Electronic leather will only be practical if it is quite thin for almost invisible, and scientists may have just delivered the breakthrough. Stanford researchers have developed new techniques that produce “thin” transistors under 100 long nanometers. It was “several times” shorter than the best before, according to the University.
The team completed the achievement by overcoming obstacles lasting a long time in flexible tech. While 2D semiconductors’ are ideal, they need so much heat to make that they will melt flexible plastic. The new approach includes glass plated silicone with super thin semiconductor film (Molybdenum disulfide) overlay with nano-purut gold electrodes. This produces only three atoms with thick atoms using temperatures close to 1,500F – Conventional plastic substrates will change around 680F.
After the component has cooled, the team can apply the film to the substrate and take some “additional fabrication steps” to make the whole structure of about five microns thick, or one-tenth of human hair thickness. Even ideal for low power use, because it can handle high currents on low voltage.
There is more work to do. Researchers want to improve flexible technology and include wireless technology that will allow networks without large hardware. It also ignores the usual challenges with technology like this – the inventors need to find a way to mass produce this transistor at a reasonable price. If successful, this can cause very efficient e-skins, implants and other flexible devices that are almost invisible.