Tampere University researchers have developed a wearable highly unobtrusive low-cost e-tatoo enabling measurements of arterial pulse waves based on peizoelectric technology. This technology will be presented at the TechBlick conference on wearable sensors, e-textiles and printed electronics on 2 DEC 2022. This is a free-to-attend event online where you can network with 400+ attendees and visit 40+ booths. If interested please see agenda and register here www.TechBlick.com/wearables Slide 1: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of death in the world accounting for approximately 30 % (~17.9 million) of all deaths in 2016. Extrapolating from this, the size of the risk group in danger of developing potentially lethal CVDs is counted in hundreds of millions worldwide (US alone was estimated to have 82.6 million people with CVD in a 2010 study). Continuous arterial pulse wave (pw) monitoring has been recently suggested to monitor this immense risk group. However, at the moment there exists no solution that would combine the cost-effective fabrication, unobtrusiveness and accuracy of these devices. Slide 2: In our study, we developed a scalable and cost-effective printing-based fabrication method for an electronic tattoo (e-tattoo) type pw-sensor and investigated its accuracy in-depth using a reference device and multiple study subjects. The device is based on bar coated P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric layer sandwiched between inkjet-printed GOPS cross-linked PEDOT:PSS bottom/top electrode. The chosen materials are biocompatible, transparent and the overall thickness of the device (including the Parylene C substrate) is only ~4.2 µm which makes the device highly unobtrusive for the user. The thin form factor also enables the access to high bending mode sensitivity of the P(VDF-TrFE) during pw measurement. The use of piezoelectric transduction principle furthermore improves the energy efficiency of the device which is especially important in energy scarce on-skin application. Slide 3: The ferro-/piezoelectric performance of the ultra-thin P(VDF-TrFE) layer was optimized using GOPS cross-linked PEDOT:PSS. Compared to pristine PEDOT:PSS the remanent polarization value was increased by ~70% and coercive field decreased by ~34 percent. The probable cause for this improvement is the reduced leakage current when using cross-linked PEDOT:PSS electrodes which improves the efficiency of the poling step. The reduced leakage current is likely related to the improved chemical stability of the cross-linked PEDOT:PSS which prevents the electrode material leaching into the P(VDF-TrFE) layer. Initial leakage current analysis shows that the Poole-Frenkle type conduction (which is related to P(VD-TrFE) internal trap states) is absent for samples with cross-linked PEDOT:PSS electrodes. Slide 4: The ultra-thin form factor of the device enables us to access the high bending mode sensitivity of the P(VDF-TrFE) in pw measurement. To this end, the sensor was characterized in uniaxial bending on PET and multiaxial bending on various Youngs moduli soft elastomers (PDMS); the former characterization setup corresponds the situation where the e-tattoo sensor deforms freely with the skin on top of the artery without cuff while the latter setup corresponds to cuffed pw measurement. In both cases the maximum measured sensitivity was 1700 pC/N which is approx. 50 times higher than the normal mode sensitivity of P(VDF-TrFE) which is effective in the traditional applanation tonometry (sensor attached on rigid back plate and pressed against artery). FE-model was generated to verify the results. Slide 6. Cuffless and soft-elastomer cuffed pulse wave measurements were performed using the e-tattoo sensor. Comparison to reference device with n=7 test subjects shows that best match in pulse waveform derived clinically relevant radial augmentation index is achieved with soft elastomer cuff with intermediate Young’s modulus (1:10 PDMS) (p≈0.22 with all the test subjects, p≈0.81 with 5 measurements with no problems). Cuffless measurement is also possible with the e-tattoo sensor even though the experiment-to-experiment variation is significant due to challenges with the mechanical coupling of the sensor and sensor-to-sensor output impedance variations. Still, in the best cases, the cuffless measurement results in a very good match between the sensor and the reference device. This technology will be presented at the TechBlick conference on wearable sensors, e-textiles and printed electronics on 2 DEC 2022. This is a free-to-attend event online where you can network with 400+ attendees and visit 40+ booths. If interested please see agenda and register here www.TechBlick.com/wearables

Speaker: Carolina Gioscio | Company: Evonik | Date: 10-11 March 2021 | Full Presentation TAeTTOOz® is a new technology development from the strategic innovation unit of Evonik Operations. Based on redox-polymers, it allows for ultra-thin printed batteries that can be directly integrated into sensors and IoT devices. The new proprietary TAeTTOOz® technology enables new applications in the IoT field, promoting more accurate health monitoring, more efficient logistics and smarter infrastructure. Completely polymer-based, this new materials are environmentally benign and can be processed via printing technologies. This allows for a seamless integration of the battery into the production process, creating new dimensions of design freedom. Carolina Gioscio Marketing Manager Sustainable Solutions @ Evonik Creavis Bio As the Marketing Manager Sustainable Solutions at Creavis, the strategic innovation unit of Evonik, Carolina Gioscio brings her passion for developing strong relations to engage manufacturers and developers of IoT devices with TAeTTOOz® printable battery technology. With a MSc in Chemistry and a certificate in Business, Carolina holds over 15 years of experience in the field of specialty chemicals in different marketing and sales roles across regions in Asia, South America and Europe. Carolina Gioscio is the Marketing Manager at the Sustainable Solutions unit of Creavis, the strategic innovation unit of Evonik, where she brings her passion for developing strong relations to engage manufacturers of IoT devices with TAeTTOOz® printable battery technology. With a MSc in Chemistry and a certificate in Business, holds over 15 years of experience in specialty chemicals in different marketing, sales and business development roles in South America, Asia and Europe. Join TechBlick on an annual pass to join all live online conference or online version of onsite conference access library of on-demand talks (600 talks + PDFs) portfolio of expert led masterclass year-round platform https://www.techblick.com/ And do NOT miss our flagship event in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023 focused on Reshaping the Future of Electronics. This event attracts 550-600 participants from all the world and offers a superb ambience and dynamic exhibition floor. To learn more visit https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped To see feedback about previous event see https://www.techblick.com/events-agenda

