SBIR Phase I: Amorphous Metal Nonlinear Resistor Applications for Liquid Crystal Display Backplanes

该小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目评估了非晶金属非线性电阻器作为转型显示技术的技术可行性。这项技术通过使用隧道电子技术挑战传统显示行业的智慧，通过创新材料实现，以简化有源矩阵液晶显示器背板。为实现增强的性能定义了一条新的路径，该路径超越了简单地增加过程复杂性以实现增量增益。非晶金属非线性电阻器没有半导体，比传统的基于薄膜晶体管的背板具有更少的工艺层，并且利用了固有的柔性非晶材料。这些品质通过解决晶体管稳定性和速度问题，并最终实现卷对卷背板制造的新途径，重新定义了成本与性能的期望。该项目将建立一种生产非晶金属非线性电阻器的工艺，该工艺与大批量显示器制造技术兼容。 同时，该项目将通过提高对实现和控制完全图案化结构中的Fowler-Nordhiem传导所需的材料和界面特性的理解来推进知识。该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力在于液晶显示器背板制造能源和成本降低。 非晶金属非线性电阻器技术具有更少的步骤，减少了显示器背板制造中使用的能量。 通过证明基于非晶金属的薄膜器件的稳定性和可靠性，这项技术将从根本上改变科学家和工程师用于设计显示应用以外的电子产品的传统材料套件。 试图改善有源矩阵液晶显示器性能的当前工业解决方案，低温多晶硅和非晶氧化物半导体薄膜晶体管只会增加制造复杂性和能量成本。 柔性玻璃基板上的显示器背板的卷对卷处理是显示器工业中提出的节约成本的倡议。非晶金属非线性电阻器技术通过实现柔性显示器背板的卷对卷生产，为显示器行业提供了进一步的商业利益。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project assesses the technical feasibility of the amorphous metal non-linear resistor as a transformational display technology. This technology challenges conventional display industry wisdom by using tunneling electronics, enabled through innovative materials, to simplify the active matrix liquid crystal display backplane. A new path is defined for realizing enhanced performance that goes beyond simply adding process complexity to achieve incremental gains. The amorphous metal non-linear resistor has no semiconductors, fewer process layers than traditional thin-film transistor based backplanes, and leverages inherently flexible amorphous materials. These qualities are allowing cost-to-performance expectations to be redefined by solving transistor stability and speed issues and by ultimately enabling a new path to roll-to-roll backplane manufacturing. The project will establish a process for producing amorphous metal non-linear resistors that is compatible with high-volume display manufacturing techniques. At the same time, the project will advance knowledge by developing an improved understanding of the materials and interface properties necessary for realizing and controlling Fowler-Nordhiem conduction in fully patterned structures.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is in liquid crystal display backplane manufacturing energy and cost reduction. Amorphous metal non-linear resistor technology, with fewer steps, reduces the energy used in display backplane fabrication. By proving the stability and reliability of amorphous metal based thin-film devices, this technology will fundamentally alter the traditional suite of materials that scientists and engineers use to design electronics beyond display applications. Current industry solutions that attempt to improve active-matrix-liquid-crystal display performance, e.g., low temperature polysilicon and amorphous oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors, only increase manufacturing complexity and energy costs. Roll-to-roll processing of display backplanes on flexible glass substrates is a proposed cost savings initiative in the display industry. Amorphous metal nonlinear resistor technology, offers further commercial benefit to the display industry through enabling roll-to-roll production of flexible display backplanes.