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

这个小型企业创新研究第一阶段项目评估了非晶态金属非线性电阻作为一种变革性显示技术的技术可行性。这项技术挑战了传统显示器行业的智慧，它使用隧道电子技术，通过创新材料来简化有源矩阵液晶显示器底板。为实现增强的性能定义了一条新的路径，它超越了简单地增加流程复杂性以实现增量收益。非晶态金属非线性电阻器没有半导体，工艺层比传统的薄膜晶体管背板少，并利用了固有的柔性非晶态材料。这些品质解决了晶体管稳定性和速度问题，并最终实现了一条卷筒式背板制造的新途径，从而重新定义了性价比预期。该项目将建立一种生产非晶态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。与此同时，该项目将通过提高对实现和控制全图案结构中的Fowler-Nordhiem导电所需的材料和界面属性的了解来提高知识。该项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是在液晶显示底板制造能源和成本降低方面。非晶态金属非线性电阻技术，步骤更少，降低了显示器背板制造所需的能量。通过证明非晶态金属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来设计显示应用以外的电子产品的传统材料套件。当前试图改善有源矩阵液晶显示性能的行业解决方案，例如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源成本。在柔性玻璃基板上对显示器背板进行卷曲加工是显示器行业中一项拟议的成本节约举措。非晶态金属非线性电阻技术，通过实现柔性显示背板的卷到卷生产，为显示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.