This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will develop advanced materials for printed electronics. Nanowires are favorable in printed electronics because their form factor supports high electron mobilities, while at the same time allowing extreme mechanical flexibility. The project will use a process that can deliver the performance required of the market at cost point and throughput needed to meet the need. Additionally, the technology is "green" - focused on making environmentally sound silicon and germanium nanowires. The project will further optimize nanowires for printed electronics and improve the process.
The boarder impact/commercial potential of this project will be a break development of advanced materials for the electronics market. The printed electronics market spans across several high value applications - from thin film transistors (TFT) for liquid crystal display (LCD) backplanes to radio frequency identification tags (RFID).
