengeThe requirement for edge devices to function without intervention for long periods raises hard questions about how to power the devices. Using organic photovoltaics (OPV) in textiles to harvest energy from light could be one solution, according to Kasimaesttro Sugino of the Suminoe Textile Technical Center. ULVAC’s answer to the IoT power issue are requirements for edge device micro-batteries to be environmentally benign, safe, flexible and compatible with semiconductor processing less than .1 mm in height. The micro-batteries must also feature a long life and support continuous power output, high power density, low self-discharge (over 10 years) and mass production, said Shunsuke Sasaki of ULVAC. The batteries are being built on silicon, glass and stainless steel with dry, thin-film vacuum processing. 5. Flexible displays bring any surface to lifeWith their durability, flexibility, low-cost processing and programmability, flexible displays can transform any surface into a content-rich display with messages that make lives healthier, simpler and safer.One example is FlexEnable’s organic thin-film transistor (OTFT), a device made possible not only by recent advances such as the ability to build organic material transistors on plastic and the increasing clarity of new film materials but by continuous manufacturing process improvements. These advances are improving switching times and the color and video capabilities of thin-film transistors while retaining their flexibility, low power consumption and communication capabilities. Simon Jone of FlexEnable gave the examples of wrapping a display around the blind spots of automobiles or replacing side-view mirrors with interior monitors showing feeds from an external camera, approaches that would improve safety while reducing wind drag and increasing fuel efficiency.E Ink’s reflective technology and flexible products are coming to market with a wider color spectrum. The company’s Michael McCreary said its designers are specifying the panels for innovative projects such as the exterior walls of the San Diego International Airport parking garage. Used to communicate with airport visitors, the installation is weather-proof, programmable and self-powered.