A new invention will reduce the cost of flexible gadgets. Free Technical Library News

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A new invention will reduce the cost of flexible gadgets

29.08.2013

A team of scientists at the University of Texas has demonstrated one of the most important components that could spark the explosion of flexible electronics: a graphene radio module that is fast enough to send, receive and process communications signals, reports Technology Review.

There are many applicants for the role of material for the manufacture of flexible electronic circuits, but they all have problems. Some materials do not allow you to make fast enough circuits, others do, but the cost of such components is too high for mass production.

According to Deji Akinwande, an electrical and computer engineer at the University of Texas at Austin, head of the project, scientists were able to find a way out using graphene transistors. "I think that now we can talk about flexible smartphones, tablets and other communication devices," he said.

Graphene is a two-dimensional lattice formed by a layer of carbon atoms one atom thick. This material has outstanding mechanical and electrical properties, making it a highly promising material for the microelectronics industry.

Scientists were able to place the parts of the radio module on a flexible polymer substrate and make them switch billions of times per second - at a frequency of 2,4 GHz for Bluetooth technology and 1 GHz for cellular communications. The maximum achieved frequency was 25 GHz.

Previously, researchers from other universities have tried to create flexible components without the use of graphene, but the production of such devices turned out to be costly.

Akinwande's team's main goal was to achieve the lowest possible cost of production. It was possible to do this due to a certain sequence in the manufacturing process. First, scientists formed the necessary structures - electrodes and transistor gates - on a plastic substrate, while simultaneously manufacturing large sheets of graphene on metal.

Graphene was then transferred onto a plastic substrate. At the last stage, the combined structure was covered with a waterproof layer. Akinwande explained that the cost-effectiveness of this method lies in the fact that the graphene itself does not have to be processed.

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