Since advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) hit the auto market, reliable LiDAR and RADAR systems are crucial in the development of advanced self-driving vehicles. A significant challenge is to guarantee clear visibility even in the harshest environmental conditions. ATT advanced thermal technologies GmbH will present an excellent solution based on screen printing at TechBlick's event Free-to-Attend event on 2-DEC 2022. See agenda and sign up free here: https://www.techblick.com/PE-innovation-day To ensure visibility during winter, the RADAR & LiDAR sensor covers are currently equipped with wire based heating solutions. This state of the art solution comes with some technological challenges during the manufacturing process, causing significant scrap rates. The homogeneity of the sensor cover temperature is often inadequate and overheating or even burning issues have been detected. Since the required cooling air inlet of electrified vehicles is significantly smaller than that of a ICE car, large covers are used in the vehicle’s frontend to mimic characteristic air inlet designs by incorporating a decorative, opaque foil into the otherwise transparent cover. These grills house all types of sensors and cameras and thus, need to be heated to ensure a clear view of those devices, so a wire based heating system is added in addition to the decorative film. ATT advanced thermal technologies GmbH offers two alternative variants, both screen printed onto (transparent) polycarbonate foils, saving process costs with respect to the currently available embedded wire technology. 1) Instead of using wires, printed heating films based on silver are used This heating film is back moldable and transparent, and can be easily integrated in the back injection process, thus reducing the scrap rate significantly. Heating films are thermoformable, allowing complex geometries to be heated homogeneously. Patented connector technology comes with the heating film. High power density (up to 0.4 W/cm2) leads to improved deicing times, a 2 mm ice layer can be melted in less than 180 seconds Thin (starting from 175 μm) and transparent in the wavelength relevant for RADAR and LiDAR. 2): This technology features a PTC effect based on a combination of silver and carbon inks, enabling on-demand heating of the sensor cover. Due to PTC effect, heat is only applied to areas of the cover that show ice or snow accretion as well as fogging. The PTC effect enables significantly increased power densities, resulting in faster de-icing rates than any other solution currently available on the market. Transparency in relevant wavelength regimes Heating films are thermoformable High power density (up to 1,5 W/cm2) leads to improved deicing times (a 2 mm ice layer can be melted in less than 60 seconds). Hear ATT advanced thermal technologies GmbH at TechBlick's event free-to-attend event on 2-DEC 2022. See the agenda and sign up free https://www.techblick.com/PE-innovation-day

Contemporary electroencephalography (EEG) and surface electromyography (sEMG) are notoriously cumbersome. Using printed electronics, low-power electronics and data analysis tools the X-trodes system bring electrophysiology techniques to a new level: By eliminating the need to handle multiple electrodes, wires and amplification units electrophysiological monitoring can be achieved while maintaining electrode-skin stability, and user convenience during prolonged use (hours). The presentation will outline several important applications (focusing on sleep monitoring at home and facial muscles) and how each can benefit from the convergence of electrophysiology and novel skin electrophysiology. This technology will be presented at the TechBlick wearables conference on 2Dec2022. This is an online FREE-to-Attend conference. Check out the agenda and register here www.TechBlick.com/wearables Slide 1 shows the schematic of the device. Here, you can see the role of flexible printed electronics in enabling truely wearable electrodes (interfaces). Furthermore, you can also see the full electronic box, featuring miniaturized wireless electronics, data storage, cloud, automated data analysis, etc. This is a great example of developing a full read-to-deploy product. slide 2 show an application example. Here, the device, powered by BT with 10 hours of operation- can be comfortably worn by the user. This picture demonstrate the elegance of the design based on possibilities of printed flexible electronics as well as low power BT-powered electronics. Slide 3 shows examples of facial EMG showing how the signal pattern - caused by facial distortion - is different for each emotional expression. The final slide shows the signals in more details, demonstrating how this device can also be a tool in measuring and quantifiying the link between emotional states and physical facial expressions. This is an exciting technology which will be presented on 2 Dec 2022 at TechBlick's free-to-attend wearable conference. Check out the agenda and register here www.TechBlick.com/wearables

Dr. Yeo's group at Georgia Tech University is doing pioneering work on soft materials, flexible mechanics, nanomanufacturing, machine learning, and system packaging to develop intelligent soft wearable biosensors and bioelectronics. These systems combine soft stretchable flexible substrates and materials with rigid electronics, creating soft yet powerful electronic systems. The diversity of the research programme is fascinating. In slide one, you can see a selection of ongoing projects in Dr. Yeo's research group regarding the study of soft materials and development of soft biosensors and bioelectronics In slide 2, you can see a picture showing the comparison between a soft electronic system on fingers and conventional rigid wearables on the wrist. This Is where the true advantage of soft electronic systems shines! In slide 3 you can see examples of developed wearable bioelectronic systems. Here, one can see the combination of extreme stretchability, thinness, and rigid ICs and electronics. Dr. Yeo will present the latest developments at TechBlick's FREE-to-Attend event on 2-Dec. Check out the agenda and secure your place now www.TechBlick.com/wearables

Author: Marc Reuter | Panacol | marc.reuter@panacol.de When it comes to electronics, characteristics like bendability, flexibility, foldability and wearability become increasingly important. To produce functioning devices with those characteristics it is necessary that all device parts are flexible or bendable. Usually, the electronic parts, especially those mounted on PCBs or flexible PCBs, are connected by soldering. But solder materials are very rigid and inflexible. In addition, soldering temperatures of 600° to 700°F (316° - 371°C) are an increasing challenge for heat-sensitive modern electronic devices. Therefore, soldering to create conductive connections between the separate electronic parts is not an option for modern flexible electronic devices. Fig.: Bonding and creating an electrical connection in one step: Small chips are fixed to flexible tracks with a conductive connection. Conventional conductive adhesives were invented for this purpose, which already makes it possible to bond two electronic components on circuit boards without a major temperature stress. But these conventional