Creating sustainable large-area electronics of the future
The need to tackle climate change is becoming more urgent, making sustainable manufacturing of goods a global concern. However, making all industries sustainable is difficult, especially high-tech sectors like the semiconductor industry. The latter, which is crucial for making electronic devices, has a significant environmental impact, with sizeable portion of a product鈥檚 carbon footprint incurred before it even leaves the factory.
- Research led by , Professor of Emerging Optoelectronics aims to make sustainable manufacturing a reality in high-tech industries, especially the environmentally impactful semiconductor sector.
- His work focuses on developing large-area electronics (LAEs), such as next generation displays, wearable electronics, and sensor for various emerging applications.
- Through his work he aims to address a major challenge in LAEs production: combining advanced functionality at reduced manufacturing and environmental costs.
- By looking at four research strands in parallel 鈥� each tackling a different aspect of LAE 鈥� he aims to make transformative advances that will pave the way for the sustainable electronics of the future.
High performing but costly
LEAs - unlike traditional electronics, which are typically manufactured on small and rigid substrates like silicon wafers 鈥� are made on much larger, often flexible, substrates. This means electronic components can be integrated into different surfaces and materials. Examples of LEAs include: TV sets; mobile phone and tablet screens that can bend or roll (Samsung's Galaxy Fold and LG's flexible OLED displays are good examples); wearable electronics like smart clothing, fitness trackers, and health monitoring devices; printed solar cells; and interactive displays used in e-readers like the Amazon Kindle, which mimic the appearance of ink on paper.
LAEs are an emerging field. However, their rapid growth brings challenges like the availability of essential materials, energy-efficient manufacturing, device performance, and product end-of-life solutions. One major challenge in producing LAEs is balancing the users鈥� desire for functionality with the need to reduce costs. To address this, LAEs are currently combined with silicon chips. However, while this supports functionality, it increases carbon emissions significantly.
Rethinking manufacturing
To tackle this issue, Thomas Anthopoulos with his team at The University of Manchester is undertaking fundamental research designed to rethink manufacturing methods. His goal is to look at the fundamental science and develop scalable and energy efficient techniques that can produce LAEs capable of seamlessly integrating with the existing electronics infrastructure, while enabling additional functionalities.
Addressing manufacturing bottlenecks
Building on previous research focused on LEAs, Professor Anthopoulos will look to advance LAEs by addressing crucial manufacturing bottlenecks such as the trade-off between high throughput production and high precision patterning. His approach comprises four research thrusts that aim to address these key aspects and include:
- Developing new patterning paradigms for scalable and sustainable production of LAEs.
- Demonstrating energy-efficient material growth methods.
- Exploring eco-friendly materials that are abundant.
- Demonstrate advanced LAEs that can interact with the existing electronic infrastructure.
Maximising impact
Delivering a paradigm shift in how LAEs with nanometre-size critical features are manufactured, is the core aim of this programme. By addressing the fundamental science, Professor Anthopoulos aims to deliver research that benefit the economy, academia, and society.
For industry, the outcome of this research has the potential to empower UK companies. For example, the global LAEs market is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years. This prediction, however, relies on the technology being adopted successfully in various emerging areas. Thus, access to innovative technologies can help UK companies remain frontrunners and capture this market, benefiting everyone involved.
In the academic world, Professor Anthopoulos鈥檚 approach will create new knowledge about sustainable electronics, encourage collaboration between different fields, advance sustainable electronics, train junior researchers, and attract top talent to the UK.
The program will also benefit the public. Sustainable production of LAEs will enable new electronic functions with minimal environmental impact, while easing society鈥檚 reliance on polluting silicon chips. These innovative technologies will create new possibilities in personal health, education, entertainment, among other, positively impacting society.
Professor Anthopoulos explains more about his approach. 鈥淚 am interested in fundamental research that has potential for practical applications. I very much enjoying approaching a problem from a different viewpoint and pursuing cross-disciplinary research is a key element of it. 91直播 has a rich history, with the isolation of graphene serving as a prime example of how a new perspective can lead to groundbreaking discoveries.鈥�
鈥淚 am also a firm believer in multidisciplinary collaboration; trying to increase the impact of my work by working with people with different expertise while learning new things. 91直播 has a strong reputation in large-area electronics, including flexible and printed electronics, advanced functional materials, and manufacturing. Crucially, we are home to unique facilities like the National Graphene Institute (NGI), the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials, and the Photon Science Institute, all located on campus, and all unique in the UK. Moreover, the university鈥檚 extensive partnerships with industry leaders offer additional opportunities for further collaborations, networking, and potential commercialization of promising research findings.
鈥淟ast but not least, the university has a global reputation in climate change, sustainability, and energy policy. This makes 91直播 the ideal place for my research, which at its very heart is aimed at making electronics of the future more sustainable and valuable to our society.鈥�
About Thomas Anthopoulos
Thomas Anthopoulos is Professor of Emerging Optoelectronics at The University of Manchester. He is recognised as a world-leading expert in the science and technology of large-area optoelectronics with ground-breaking contributions to the advancement of soluble organic and inorganic semiconductors. Recent examples include the development of printable Schottky diodes with record operating frequency (Nature Electronics 2020), rapid and scalable manufacturing methods for radio frequency diodes using light (Nature Communications 2022), and the development of record-efficient printed organic photovoltaics featuring self-assembled molecular interlayers (ACS Energy Letters 2020; Advanced Energy Materials 2022).
Related papers
The Photon Science Institute (PSI)
The PSI enables and catalyses world-leading science and innovation using the tools of cutting-edge photonics, spectroscopy, and imaging. Its lead pioneering research in photonic, electronic and quantum materials and devices, advanced instrumentation development, and BioPhotonics and bioanalytical spectroscopy.
To discuss this research further, contact Professor Anthopoulos at thomas.anthopoulos@manchester.ac.uk