WORKSHOP: Technological Challenges for Flexible, Light-weight, Low-cost and Scalable Organic Electronics and Photonics being held in Arlington, VA

近年来，由于众多研究小组在全球范围内的活动，有机和聚合物电子学和光子学领域取得了巨大的进步。在设备和应用领域以及在基本的化学、物理和材料科学问题上都取得了进展。这一领域的影响也将影响到许多邻近的学科，如纳米技术、传感器和光子学。该领域的增长令人印象深刻。第一批商业产品是基于感光薄膜的，这项业务现在的年销售额在数十亿美元的范围内。发光二极管(LED)和基于发光二极管的显示器已被引入市场，预计未来十年市场渗透率将大幅扩大。有机和聚合物LED的效率已经达到接近理论最大值的数字。在柔性衬底中结合了数百个器件的基于薄膜晶体管的电路和系统已经被展示。这些集成度足以用于射频识别标签等应用。晶体管还成功地与PDLC和电泳池等显示元件集成在一起，并用作化学传感器。光电二极管的量子效率已超过70%，太阳能电池的功率转换效率已超过3%。随着材料设计的改进，太阳能电池的效率有望提高。在理解电荷传输和发光的物理以及理解有机材料之间以及金属和有机物之间的界面方面，已经取得了重大进展。在合成新化合物和改进重要材料的合成程序方面继续取得进展。另一个有很大增长的领域是新的低成本制造工艺的使用，例如在实现各种有机设备方面。尽管取得了这些令人印象深刻的进展，但显然还需要做更多的研究。研讨会的主要目标是帮助确定该领域的未来。为此，将有一系列专家就关键问题发表演讲，并鼓励所有与会者在一系列小组中进行辩论和讨论。研讨会的会议记录将由小组组长撰写报告和讨论总结。研讨会还将对研究生教育产生影响。许多大学提供有机半导体一般领域的课程，讲习班将有助于确定这一领域的方向，以及为有机半导体领域的职业生涯再培训高科技工人。

The field of organic and polymeric electronics and photonics has progressed enormously in recent years as a result of worldwide activity in numerous research groups. Advances have been made both in the fields of devices and applications as well as in the underlying chemistry, physics, and materials science issues. The impact of this field will also influence many adjacent disciplines such as nanotechnology, sensors, and photonics.The growth of the field has been impressive. The first commercial products were based on photo-conductive films, a business now with annual sales in the multi-billion dollar range. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) and displays based on light emitting diodes have been introduced to the market and a large expansion in market penetration has been forecast in the next decade. Efficiencies of organic and polymeric LEDs have reached figures close to theoretical maxima. Thin-film transistor based circuits and systems incorporating several hundred devices in flexible substrates have been demonstrated. These levels of integration are sufficient for application such as radio frequency identification tags. Transistors have also been successfully integrated with display elements such as PDLCs and electrophoretic cells and used as chemical sensors. Photodiodes have been fabricated with quantum efficiencies in excess of 70% and solar cells with power conversion efficiencies more than 3% have been reported. Solar cell efficiencies are expected to increase with improvements in materials design. There have been major strides made in understanding the physics of charge transport and luminescence and in understanding interfaces between organic materials and also between metals and organics. There continue to be advances made in the synthesis of new compounds and in improved synthetic procedures of important materials. Another area that has seen a lot of growth is the use of novel low-cost fabrication procedures such as in the realization of a variety of organic devices.Despite this impressive set of advances, it is clear that more research needs to be done. The chief objective of the workshop is to help define the future of the field. This will be done by having a series of experts give talks on key subjects and also by encouraging debate and discussion amongst all participants in a series of panels. The proceedings of the workshop will be a set of reports and discussion summaries by group leaders.The workshop will also have an impact on graduate education. A large number of universities offer courses in the general area of organic semiconductors, and the workshop will help define directions in this area as well as in retraining high technology workers for careers in the organic semiconductor field.