adhesives must be applied on a hard surface, to create a high conductivity. For softer more flexible surfaces, like thin film solar cells, in-mold electronics or electronic wearables and flexible electronics in common, other ways of contacting need to be in place. For these applications a high flexibility of the whole device is often required. Epoxy-based flexible conductive adhesives are a smart alternative to bond and electrically connect components on flexible circuits in one single step. These new flexible conductive adhesives are as flexible as the materials they are applied on, and cure at low temperatures. These conductive epoxy adhesives are the perfect solution to flexibly connect modern electronic applications. The latest generation of electrically conductive adhesive systems are specially designed to meet the high requirements of the flexible electronic devices sector. These adhesives are particularly suitable for bonding with temperature-sensitive films or flexible PCB materials. They possess high peel strength and extreme vibration resistance. Flexible conductive adhesives allow component attachment with minimal temperature stress. These features result from the high flexibility of the adhesive systems themselves. Even with a silver content of 80 % and more, these adhesives show a significantly higher strain compared to brittle conventional adhesives. As shown in Fig. 2, typical tensile test results indicate that flexible conductive adhesives (here in orange) are minimally stressed, when strain is applied. In comparison, the brittle conventional conductive adhesives (blue graph) become severely stressed as more strain is added. The new adhesives can withstand vibration and bending loads without breaking. Fig 2.: Stress-strain diagram of brittle and flexible adhesive systems The behavior of a traditional conductive adhesive and a flexible conductive adhesive film are shown on a bendable substrate in Fig. 3. The two different adhesives were applied on a thin bendable copper foil and subsequently bent in a manner that might be required in a real flexible electronic device. When the foils were bent, the conventional, more brittle adhesive shows clear signs of breakage. In comparison, the flexible adhesive adapts to the movement and shape of the copper foil and remains completely unimpaired. Fig 3.: Comparison of bent foils with flexible and brittle electrically conductive adhesive Compared to other traditional conductive adhesives and solder, this new generation of flexible conductive adhesives provides additional important benefits. Flexible conductive adhesives show excellent adhesion to plastics, including polyimide, PC, PVC, ABS, and FR4 board. They can be applied in very thin layers and are lightweight. These flexible adhesives can be precisely dosed and applied quickly in high volumes for automated manufacturing, which makes them perfectly suitable for die attach applications and component assembly on flexible films and PCBs. A further advantage is the very easy handling and storage of these materials. These single-component adhesives can be dispensed, and cured within minutes at temperatures as low as 100°C. This makes it possible to bond semiconductors and create electrical connections at the same time. Furthermore, these flexible conductive adhesives only need to be cooled and not frozen during transport and are not classified as dangerous goods for transportation. Join us for a day full of leading-edge presentation and fantastic virtual engagement with 40+ exhibitors and 400 peers in TechBlick's unique environment. This event is free to attend but spaces are limited and will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. Register here

MicroLED displays have the triple-challenge of transferring millions of components that are vanishingly small with sub-micron precision. One way to achieve this is by using chemistry and the tools of microlithography, leveraging the processes used for nano-scale semiconductor fabrication. This apporach is developed by Terecircuits who will be presenting on 30 NOV - 1 DEC 2022 at TechBlick's MicroLED conference taking place live online. Here is the agenda www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Slide 1 shows one optimization: A deep UV light source is used to expose an entire carrier holding an epi-wafer of MicroLEDs, released and singulated onto the carrier via Laser Lift Off (LLO) or a chemical process. At the same time, a mask is positioned to selectively release only the MicroLEDs at the pixel pitch. In this way tens of thousands of components can be transferred in a single operation, preserving the accuracy of the die-to-die relationships from the fabrication pitch. Masks can also be used to depopulate know bad die and perform defect repair on existing assemblies. The design of the material which holds the MicroLEDs on the donor carrier is critical. This material needs to both hold the MicroLEDs securely without drift prior to release, then when activated by the Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) process, cleanly release and propel the dice towards the substrate without damage and with minimal or no residue. Slide 2 shows that Optimizing a Transfer Material to work with a mask (M-LIFT) means achieving an activation energy that is below the ablation threshold of the mask material. Most conventional transfer materials such as polyimides and thermosetting polymers are ablative materials which require large activation doses, leave residue, and are difficult to control. They typically require 500-800mJ/cm2 of energy (fluence) to activate, exceeding the mask ablation threshold by 10x. An ideal material decomposes cleanly while imparting a downward placement force to the component (enabling non-contact placement). It should also have minimal “edge effects” which can bleed into adjacent components, negatively affecting the accuracy of subsequent transfers. Besides facilitating the use of a mask which can provide true patterning without sophisticated optics, achieving lower fluence brings additional Cost of Ownership benefits to the entire transfer process. Lower energy will transfer significantly less damaging heat, and can potentially activate with low cost, highly reliable non-laser UV light sources. Low energy requirement also means a 10x larger surface area can be exposed for parallel release, or alternatively, a 10x smaller laser can be used to save costs. This reduction in tool complexity translates into lower maintenance costs and less downtime. This apporach is developed by Terecircuits who will be presenting on 30 NOV - 1 DEC 2022 at TechBlick's MicroLED conference taking place live online. Here is the agenda www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs

We highlight important advancements in MicroLED and/or QD displays in this article using technology slides. These advancements of the art will be presented at TechBlick’s 2-day global conference on “Mini- & Micro-LED Displays: Markets, Manufacturing Innovations, Applications, Promising Start-ups” taking place online in TechBlick’s ‘in-person virtual’ platform on 30 Nov - 1 Dec 2022. The agenda includes the likes of Samsung, Sharp, AUO, Coherent, ASMPT, Komori, CEA, Micledi, 3D Micromac, Allows Semiconductors, and many more. The full agenda can be seen here www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs What is the future market for microLEDs in terms of unit sales, application, chip type, and backplane? The slides below share some key forecasts and analyses by Jerry Kang from Omdia - one of the leading analysts in the field - who will present live online at TechBlick's microLED and QD event on 30Nov-1Dec www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Slide 1 shows that the microLED market will experience substantial growth in the coming years. In 2021, the sales were expected to be just 0.12k units, reflecting the lack of technology maturity and the manufacturing high cost/low yield. In 2029, the figure is expected to reach 12.7M units per area. This is a transformational growth, and yet still represents just 0.3% of the total FPD market! Slide 1 also shows the split of the market - in thousands of units - by application. The first to arrive were public displays owing to low technical barriers and much larger dies as well as ultra-low PPI. Premium TV have also arrived and will grow. Here, the superior performance of colour gamut, luminance, and contrast delivers value. Smartwatches will be a drive of unit sales, as here the small size and lower PPI translate to lower technical barriers. Slide 2 shows the evolution of the market by backplane technology. MicroLED on Silicon (on CMOS) is suited to high PPI AR or HUD devices. LTPS backplane is ideal for small and medium-sized applications like smartwatches due to the high mobility of LTPS but LTPS does not scale to large areas due to the ultra-large non-uniformity of p-Si. Oxide TFTs can be scaled to Gen8 whilst PCBs will be used for ultra large displays such as signage. Slide 2 also shows the forecast split by chip type. The on-wafer option means growing the uLED array directly on the epiwafer. Here, pixels can be very small but overall size is limited by wafer size (6-12inch). Flip chip means that microLEDs will have bottom electrodes so that they can be flip-chipa throughoutthe mounted onto the target substrate/backplane Join us on 30Nov-1 Dec 2022 to learn more about the technology and market for microLED and Qunatum dots. You will hear from a fantastic lineup of speakers including Samsung, AUO, Sharp, ST Micro, Omdia, Yole, Coherent, Allos, etc. Check out the agenda here www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs QD-Si Image Sensors- beating InGaAs and SiGe in the NIR and SWIR regions with 1.62-2.2um pixel pitch It took roughly 20 years of R&D to commercialize colloidal quantum dots (CQD) image sensors, which are the first commercial products in the marketplace to use CQDs in electro-active devices in contrast to all of the other current products that use CQDs in photoluminescence mode. First, why quantum dots? The particle size of PbS QDs can be tuned to absorb thoughout the SWIR region spanning from 1000nm to 2500nm. This is shown in slide below, showing also that these QDs can also absorb in the NIR, visible, and UV regions at the same time. Second, why quantum dots + silicon? Obviously, the most advanced imaging technology is based on silicon. However, silicon is not sensitive to NIR and SWIR. As such, InGaAs and SiGe sensors have taken hold of this market. However, they are often expensive and their heterogenous integration with silicon read-out circuity (ROIC) can add to complexity and limit pixel sizes/pitches although advances in Cu-Cu bonding may change this. As shown in the slide below, The QDs can be spin coated atop a 300mm silicon wafer. Single PbS QDs are formed into thin QD films with a ligand matrix. Out of this, a QF (quantum film) photodiode if formed with top and bottom electrodes (which must be transparent to a broad light spectrum). These QD photodiodes are formed atop the BEOL of a top-side illuminated image sensor. Cu vias are then used to connect the QD layer to the image sensor. In addition to bringing silicon image sensor technology to the NIR/SWIR spectrum, the QD technology can also enable 100% fill factor and help shrink a complex global shutter pixel (which otherwise would need a larger space for the photodiode) In this study, to be presented at TechBlick's Quantum Dot and microLED conference on 30Nov-1Dec, Jonathan Steckel from ST will outline the state-of-the-art, showing how 1.62-2.2um pixel pitches have been demonstrated on 300mm wafers. The quantum efficiency (QE) is >60% (940-1400nm) To learn more join Jonathan and many other world-class speakers on 30Nov-1Dec online in TechBlick's interactive and engagement platform visit here Mass Transfer of uLEDs: Overcoming dimensional/manufacturing variations with magnetic head/stamp tech microLED display technology requires massive parallel transfer technology. This is a complex technology as it is and will grow even more complex as displays with smaller dies and high PPIs are considered. This has been one of the frontiers of development in the uLED industry. Many parallel transfer approaches have been proposed. Most are based on a type of stamp which picks up the microLED dies from the growth substrate and transfers them onto the target substrates, placing them at the right spot. A critical challenge is how to overcome inevitable height and dimensional variations of uLEDs using standard elastomer-based microLED technology, which, if not managed properly, can adversely impact that all-important figure-of-merit: yield! LuxNour Technologies Inc. is proposing a novel approach based on electromagnetic stamps which can - as shown in slide 1- tolerate tens of σ in uLED variation! This increases yield and easeclose-up the pressure on exact control of the microLED dimensions during the growth. Join the specialist TechBlick conference on microLEDs on 30-Nov and 1-Dec to learn morewww.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Makarem Hussein in slide one shows the structure of such an electromagnetic head, containing a bulk electromagnetic at the back, a non-magnetic dielectric element in between, and a pattern of high permeability materials (e.g., Ni) and openings. The high permeability areas shield the bulk magnetic, preventing its flux from protruding out. In contrast, the openings represent discontinuities in the shield, allowing the EM force to penetrate out. Slide 2 shows a close up of the structure as well as the resultant magnetic flux In this approach, the microLEDs will also require a layer of metallization with a ferroelectric material. As shown in slide 2, when the magnetic field is on, the microLEDs - regardless of height variations - are picked up by EM force at the location of openings/discontinuities. When the field is off, the dies are released (or placed). Slide 3 shows an example of a 100mx100mm stamp on a 150mm Si wafer. Here, the high-permeability material is nickel. This stamp can handle 15um microLED dies with a spacing of just 7.5um. This is a very interesting technology with excellent potential. Of course, there is significant know-how and expertise and technology in EM stamp/head development (see patent: ). Furthermore, the microLED wafer manufacturers must adopt their metallization step to deposit a ferrous material. Makarem Hussein will join speakers from