b'Look-AheadTHE SMALL, ORGANIC SCREENBy Ken SchnepfA thin, bendable organic material can be used as a component to make electronic devices that require a screen, a microprocessor or an interface, according to scientists at Australian National University.Lead researchers Ankur Sharma and associate professor Larry Lu say the technology could help cre-ate the next generation of ultrafast electronic chips, which promise to be much faster than current ones.We envision these organic ma-terials (to) have much higher pro- Jack Fox, ANUcessing capabilities that (would be)Above: Larry Lu (left) and providing the necessary hardwareAnkur Sharma were lead for next-generation optoelectron- researchers.ics/photonics devices, which wouldLeft: A sample is shown eventually be building blocks forof the organic material.computers controlling smart facto-ries and supply chains using (the) internet of things, said Sharma, lecturer and international education partnership coordinator at ANU. Jack Fox, ANUThe most important manufactur- in this material make it a contenderganic and inorganic elements. Now ing application is for flexible elec- for superfast electronic processorsthat the organic part of the material tronic devices/screens that can beand chips. We now have the perfecthas been improved, the inorganic made from the organic material. Itbuilding block to achieve flexible,component has been removed.could be attached to any workingnext-generation electronics. Its made fromjustcarbon and part/element in a manufacturingThe material is just 1 carbon atomhydrogen,Sharma said, which environment that previously couldthick, or 100 times thinner than awould mean devicescan bebiode-not have a screen, resulting in im- human hair, giving it the ability togradable or easilyrecyclable,thus proved efficiency and visual sharingbe bent into any shape. Researchersavoiding the tons of e-waste gen-of information. The material alsosaid this will lead to its application inerated by current-generation elec-could be used to make cellphonesflexible electronic devices. tronic devices.and other electronic devices. In 2018, the same team devel- He said the study is an impor-The research team was able tooped a material that combined or- tantstepand a demonstration of control the growth of a novel organictheimmensecapabilities of the ma-semiconductor material, preciselyabout the author terial. So far, it has been developed stacking one molecule over another. only at lab scale, not commercially.Conventional devices run on elec- Ken Schnepf is aSharma said the researchers dont tricity, Sharma said, but this mate- freelance writerhave a time frame for when the rial allows us to use light or photons,based in thematerial will be readily available, Chicago area. He which travel much faster. The inter- can be reached atthough three to five years might be esting properties we have [email protected]. possible.CTE44DECEMBER 2020LookAhead.indd 44 11/15/20 10:12 AM'