<LAIWG>

CIPS :: MIT Center for Integrated Photonic Systems

Large Area Optical & Electrical Integration Working Group

Topics/ Group Members

Prospectus

We are commencing the operation of the MIT CIPS working group that explores the application drivers, manufacturing processes, device and materials design for large area optical and electrical integration.

To date, large area optoelectronic integration has been dominated by flat-panel display applications, namely LCD and plasma displays. Further scaling of these and other large area technologies will be enabled by cost reduction in the rapid throughput roll-to-roll manufacturing or similar reproduction advances. At preset, roll-to-roll manufacturing is limited to applications requiring low pattern density such as flexible solar cells, batteries, antennas for RFID tags, and electronic paper. The true manufacturing revolution awaits development of a rapid, additive, high resolution patterning/deposition process, which enables integration of dissimilar material sets into an integrated optoelectronic platform. The working group will explore new applications drivers as well as robust manufacturing paradigms for large area integration. The working group is expected to provide a forum for interaction among university and industry, researchers and practitioners, representing different perspectives across the value chain, to accomplish the following goals:

Identify the applications that will drive the development of large area optoelectronic technologies, and the potential material sets compatible with the large area substrates;

Identify the large area optoelectronic manufacturing methods and integrated processes that enable high yield manufacturing;

Identify and examine potential barriers to technology deployment;

Develop consensus among stakeholders across the value chain on the nature of those barriers, including consideration of technology and business models;

Raise awareness of the barriers identified by working group consensus, through a series of "executive white papers" to be disseminated among the broader research and development community;
Facilitate solutions, through research and discussion among university, industry and practitioners.

Working group activities will be organized around a year-long monthly seminar series that addresses a set of pertinent topics. Each seminar will be followed by an in-depth discussion of the working group participants. The regular monthly interaction will allow for continued development of ideas, where by the end of the year the effort will generate comprehensive understanding of the Large Area Optical and Electronic Integration topic. Examples of the seminar topics include:

Patterned Materials over Large Areas

Techniques and limitations to accurate alignment over large areas

Active Devices on Large Substrates

Optical and electronic device adaptation to large area integration

Materials for Flexible Substrates

Passive and active materials limitations on flexible substrates

Roll-to-Roll Processing

Machine tooling, design, and process-flow for roll-to-roll processing

Fiber-Processing

Alternative substrates for large area processing

Process-flow for Large Area Device Integration

Process compatibility and design flow