Abstract

Large area thin-film electronic devices fabricated on rigid substrates, such as glass or transparent polymers, has lately been a major research focus for both industry and academia. However, the demand for flexible and stretchable devices is increasing due to the popularity of wearable or implantable devices for consumer electronics or medical applications. These types of devices necessitate the simultaneous combination of conformability, biocompatibility, ruggedness, and lightness over a large area. To this end, organic semiconductors offer a low-cost, flexible, lightweight, and chemically tunable alternative to inorganic semiconductors. Recently, researchers have demonstrated a multitude of basic electronic elements on 1 µm thick substrates, including thin-film transistors, light-emitting diodes, photovoltaics, and photodetectors - all based on organic semiconductors. Use of such thin substrates enables highly conformable and light devices that allowed us to envision and realize diverse applications that range from e-textiles to medical monitoring and analytical devices. In the near future, we believe that organic electronic devices integrated on thin substrates will enable many new and exciting electronic devices, especially in the fields of e-textiles and biomedicine.