Innovations

State of the art

Flexible foil substrates with embedded standard silicon electronics are industrialized and already using in a large variety of products, technologies to implement flexibility also into the silicon dies are currently under investigation (e.g. EU funded SHIFT project) Organic electronics and specifically organic opto-electronics are currently a very popular research topic, covered both by universities and companies. The high intensity of research implies that the quality of organic opto-electronic devices will improve rapidly within the next years. Due to the freedom of shape, organic opto-electronic lighting has a clear advantage over other light sources. First stretchable substrate materials are available (e.g. Belgian-funded SWEET project or the EU-funded STELLA project). Opto-electronics are not yet integrated into these substrates, but merely implemented using different adaptation technologies.

Beyond State of the art

The focus of the proposed PLACE-it project is on integration of substrates and functionalities on foil, stretchable and fabric substrates. Simultaneously, advances in the individual substrate technologies will be pursued to assure:

that the critical research issues relevant to all of the technologies are being studied, and
that overlap of research in different substrate technologies is avoided and that optimal solutions are identified.

The advances of PLACE-it will be in:

knowing the merits of the foil, stretchable and fabric substrates and their structures
standardised interconnection technology to allow combinations of materials (non-existing today)
design freedom to pick and implement the building blocks of choice in the substrate of choice (non-existing today)
‘universal’ connector that supports a wide range of passive and active sensors and electronic components, and with housings that are suited to the three substrates
adaptation and improvement of the individual toolbox technologies (flexible foils, stretchable substrates, fabric substrates)
reliability, cleanability and biocompatibility of the substrate materials and integrated or surface mounted devices
development of universal test methods
conformable and functional systems

phototherapy bandage
smart bandage for renal function monitoring
automotive interior lighting

These devices with the targeted conformability do not exist today.