Research in organic electronics has included advances in materials, devices, and processes. Device architectures, increasingly complex circuitry, reliable fabrication methods, and new semiconductors are enabling the incorporation of organic electronic components in products including OLED displays and flexible electronic paper.

Pentacene-based thin-film integrated circuits patterned only with polymeric shadow masks and powered by near-field coupling at radio frequencies of 125 kHz and above 6 MHz have been demonstrated. Sufficient amplitude modulation of the rf field was obtained to externally detect a clock signal generated by the integrated circuit. The circuits operate without the use of a diode rectification stage. This demonstration provides the basis for more sophisticated low-cost rf transponder circuitry using organic semiconductors.

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We present device results from polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) fabricated at a maximum temperature of 100 °C on polyester substrates. Critical to our success has been the development of a processing cluster tool containing chambers dedicated to laser crystallization, dopant deposition, and gate oxidation. Our TFT fabrication process integrates multiple steps in this tool, and uses the laser to crystallize deposited amorphous silicon as well as create heavily doped TFT source/drain regions. By combining laser crystallization and doping, a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition SiO2 layer for the gate dielectric, and postfabrication annealing at 150 °C, we have succeeded in fabricating TFTs with ION/IOFF ratios >5×105 and electron mobilities >40 cm2/V s on polyester substrates.

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A high-temperature pressure calibration technique using Sm-doped Y 3 Al 5 O 12 ͑Sm:YAG͒ crystal as the pressure calibrant has been developed by studying its Y1 through Y10 fluorescence peaks ͑frequencies from 15 600 to 17 200 cm Ϫ1 ͒ at pressures ͑p͒ from 1 bar to 19 GPa and temperatures ͑T͒ from 20 to 850°C in externally heated diamond anvil cells. The entire spectrum was fit to a sum of ten Lorentzians plus a linear background. The positions, relative intensities and widths were represented by empirical functions of p and T. Several fitting routines for p determination were created based on these dependences, and were tested on various high-p and high-T experimental Sm:YAG fluorescence spectra. The p values obtained from the fitting routines are compared with those obtained from the ruby and the nitrogen (N 2) vibron pressure scales. A fitting routine is proposed that can determine p from 20 to 850°C within an estimated uncertainty of 0.4 GPa.

Objective: To compare the coefficient of friction (CoF) of skin against fabric when the skin is covered with a liquid barrier film versus a silicone dressing, relative to a bare skin baseline.Approach: A laboratory instrument allowing the measurement of friction between two surfaces was used to compare the CoF between a fabric representing bed linen (100% cotton) and the skin of two laboratory operators, either bare (dry or hydrated) or covered with a liquid barrier film or a silicone dressing.Results: The CoF of hydrated skin was over twice the value found for dry skin. The liquid barrier film product reduced the CoF of hydrated skin to a greater extent than the silicone dressing.Innovation and Conclusion: Silicone dressings have recently been promoted to help prevent pressure ulcers. Published data have shown that their CoF is lower than other dressings, but the data were not compared to bare skin. We found that a liquid barrier film provided a greater reduction in the CoF of skin against linen than a silicone dressing. In the context of preventative use (e.g., application on intact skin) to reduce the risk of pressure ulcers, applying a liquid barrier film may reduce friction better than a silicone dressing.