Analogue Frontend Amplifiers for Bio-Potential Measurements Manufactured With a-IGZO TFTs on Flexible Substrate

Garripoli, Carmine; Steen, Jan‐Laurens P. J. van der; Torricelli, Fabrizio; Ghittorelli, Matteo; Roermund, Arthur van; Cantatore, Eugenio

doi:10.1109/jetcas.2016.2616723

Cited by 40 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Integrated sense amplifiers are beneficial for reading out different memory topologies in a rapid fashion, from LPROM to static random-access memory 52 , and in future could be used in non-volatile memory arrays embedded in TFT technologies. Large-area imaging backplanes require in-pixel 53 . The back-gate is capable of not only enabling multi-threshold voltage logic (as discussed earlier), but also improving the transconductance or the output resistance of the individual transistors.…”

Section: Analogue Circuitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The development of flexible integrated circuits based on thin-film transistors

2018

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T hin-film transistors (TFTs) are currently the dominant technology for in-pixel switches and drivers in flat-panel displays. Trends in consumer electronics demand ever-higher display resolution and brightness, lower power consumption, and new features and form factors (such as curved and foldable displays). This drives TFT devices to deliver more complex functions than simply switching. For example, recent bezel-less displays delegate the task of row selection to TFT circuits integrated next to the pixel array. Such driver circuits comprise thousands of switches operating together -previously a job for silicon chips mounted around the display.Beyond displays, how far can thin-film circuits go in terms of replacing silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) chips? Fig. 1 illustrates the key advantages of thin-film circuits on flexible substrates. The circuits can be fabricated on large substrates, thereby creating very thin, lightweight and ultra-flexible electronics 1,2 . Folding, rolling or crumpling such flexible circuits is possible without destroying the electronic functionality. Because of these properties, a flexible TFT-based microprocessor 3 (Fig. 1d) or thin-film near-field communication (NFC) tag (Fig. 1e) can, for example, be integrated imperceptibly into any object. TFT technologies also have considerable potential for fabrication on ultrathin stretchable substrates 4 that can be made porous to create breathable devices for contact with skin. With these features, thin-film integrated circuits (ICs) could be a game-changer for wearable electronics. Ultrathin, conformable ICs in the form of a tattoo could be used to monitor vital body parameters, communicating these parameters directly to a patient's smartphone or a medical database.In this Perspective, I discuss the potential of thin-film circuits on plastic substrates for the development of Internet of Things (IoT) and wearable applications. First I look at the different TFT technologies that can be realized on flexible substrates, and then discuss the impact TFT technology will have on circuit design at the level of digital logic gates and very-large-scale integration (VLSI) digital circuits. For the latter, I consider the use of thin-film ICs in the creation of low-cost radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags for everyday items. Flexible chips may initially be used to simply identify each item. Then, when the RFID chip is potentially replaced with a thinfilm NFC chip, standard smartphones and tablets equipped with NFC readers could identify objects and connect them to the cloud. Another advantage of thin-film IC technology is its potential to be combined with sensor or signage technology, thereby integrating more functionality into the objects, which is discussed in a section on analogue circuits. Finally, I will briefly examine the potential of silicon CMOS chip technology to be interfaced directly with TFT circuitry. TFT technologyThe development and optimization of transistor technologies are driven by four important figures of me...

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Section: Analogue Circuitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The development of flexible integrated circuits based on thin-film transistors

2018

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“…As in single-ended amplifiers, the performance of differential amplifiers can be improved using a dual-gate device structure. Novel single-stage differential amplifier architectures, based on dual-gate metal-oxide TFTs, were demonstrated by Garripoli et al [133]. Significant improvement of DC gain was achieved via positive feedback and enhanced-source degenerated loads.…”

Section: Unipolar Differential Amplifiersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, in order to increase the output resistance and thus the DC gain, Garripoli et al replaced the standard diode-connected load with a new load topology realised with a stack of three diode-connected transistors (M 7 -M 5 -M 3 and M 8 -M 6 -M 4 ) with a peculiar interconnection of the second gate electrodes (Figure 3.4d) [133]. The load output resistance at node A (a similar argument applies to node B) is dependent on the threshold modulation coefficient η (see Chapter 2), and its expression reads:…”

Section: Unipolar Differential Amplifiersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Besides organic technologies, the flexible electronics community has also investigated analogue platforms using metal-oxide semiconductors [6], [122], [123], [132], [133], [140]. This much more recent development (the first report on the subject was produced by Tai et al in 2012 [6]) is due to the later emergence of metal-oxide semiconductors.…”

Section: Semiconductorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Oxide-only amplifiers reported to date all resort to vacuumdeposited gate dielectrics (PECVD SiN x [6], PECVD SiO x [133] and ALD AlO x [122], [123], [132], [140]). The use of vacuum-processed dielectrics in these works can be understood as being the conventional choice of the metal-oxide community, in spite of the emergence of solution-processed inorganic dielectrics and the wide compatibility with polymer insulators (see Chapter 2).…”

Section: Dielectricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organic and Amorphous-Metal-Oxide Flexible Analogue Electronics

Pecunia

Fattori

Abdinia

et al. 2018

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Recent years have witnessed significant research efforts in flexible organic and amorphous-metal-oxide analogue electronics, in view of its formidable potential for applications such as smart sensor systems. This Element provides a comprehensive overview of this growing research area. After discussing the properties of organic and amorphous-metal-oxide technologies relevant to analogue circuits, this Element focuses on their application to two key circuit blocks: amplifiers and analogue-to-digital converters. The Element thus provides a fresh look at the evolution and immediate opportunities of the field, and identifies the remaining challenges for these technologies to become the platform of choice for flexible analogue electronics.

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