Transparent electronics is today one of the most advanced topics for a wide range of device applications. The key components are wide bandgap semiconductors, where oxides of different origins play an important role, not only as passive component but also as active component, similar to what is observed in conventional semiconductors like silicon. Transparent electronics has gained special attention during the last few years and is today established as one of the most promising technologies for leading the next generation of flat panel display due to its excellent electronic performance. In this paper the recent progress in n- and p-type oxide based thin-film transistors (TFT) is reviewed, with special emphasis on solution-processed and p-type, and the major milestones already achieved with this emerging and very promising technology are summarizeed. After a short introduction where the main advantages of these semiconductors are presented, as well as the industry expectations, the beautiful history of TFTs is revisited, including the main landmarks in the last 80 years, finishing by referring to some papers that have played an important role in shaping transparent electronics. Then, an overview is presented of state of the art n-type TFTs processed by physical vapour deposition methods, and finally one of the most exciting, promising, and low cost but powerful technologies is discussed: solution-processed oxide TFTs. Moreover, a more detailed focus analysis will be given concerning p-type oxide TFTs, mainly centred on two of the most promising semiconductor candidates: copper oxide and tin oxide. The most recent data related to the production of complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices based on n- and p-type oxide TFT is also be presented. The last topic of this review is devoted to some emerging applications, finalizing with the main conclusions. Related work that originated at CENIMAT|I3N during the last six years is included in more detail, which has led to the fabrication of high performance n- and p-type oxide transistors as well as the fabrication of CMOS devices with and on paper.

Oxide Semiconductor Thin‐Film Transistors: A Review of Recent Advances

Research into extreme water-repellent surfaces began many decades ago, although it was only relatively recently that the term superhydrophobicity appeared in literature Here we review the work on the preparation of superhydrophobic surfaces, with focus on the different techniques used and how they have developed over the years, with particular focus on the last two years We discuss the origins of water-repellent surfaces, examining how size and shape of surface features are used to control surface characteristics, in particular how techniques have progressed to form multi-scaled roughness to mimic the lotus leaf effect There are notable differences in the terminology used to describe the varying properties of water-repellent surfaces, so we suggest some key definitions

Progess in superhydrophobic surface development.

Capillarity and Wetting Phenomena: Drops, Bubbles, Pearls, Waves

Polymers have assumed the leading role as substrate materials for microfluidic devices in recent years. They offer a broad range of material parameters as well as material and surface chemical properties which enable microscopic design features that cannot be realised by any other class of materials. A similar range of fabrication technologies exist to generate microfluidic devices from these materials. This review will introduce the currently relevant microfabrication technologies such as replication methods like hot embossing, injection molding, microthermoforming and casting as well as photodefining methods like lithography and laser ablation for microfluidic systems and discuss academic and industrial considerations for their use. A section on back-end processing completes the overview.

Polymer microfabrication technologies for microfluidic systems

Superhydrophobic surfaces: From natural to biomimetic to functional

Plasma processing is used to fabricate super hydrophilic or super hydrophobic polymeric surfaces by means of O-2 plasma etching of two organic polymers, namely, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(ether ether ketone) (PEEK); a C4F8 plasma deposition follows O-2 plasma etching, if surface hydrophobization is desired. We demonstrate high aspect ratio pillars with height ranging from 16 nm to several micrometers depending oil the processing time, and contact angle (CA) close to 0 degrees after O-2-Plasma treatment or CA of 153 degrees (with CA hysteresis lower than 5 degrees) after fluorocarbon deposition. Super hydrophobic surfaces are robust and stable in time; in addition, aging of super hydrophilic surfaces is significantly retarded because of the beneficial effect of the nanotextured topography. The mechanisms responsible for the plasma-induced PMMA and PEEK surface nanotexturing are unveiled through intelligent experiments involving intentional modification of the reactor wall material and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, which is also used to study the surface chemical modification in the plasma. We prove that control of plasma nanotexture call be achieved by carefully choosing the reactor wall material.

Mechanisms of oxygen plasma nanotexturing of organic polymer surfaces: from stable super hydrophilic to super hydrophobic surfaces.

