Conformal Semiconductor Circuits

Crossfield, together with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, intends to demonstrate an innovative conformal semiconductor circuit fabrication technique that uses metal structures fabricated on liquid crystal polymer (LCP) and active devices based on MIT’s Organic Thin Film Transistors (OTFT). MIT’s OTFT technology has the potential to be directly applied to a curved surface and the current state of the technology can be used to support many basic circuit elements such a voltage regulator, opamps, and low complexity digital functions. The more complex digital or higher performance RF/microwave devices will be packaged devices mounted on metal pads such that the finished conformal circuit employs existing semiconductor technologies for complex or high performance circuit elements while the remaining bias, voltage regularion or signal conditioning functions use conformally written OTFT devices. In addition, many distributed element RF structures such as antennas, filters, couplers, and lower performing active devices will employ a similar surface conforming fabrication technique. Crossfield intends to develop a millimeterwave sensor in Phase II to demonstrate the performance and cost advantages of this technique as applied to GPS denied guidance and navigation sensors.