Samsung, Sharp, AUO, ST, Coherent and many others to discuss the present and future of microLED technology on 30 NOV - 2 Dec - see agenda here www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs MicroLEDs, printed electronics and laser printing? Holst has developed and advanced the so-called LIFT technology to enable even the laser transfer or laser printing of micro components such as microLEDs with high 1-um precision. In the first slide, you can see a comparison of the classical Laser Induced Forward Transfer (LIFT) vs the technique developed at Holst which is Volume-Controlled Laser Printing (VCLP). In LIFT, the laser illumination causes a jetting of low to medium-viscosity inks onto the acceptor or target substrate. This is not a young technology and some consider it the digitization of screen printing. In the example here you can see 200um dots of conductive paste printed with the LIFT process. The VCLP is different. Here, the laser releases fine droplets onto the target/acceptor substrate. Given the volume control, better resolution is accessible. The example herein shows 40um dots of highly viscous solder paste printed using VCLP technology. Note that here the high-throughput deposition of ultrafine interconnects, such as conductive adhesives and solder pastes, is from a structured carrier plate covered with a proprietary permanent release coating. An important feature of the VCLP technique is the control of heat flux. Without this laser printing can result in the blurred or poor definition. To manage the heat flux, Holst has developed a proprietary “permanent” stack for clean, fine interconnect printing. In the second slide, you can see the positive impact of this layer in achieving well-defined high-resolution laser printing. What is amazing is that not only inks and pastes (also adhesive and solders) can be printed, but also micro components such as microLED dies. In the schematic in slide 3, you can see the concepts. Here, the microLEDs sit on the proprietary “permanent” stack and are then laser released across the print gap onto the acceptor/target substrate. The dies can be <10um with a <5um dicing street. This technique can reach >10M UPH (units per hour) with 1um assembly accuracy. The final slide shows examples of mini as well as microLED transferred using this technique. The mini LEDs are 125x125x80 um3 and the microLEDs are 60x60x10 um3. These are incredible results and point towards a new high throughput laser printing technique able to print fine lines of inks as well as highly viscous pastes, and mini and micro components. To learn more join our microLED event online on 30NOV-1Dec where this technology will be presented Monolithic chip-scale integration of QD colour converters with GaN microLED chips Manufacturing in particular mass transfer and repair remain the biggest challenges in the realization of microLED displays. To simplify the process, many propose to transfer only the blue (or even a UV) LED and achieve RGB by depositing colour converters such as quantum dots. This requires an additional deposition step. But what if one could achieve chip-scale monolithic integration of QDs and GaN microLED chips? Indeed, Saphlux proposes just this and will present this on 30Nov-1Dec 2022 at TechBlick's microLED and QD event www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Saphlux has taken this approach one step further. Instead of post-transfer deposition of QDs, their technology enables chip-scale integration of quantum dots and microLEDs. In this technique, a nano-porous structure is directly formed inside LEDs to serve as a natural vessel for in-situ QD integration. The effective light path can be extended by nano-porous structure to boost the overall efficiency due to the strong scattering effect. The reliability of quantum dots is - it is claimed- also improved greatly because of the high thermal conductivity of gallium nitride material. Importantly, this technology claims to be able to integrate red, green, and blue pixels monolithically into a single chip to greatly reduce the complexity and cost of Micro-LED display manufacturing. In this technique, nanopores in LEDs can be created by dipping the material in an acidic solution and applying a bias voltage, which drives the electrochemical etching of n-type GaN. By adjusting the etching voltage, one can change both the porosity and the size of the nanopores. Then the blue LED are bonded with exposed nanopores GaN to a current-driver panel and red/green QDs are selectively loaded to achieve Micro-LED full-colour conversion. Saphlux will present this on 30Nov-1Dec 2022 at TechBlick's microLED and QD event www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Hybridization or monolithic integration of GaN microLEDs on Si CMOS drivers: technology review micro-LEDs can be directly integrated with CMOS drivers (instead of usual TFT backplane) enabling high-PPI displays suited to AR/MR glasses, metaverse, and even in some cases large-area displays. The key technological challenge for this is the hybridization and/or monolithic integration of GaN micro-LEDs and CMOS. This is no easy feat as it involves heterogenous hybridization or integration of two different material systems: GaN and Si. Over the years, several technologies have been proposed by companies and institutions to hybridize the two parts. They are ranging from hybridization techniques to full monolithic 3D integration. These options – explored over the last decade from 2011 to 2022- are depicted in the slide below, which offers a clear categorization of the techniques, e.g., hybridization vs monolithic integration, direct vs indirect bonding, align vs non-aligned, etc. In this presentation, François Templier from CEA-Leti will review these techniques and explain the challenges for their fabrication at TechBlick's specialist event on micro-LEDs on 30NOV-1Dec www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs. Some examples of solutions will be given, such as microtube technology and recent results with hybrid bonding. More info www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs R2R-grown GaN LEDs on metal foils instead of expensive sapphire wafers? R2R-grown GaN LEDs and perhaps even GaN/AlGaN HEMT transistors on metal foils instead of expensive small-area sapphire substrates? This could be a breakthrough technology, bringing robust and efficient inorganic LED technology to large areas. In microLED displays, it could mean monolithic integration, leading to mobile-sized and large displays manufactured without a wafer-to-substrate transfer step. As shown below, iBeam Materials is developing such technology. It first planarizes a rough metal foil and then uses an ion beam to form an nm-thick layer with aligned grains. This 'template' then acts as the growth substrate in lieu of, say, a sapphire wafer. As seen below, this technology has already been used to demonstrate a functional GaN LED as well as a GaN/AlGaN HEMT. In July 2021 (when the results were presented at TechBlick) the PL was up toR2R-grown 70% of normal LEDs. However, a direct comparison is not yet fair as the standard approach benefits from decades and decades of accumulated know-how and production expertise. Currently, the LEDs are still not done in a R2R fashion, although the 'template' can be R2R manufactured on 20"-wide substrate. The next step of development will involve demonstrating a R2R MOCVD GaN growth. The R2R production of the template is not the bottleneck, but the growth of a thick (5um or so) GaN LED Finally, Vladimir Matias argues that this technology has the potential to lower the cost of production by a factor x25. A detailed cost analysis is shown below, demonstrating the technical milestones which need to be achieved to enable this cost roadmap. To learn more about this talk and about microLED join TechBlick first-ever specialist event on microLEDs: www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs

