A tech company LG recently demonstrated an 18-inch flexible screen which has given hope to make transparent, flexible transistors that could help bring roll-up smartphones with see-through displays and other bendable gadgets to consumers in just a few years.
The researchers developed inks that create patterns on ultrathin, transparent devices when exposed to light. This light sensitivity precludes the need for harsh substances or high temperatures
Yang Yang and colleagues note that transistors were traditionally made in a multi-step photolithography process, which used light to print a pattern onto a glass or wafer.
Yang said that the main application of their transistors was for next-generation displays, like OLED or LCD displays and their transistors were designed for simple manufacturing and they believed that this was an important step toward making flexible electronics widely accessible.
The study is published in the journal ACS Nano.
