KAUST develops screen-printing approach to foldable electronics

The researchers developed the method combining screen-printable composite and metallic inks. The devices can be mounted on various supports, including nonplanar surfaces, and the team believes they could enable many IoT (Internet of Things) applications.

Next-generation technology such as automotive radars for self-driving cars, smart buildings and wearable sensors will depend more heavily on the high-frequency millimetre-wave band, including 5G. 

To date, large-scale manufacturing approaches to making foldable electronics have focused on developing metallic inks and printing conductive patterns and have overlooked dielectric substrates.

Barriers to the use of substrates such as paper and some polymer films in foldable electronics include constraining and complex fabrication processes that cannot produce multi-layered or ultra-thin flexible devices. These substrates also have a dielectric loss that exceeds requirements for millimetre-wave devices.

KAUST produces full colour μLEDs

Led by Atif Shamim, the KAUST team now claims to have devised a composite ink composed of ceramic particles dispersed in the polymer acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS).