Macroelectronics are flexible electronics that cover a large area.
The most visible example of macroelectronics is
flat-panel displays. Other emerging applications include
rollable display, printable
thin film solar cell and
electronic skin. Flat-panel displays fabricated on glass substrates are fragile so fabricating directly on flexible substrates, such as
polymer
A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...
s is being explored. Displays made on thin polymer substrates can be more rugged than glass. In September 2005,
Philips
Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), simply branded Philips, is a Dutch multinational health technology company that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, its world headquarters have been situated in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarter ...
Polymer Vision revealed the world's first prototype of a rollable electronic reader, which can unfold to a 5-inch display and roll back into a pocket-size (100×60×20 mm) device. Thin-film devices on flexible polymer substrates can lend themselves to low-cost fabrication process (i.e.,
roll-to-roll printing), resulting in lightweight, rugged and flexible macroelectronic products.
References
Electronics
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