We present an environmentally friendly, rapid, no-rinse and mass-production amenable plasma process for the fabrication of super-hydrophobic (SH) poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) surfaces using only a one load/unload step in a low-pressure, high-density plasma reactor. First, oxygen plasma is applied to nanotexture the PMMA surface via etching processes leading to high aspect ratio (HAR) topography, with dual-roughness characteristics for short process durations, as evidenced by AFM analysis. The duration of the process may range from 1 min to several min depending on the roughness amplitude and on the degree of transparency desired. The significance of the ion-bombardment is revealed and discussed. After this first step, the gas chemistry is changed to a fluorocarbon one which leads to a few nanometres-thick Teflon-like film deposition, thus altering the PMMA surface chemistry within a few seconds. Following this process, a very large area (depending on the reactor scale) of the PMMA may become SH in less than 1.5 min (total process duration) with a transparency as desired (from fully transparent to milky and antireflective). The contact angles (CA) measured are approximately 152° with 5° hysteresis. For short process durations, the dual-roughness character of PMMA surfaces favours the SH formation, despite the low roughness factor. Furthermore, the dry and low-temperature character of the process ensures the intactness of PMMA's shape and bulk mechanical properties.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-4484/18/12/125304/pdf

Nanotextured super-hydrophobic transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) surfaces using high-density plasma processing

Optical and structural properties of copper oxide thin films grown by oxidation of metal layers

The design, fabrication and evaluation of a low-cost and low-power, continuous-flow microfluidic device for DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with integrated heating elements, on a commercially available thin polymeric substrate (Pyralux® Polyimide), is presented. The small thermal mass of the chip, in combination with the low thermal diffusivity of the polymeric substrate on which the heating elements reside, yields a low power consumption PCR chip with fast amplification rates. A flow-through μPCR device is designed and fabricated using flexible printed circuit (FPC) technology on a foot-print area of 8 cm × 6 cm with a meandering microchannel realized at a very small distance (50 μm) above 3 independently operating resistive (copper) serpentine microheaters, each one defining one of the three PCR temperature zones. The 145 cm-long microchannel is appropriately designed to cross the alternating temperature zones as many times as necessary for the DNA sample to perform 30 PCR cycles. Numerical computations lead the design so that there is no thermal crosstalk between the 3 zones of our chip and indicate excellent temperature uniformity in each zone. In addition, the total power consumption during the chip operation is calculated to be in the order of a few Watts, verified experimentally by means of thermal characterization of our heaters. Thermal camera measurements also verified the excellent temperature uniformity in the three thermal zones. An external, home-made temperature control system was utilized to maintain the heater temperatures in the designated values (±0.2 °C). The PCR chip was validated by a successful amplification of a 90 base-pairs DNA template of the mouse GAPDH housekeeping gene within 5 min.

All-plastic, low-power, disposable, continuous-flow PCR chip with integrated microheaters for rapid DNA amplification

In the present work we study thin films of copper oxide that were deposited by oxidation of copper thin films on silicon substrates in temperatures varying from 150 °C up to 450 °C. Copper films were deposited by vacuum evaporation and their thickness was estimated from the evaporated mass. X-rays diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that in the copper oxide films coexist two phases: CuO and Cu2O their proportion varying with oxidation temperature. At temperatures up to 225 °C Cu and Cu2O is formed while above this temperature CuO forms. Pure Cu2O was obtained at 225 °C while pure CuO above 350 °C. FTIR transmittance spectra confirmed the results from the XRD. The index of diffraction was calculated from spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements within the energy range 1 to 3 eV, which were analysed using the Forouhi-Bloomer model.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/10/1/045/pdf

Nikolaos Vourdas

Papers

Mechanisms of oxygen plasma nanotexturing of organic polymer surfaces: from stable super hydrophilic to super hydrophobic surfaces.

Nanotextured super-hydrophobic transparent poly(methyl methacrylate) surfaces using high-density plasma processing

Optical and structural properties of copper oxide thin films grown by oxidation of metal layers

All-plastic, low-power, disposable, continuous-flow PCR chip with integrated microheaters for rapid DNA amplification

Deposition and characterization of copper oxide thin films