Speaker: Richard Kirk | Company: PolyPhotonix | Date: 10-11 March 2021 | Full Presentation Bio Whilst Richard had an early career as a successful artist based in France he is now known for his pioneering work in material science and bio-photonic medical research. He has focused on biophotonic therapeutics to develop unique and novel approaches to the treatment of macular eye disease. The launch of the Noctura 400 Sleep Mask, a non-invasive and ground-breaking treatment for diabetic eye disease, has changed the paradigm of how this sight threatening disease is managed, it offers a cost-effective option for both late and early-stage prevention of this common but very serious complication of diabetes. Join TechBlick on an annual pass to join all live online conference or online version of onsite conference access library of on-demand talks (600 talks + PDFs) portfolio of expert led masterclass year-round platform https://www.techblick.com/ And do NOT miss our flagship event in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023 focused on Reshaping the Future of Electronics. This event attracts 550-600 participants from all the world and offers a superb ambience and dynamic exhibition floor. To learn more visit https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped To see feedback about previous event see https://www.techblick.com/events-agenda

Stretchable microLED displays without distortion? There are three significant hurdles in the commercialization of stretchable displays. First, the stretching of display panels inevitably accompanies image distortion and non-uniform deformation. Second, the conventional display substrate suffers from low stretchability. Third, the stretchable rubber substrate is incompatible with today’s display fabrication process due to its significant thermal expansion and low dimensional stability. Jae-Hyun Kim from KIMM (Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials) will present a solution at TechBlick's upcoming microLED event. Checkout the full agenda here www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs This talk presents a stretchable meta-display enabled by micro-LEDs to overcome the limitations of conventional stretchable displays. As shown in slide one, an auxetic metamaterial with a Poisson’s ratio of -1 and electric interconnections was designed as a substrate of the stretchable display for stretching without image distortion and with uniform deformation. A highly stretchable circuit board was realized using a polyimide substrate, a conventional display substrate for commercialized OLED flexible displays. As shown in slide two, the auxetic metamaterial consists of kirigami-cutting lines made by the UV laser. The structural stretchability of kirigami overcomes the low material stretchability of polyimide and reaches a panel stretchability larger than 20%. The polyimide substrate has excellent dimensional and thermal stability during the circuit board fabrication. As shown in slide three, a fully automated roll transfer machine for 4-inch panels was used to transfer micro-LEDs on the circuit board. The electrical interconnection between the micro-LEDs and the circuit board was secured by Tin-based eutectic solder. The scalability of the roll transfer technology was demonstrated by realizing two-inch, three-inch, and four-inch stretchable display panels, as shown in slide four.

We highlight important advancements in MicroLED and/or QD displays in this article using technology slides. More specifically, we cover 3600PPI “Silicon” Displays | Gravure printed microbumps | Electrohydrodynamically printed QD color converters | Laser LLO and Transfer for MicroLEDs | QD vs Phosphors | Energy saving credentials of MicroLED These advancements of the art will be presented at TechBlick’s 2-day global conference on “Mini- & Micro-LED Displays: Markets, Manufacturing Innovations, Applications, Promising Start-ups” taking place online in TechBlick’s ‘in-person virtual’ platform on 30 Nov - 1 Dec 2022. The agenda includes the likes of Samsung, Sharp, AUO, Coherent, ASMPT, Komori, CEA, Micledi, 3D Micromac, Allows Semiconductors, and many more. Full agenda can be seen here www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs. “Silicon” Displays with an incredible 3600ppifull color using microLED and QD technology? Sharp (HIRANO Yasuakie et al) has developed this technology. As shown in the slide below, first blue-only uLEDs are formed on a sapphire substrate. Here, one LED array contains 352 x 198 micro LED dies of 24 um x 8 um in size. In parallel, an LSI chip containing the driving circuitry is formed on a silicon wafer. Here, the cathode (N-type electrode) and anode (P-type electrode) are fabricated for each micro-LED die to apply driving voltage independently to each die. The Au bump electrodes are fabricated in accordance with the pitch of the LED dies. The two substrates are flip-chip bonded using Au-Au bonding. Here one can already see the parallel to the silicon and optoelectronic industry (vs. the traditional thin film display industry!). Next, the sapphire layer is removed via laser lift off. Finally, Cd-free quantum dots (green and red) are deposited atop the microLED dies to enable R G color conversion. This way one achieves RGB colors The device architecture is shown in slide 2- here one can see the location of GaN uLED dies, Au bumps, as well as light shielding walls and quantum dots (QDs). This way, a full color 1,053 ppi display is formed. However, given the small size of the emissive area of uLEDs, the brightness is low. An innovative solution here is to switch from individual driving cathode electrodes to a common one, thus freeing up more spaces for uLEDs. As shown in slide three, the light emission in one pixel was improved from 23% to 38%. As a result, brightness of 11 knits was achieved. This is an excellent progress. Of course, it is not the final game as even at 11 knits the brightness is not yet not sufficient for outdoor AR applications. Join us and your industry peers on 30 NOV – 1 DEC 2022 at our first-ever specialist microLED and QD event to hear more about this technology from Yasuakie-san et al: www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Gravure Printed Microbumps for MicroLEDs As microLEDs inevitably shrink in size, the micro-bumping requirements for the microLED dies becomes more challenging. Direct wafer-based printing based on gravure offset techniques offers a promising solution in this regard. Indeed, this is another field where printed electronics can play a role. Komori has recently