Semiconducter and OTFT specialists SmartKem have collaborated with researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University to develop a novel way to integrate organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) into microLED planes.
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Typically, the microLED plane would be placed directly on top of the matrix array due to microLED layers’ sensitivity to the high heat inherent to inorganic transistor materials. The approach developed by researchers, however, utilizes OTFTs’ lower temperature to enable placement directly on top of the microLED plane. This method, a type of organic-last integration (OLI), typically presents its own set of difficulties, which SmartKem and University researchers have addressed with their own solutions. These include utilizing a thick polymer layer to smooth the surface of the plane, as well as providing a metal shielding layer to prevent light from polluting the OTFTs.
The result of this technique is more stable, efficient microLED display with a high current and low leakage.
The collaboration has been published as a study in the journal Nature Communications.
