Enabling technologies for plastic displays

This paper demonstrates the state of critical technologies for the integration of Thin Film Transistors (TFTs) onto plastic substrates for display applications. The transistor technologies examined include polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, and organic semiconductor TFTs. Fundamental work in new regimes of operation enabled by plastic substrates, such as the effect of rolling and 3-D deformation are also developed, leading to design guidelines. Finally, printing approaches for organic semiconductors are shown to demonstrate potential paths towards roll-to-roll display manufacturing. Altogether, the results point toward the possibility of printing transistors anywhere and bending them into nearly any shape.