achieved excellent results, which will be unveiled at TechBlick's upcoming microLED event on 30 Nov-1 Dec 2022: www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs As seen in the slides below, gravure printing can print microbumps printed using flux paste, achieving a printing precision of 5 µm within a range of 300 mm. The first slides show the precision of the printing position on a wafer. In particular, it compares it with screen printing, showing how gravure printing advances the fine feature printing capability w.r.t screen printing (+/-10 um although screen printing too can and will also advance) As shown in slide two, the minimum diameter that can be printed with SAC (Sn, Ag, Cu) solder paste is 6 μm and the distance between the centers of the bumps is 30 μm. Reflow has been successful with a minimum diameter of 10 µm. This way for example, a microLED die in the size of 30um by 50 or 80um can be supported. Furthermore, as shown in slide three, this technique also offers the possibility to control the thickness by printing several diameters. The smaller the bump diameter, the higher the aspect ratio. These are very nice results, showing the viability of gravure printing technique for microbumps. This technology can support current and near-term generations of microLEDs but will it evolve as microLED dies further shrink in the longer term? High-PPI RGB microLEDs, printed electronics, and quantum dots? The three themes are closely linked since QDs can be digitally printed as color conversation materials atop blue microLEDs to enable wide color gamut RGB uLED displays without requiring a separate transfer step for each color. Inkjet is the common technology investigated for such a purpose. As shown below by Prof.Armin Wedel, however, its 4pL droplet is too large, allowing at best a 40um pixel and not able to reach even 850 dpi Electrohydrodynamic printing (EHD) can however address this issue. In EHD, the droplets are pulled out by an electric field from a nozzle which sits close (50um or so) to the surface and thus requires a good printing facility. As shown below, the droplet volume is only 0.5pL, enabling 1-10um pixels in the lab and 15um reproducibly. This will enable one to achieve 850ppi and 1000ppi! Slide 2 shows an example of a QD color filter (QD-CF) for a microLED display deposited using EHDJet. Here, 15um pitch is reported, achieving 1000ppi. The roadmap will be to evolve the technology towards even 2000ppi! These are excellent advancements of the art and technology, paving the way for the development of high-PPI microLED technology Of course, EHDJet is a relatively new technology. It is mainly single-headjoin and slow, although multi-head print heads are emerging. Nonetheless, it is an elegant solution for depositing color filters on high-PPI microLED displays. To learn the latest about these technologies joint TechBlick's specialist event on microLEDs and Quantum Dots where Prof. Wedel will also present: www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Stable RoHS-compliant Cd-free QDs for microLEDs? This technology is required to simplify the manufacturing of microLEDs- this way one need not transfer R G B uLEDs but can only transfer the already efficient blue uLEDs and achieve RGB color via red and green QD color conversation. There are of course multiple material challenges including achieving Cd-free green and red QDs with (1) high enough thermal and light stability for direct integration into microLED chips, (2) high blue absorbance even at low thicknesses to prevent blue color leakage, (3)narrow FWHM and high QY, (4) low self excitation, etc QustomDot -spin off from Zeger Hens group at Ghent University- is making excellent progress in this field. They have a novel high-controlled synthesis process for InP based QDs. Last year, at TechBlick they shared some interesting stability data for QD integration in macro and thin film LEDs. These results are shown in the slides below. They show a clear pathway towards development of QDs for direct on-uLED integration The 500um thick QD level integrated on a macro LED shows >>300hours stability even under 1W/cm2, and a 100-150um QD thin film under 130mW/cm2 also shows >>1500 hours photostability in insert conditions These are results from last year. To hear the latest developments from QustomDot on QD-on-microLED please join TechBlick's microLED and QD event. Check the world-class agenda at www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs How are micro-, mini-, and traditional LEDs defined? Eric Virey - super analyst in the field Yole Group - prepared the below chart, showing the key differences between each. Traditional LEDs come in SMD or through-hole packages and the dies are typically 1mm or larger. This well-established application finds use in general lighting, automotive lighting, and LCD backlights. Min-LEDs are typically smaller than 200um in die size but larger than 50um, and come in SMD or CoB (chip-on-board) packages. They are currently commercial and find applications in LCD and keyboard backlights, narrow-pixel pitch LED direct view LEDs, and other sectors. In the LCD sector, they are suited to provide local dimining to imrpove contrast, making LCDs more like OLEDs on this feature. and micro-LEDs are very small, typically smaller than 50um. The size of the microLEDs is expected to shrink further as the technology progresses to reduce LED cost (more LEDs per wafer) and transfer cost/time (e.g., more LEDs transfered within the same stamp). Evidently each class of LEDs is very different in every sense from growth techniques to performance to application. Join TechBlick's microLED event to hear Eric and 30 other top-class speakers covering every aspects of microLED industry. www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs How lasers help in MicroLED display production? See slides below to learn. One of the biggest manufacturing challenges in uLED display production is the transfer step given the speed and yield requirements. As shown in the slides below by Oliver Haupt from Coherent Inc., lasers can play an important role in this step, both when all three colors (R G B) microLEDs and also when only blue microLEDs need to be transferred. The process flow for both cases is shown below. In case of RGB MicroLEDs, first a temporary carrier is attached to the sapphire substrate on which GaN uLEDs are grown. Laser Lift Off (LLO) is deployed to de-bond the sapphire substrate, releasing the carrier wafer with the detached GaN microLEDs. Next, controlled UV spots are used to release the individual microLEDs onto the final substrate holding the TFT active backplane layers. These process can be repeated three times, each time for a different uLED color. In all steps, of course, excellent and optimized control of the laser profile/parameters in harmony with the right adhesive material properties are required. In the case of blue-only microLEDs, the final backplane substrate is brought into contact with the GaN sapphire substrate. The GaN uLEDs transfer to the final substrate via the LLO process. Three color capability is then achieved by color conversation, e.g., QDs or small-sized phosphors The results show the example of microLED RGVB transfer. The parameters are shown in