SBIR Phase I: Hybrid Paper Electronics: Feasibility Study

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to introduce and establish the foundations of a new class of electronic products - ultra-thin electronic devices embedded in thin, flexible, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly substrates such as common paper. The ultra-thin embedded electronics offer superior cost, flexibility, reliability, and security characteristics relative to conventional flexible electronics. The most significant applicable market for such products in the near term is that for Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)-based devices. In 2014, shipments of passive RFID tags will approach 7 billion having a value of about $3.5 billion and an annual growth rate of about 25%. However, the application of the ultra-thin embedded electronics technology extends well beyond RFID. It encompasses both defense and commercial applications within the general category of flexible hybrid electronics. Examples of defense applications include wearable health monitors, disposable sensors, embedded sensors with communication capability for monitoring equipment and structural health, etc. Examples of commercial applications are counterfeit-proof 'smart' security, legal, and financial documents, wearable and disposable electronics, interactive media, and intelligent product packaging. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to study the feasibility of embedding ultra-thin electronic devices in thin flexible materials such as paper. Paper has been considered extensively as a substrate material for printed electronics. However, embedding ultra-thin, silicon-based flexible electronic devices inside paper during the paper making process has not been researched. Similarly, an extensive body of knowledge exists on the topic of device reliability. However, current research is almost entirely focused on the interconnection system between the chip and circuit board and on the situations where the entire device is subjected to cyclic thermal and/or mechanical stresses. Embedding hybrid electronic devices in thin flexible materials requires the semiconductor chips to be extremely thin, less than 50 microns and preferably about 20-25 microns thick. This is significantly thinner than the conventional chips. Still, no research has exclusively considered the survivability of such chips and the entire embedded electronic device under the stress and strain conditions typical for the paper making process. The results from this study will pave the path to developing ultra-thin electronic devices embedded in other thin flexible materials such as polymers, composites, and synthetic paper.