University of Illinois Researchers Create First High-Yield Plastic Microprocessors That Cost Under a Penny Each

URBANA, Ill., June 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A team of researchers from The Grainger College of Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, in collaboration with flexible electronics manufacturer  PragmatIC Semiconductor, has developed  the first commercially viable flexible plastic microprocessor chips, called FlexiCores, that can help everyday objects - from bandages, packages and bottles - become "smart" and manufactured at scale for less than a penny per unit.

"You could put processors on bandages to detect whether a wound is healing or add them to consumer goods packaging to track progress along the supply chain," said Rakesh Kumar, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and researcher in the Coordinated Science Lab at UIUC. "The challenge has been creating a processor that can be both cheaply produced and flexible enough to fit snugly even against uneven surfaces on our body, packages or beer bottles."

To solve the problem, the team turned to plastic, instead of silicon, as the basis of the chips. FlexiCores are built on thin-film transistors made with the semiconductor indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), which works even when bent and is compatible with plastic.

"These chips combine the flexibility and cost benefits of plastic technology with the high yield and low bill of materials enabled by our architecture," Kumar said.

With this research, Kumar and his team are pioneering flexible electronics with new application frontiers. The research will be presented at the International Symposium on Computer Architecture later this month.

Read Full Story

Media Contact: Chelsea Hamilton, Associate Director of Communications, The Grainger College of Engineering |  clhamil@illinois.edu | 217-333-1474

Related Images






Image 1








Image 2: Blue Wafer



This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment


Featured Image for University of Illinois

Featured Image for University of Illinois
Featured Video
Jobs
Design Verification Engineer for Blockwork IT at Milpitas, California
Sr. Silicon Design Engineer for AMD at Santa Clara, California
CAD Engineer for Nvidia at Santa Clara, California
Senior Platform Software Engineer, AI Server - GPU for Nvidia at Santa Clara, California
GPU Design Verification Engineer for AMD at Santa Clara, California
Upcoming Events
SEMICON Europa 2024 at Messe München München Germany - Nov 12 - 15, 2024
DVCon Europe 2023 at Holiday Inn Munich – City Centre Munich Germany - Nov 14 - 15, 2024
SEMI MEMS & Imaging Sensors Summit, at International Conference Center Munich Germany - Nov 14, 2024
SEMI | MSIG MEMS & Imaging Sensors Summit at Munich Germany - Nov 14 - 15, 2024



© 2024 Internet Business Systems, Inc.
670 Aberdeen Way, Milpitas, CA 95035
+1 (408) 882-6554 — Contact Us, or visit our other sites:
AECCafe - Architectural Design and Engineering TechJobsCafe - Technical Jobs and Resumes GISCafe - Geographical Information Services  MCADCafe - Mechanical Design and Engineering ShareCG - Share Computer Graphic (CG) Animation, 3D Art and 3D Models
  Privacy PolicyAdvertise