This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop cost-effective high-performance flexible radio frequency (RF) electronics based on a crystalline nanomembrane roll-to-roll printing process. Such flexible electronic systems can concurrently demonstrate high speed (>5 GHz), high reliability and high conformability/flexibility, with much simplified, high-yield, and low-cost material integration and assembly processes. Continuous roll-to-roll printing processes, which are commonly used for polymer and amorphous silicon based flexible electronics manufacturing, will be developed for crystalline semiconductors, which are typically batch processed on rigid substrates for high-performance miniaturized electronics. The broader/commercial impact of this project will be the potential to offer cost-effective, high-speed flexible/conformal electronics and integrated circuits at RF frequency, which are highly desirable for a wide range of market applications, including phased array antennas, conformal communication/surveillance systems, wearable electronics, high-performance flexible sensors, and high resolution/low power consumption flexible imaging/display systems. This technology is expected to bridge the gap between high-performance rigid electronics and low-cost flexible electronics, offering a unique product for high-speed flexible RF electronics. The roll-to-roll printing process will also enable scale-up production and manufacturing of crystalline semiconductor nanomembranes for cost-effective flexible RF electronics and photonics.