the slide including microLED size, pitch, laser energy density, donor-receiver distance, etc. It can be shown that a different color is transferred with each shot. Thus, in three shots all R G B microLEDs are placed at the right spot! As the subset in slide 2 shows, the laser can in each step/shot process an area of roughly 2.83cm2. To learn more join our world-class event on microLEDs and QDs where Coherent will also present this technology. More info onwww.TechBlick.com/microLEDs MicroLEDs: can they help overcome the energy gap in electronic devices? Why can microLED technology can help narrow the energy gap in electronic devices? @Khaled Ahmed from Intel Corporation offered a data-rich unique assessment at TechBlick's display event in 2021. The first slide shows the battery gap- Ahmed has collected data by year showing that power demand of phones far exceeds the power supply level of batteries, creating a "battery gap" which widens each year as more power-hungry features are added whilst battery technologies imporves only incrementally. Some 70% of power consumption of a mobile phone or tablet is by the display, showing its outsize importance in shrinking this gap. The second slide shows the improvements in the efficiency (lm/W) of 'released' OLED devices per year. The OLED efficiency has clearly plateaued in produced or released products. The backdot represents the projected potential of microLEDs, showing how the microLED technology can be a game changer. The third slide shows that there is a gap between EQE of laboratory OLEDs and that of released products. The origins are not clear but likely involve trade-offs neccessary in production and trade-offs between lifetime stability and EQE. The four side compares the efficiency of GaNw LEDs at various wavelenghts vs organic LEDs (from previous slides). It shows that GaN LEDs offer dramatically higher EQE levels compared to OLEDs at all wavelenghts except red. Indeed, there is a red efficiency gap in GaN microLED technology, the filling of which is the subject of intense global R&D This charts clearly demonstrate that while OLED technology seems to have plateaued and thus will not likely ever overcome the Battery Gap, the emerging microLED technology offers high promise to do us. Of course development and manufacturing of microLEDs involves other challenges such as rapid transfer as well as high-yield production which we will disucss elsewhere To learn more about microLED technologies, join the world's first ever specialist technology on the topic. Check out the world-class agenda at www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs Phosphors or QDs for color conversion in LCD and microLED ? Which will win? This is an interesting and evolving technology space to watch. James E. Murphy et al from GE Research have developed best-in class narrowband red and green phosphors, and are now evolving the technology towards microLEDs and on-chip integration The red KSF phosphor is an excellent narrow band color converter for wide color gamut displays. It emits 5 peaks, each of which exhibits an ultra narrow 5-nm FWHM. The main peak is centred around 631nm. It is a stable material under high light flux and high temperature conditions. Indeed, it can be on-chip integrated as a direct replacement for existing yellow phosphors. It is a major commercial success with >19 licensees and >40 BILLION (and growing) KFS-containing LEDs sold worldwide into the display industry. As the slide below, presented at TechBlick July 2021, shows, the KFS technology is evolving. At first in 2014, the average particle size was a 25-30um. It is now down to 3-9um and evolving towards sub-micron and even nano-sized particles, enabling direct integration with microLEDs of today and tomorrow! This is an important technology trend because it brings the QD vs phosphor competition even to the microLED space (previously QDs were the only game in town due to their small size) Furthermore, GE's KSF can now be formulated into air-stable inks based on encapsulant-free phosphors suitable for inkjet printing without nozzle clogging. It means that it can be even printed as a color converter atop microLED, in particular allowing one to use efficient blue microLEDs to create red color and/or only transfer a blue microLED color. James E. Murphy offers also an interesting comparison of Cd-free InP QDs vs KSF for microLEDs. It argues that at very thin films (<10um), QDs are more efficient. However, as the layer is thickened, perhaps to prevent blue color leakage, self-abosrption effects can kick-in, reducing the EQE. Thus, it is argued that KSF clearly wins at >20um thickness given that it has no self absorption Finally, here is lack of ultra narrowband green phosphors leaving the space open to QDs. In particular, green perovskite QDs are very strong in this field. However, GE is advancing the development of its narrow-band GREEN phosphors. As shown below, these materials enable 100% DCI-P3. The performance is comparable to Beta Sialon but without cross talk with a KSF red emittesr. Furthermore, it offers 100% HTHH stability, enabling direct on-chip integration. Finally, it apepars to have QE levels approach >90%. Of course, just like KFS, it has a slow PL decay time on the order of 90-450um (QD is ns) To learn more about QDs and microLEDs join TechBlick's event on 30NOV-1Dec: www.TechBlick.com/microLEDs

Speaker: Dave Rice | Company: TactoTek | Date: 10-11 March 2021 | Full Presentation Brands increasingly use electronic functions and styling to delight their customers and reflect their design language. However, conventional electronics assemblies often come with design constraints and integration challenges that limit innovation. TactoTek develops and licenses in-mold structural electronics (IMSE™) technologies that merge mechanics and electronics into smart molded structures. IMSE parts deliver electronic functions in light, thin, 3D structures that are economically mass produced and environmentally friendly. TactoTek will introduce IMSE technology, discuss functional capabilities and key processes for making IMSE parts. Dave Rice SVP Marketing & Business Development @ TactoTek Bio Dave Rice leads marketing and product management at TactoTek®. He has built a career of transforming technology innovation into high value solutions for electronics and software markets for start-ups and mature public companies. He and his team engage prospects to identify market needs aligned with TactoTek’s in-mold structural electronics (IMSE™) technology, help focus internal technology development and collaborate with ecosystem partners for a full product solution. Join TechBlick on an annual pass to join all live online conference or online version of onsite conference access library of on-demand talks (600 talks + PDFs) portfolio of expert led masterclass year-round platform https://www.techblick.com/ And do NOT miss our flagship event in Berlin on 17-18 OCT 2023 focused on Reshaping the Future of Electronics. This event attracts 550-600 participants from all the world and offers a superb ambience and dynamic exhibition floor. To learn more visit https://www.techblick.com/electronicsreshaped To see feedback about previous event see https://www.techblick.com/events-agenda