Flexible electronics for commercial and defense applications

Abstract

To date, there has been a strong consensus that U.S. flexible electronics technology and manufacturing efforts have demonstrated the potential for significant US-based job creation in small businesses to Fortune-500 companies. These jobs will impact across product supply chains, from raw materials production to retail sales of new devices. Flexible electronics is enabling a technology base that has the opportunity for the next high-tech manufacturing job creation. Early silicon CMOS manufacturing created high paying manufacturing jobs in US fabrication lines. Today, many of these jobs are moving to foreign Countries. Flexible electronics manufacturing approaches open the opportunity for innovative, low-cost fabrication techniques combining traditional US-strengths in plate-to-plate semiconductor manufacturing with roll-to-roll printing. Such approaches will enable mid-size companies to enter into manufacturing thereby broadening the job creation within the US. These innovative approaches to achieve the low-cost and high volume products will enable a US manufacturing dominance in an emerging Global industry. Future flexible electronics commercial and Defense Department applications include; wearable and medical sensors, structural monitoring devices, medical sensors, soft robotics, Internet of Things, and integrated array antennas on structures.