Developing Graphene Based Flexible Sensors – RF Flexible Electronics

Traditionally, graphene has been considered as a perfect candidate channel material for Radio Frequency (RF) flexible electronics. At IEMN-CNRS, Graphenea and Nokia, Scientists have recently demonstrated flexible graphene transistors with a record high cut-off frequency of 39 GHz.

The graphene devices, composed of flexible polymer substrates are stable against fatigue and bending of repeated flexing.

Driven by a potentially huge market for smart devices and wearables, flexible electronics has become a highly active research and application field. It is anticipated that in the near future people will be wearing recreation, medical and entertainment devices on their clothes, a goal which requires sensors to be positioned on numerous types of flexible supports. These devices and sensors will communicate with each other, which will need an additional layer of flexible RF electronics.

Graphene Field Effect Transistor

Transistors form the core building blocks of RF electronic components such as amplifiers and mixers, so a new generation of flexible RF transistors is the answer to enabling the smart devices and wearables markets.

Graphene, a strong, flexible, thin material with exceptionally high carrier mobility, is a perfect option for channel material for such types of transistors. Flexible graphene transistors are an active research direction but this latest work, published in the Nanoscale journal, shows a record high frequency by taking device fabrication to a new level.

Flexible graphene RF transistor (reproduced from Nanoscale 2016, 8, 14097-14103 with permission from The Royal Society of Chemistry).

Figure: Flexible graphene RF transistor (reproduced from Nanoscale 2016, 8, 14097-14103 with permission from The Royal Society of Chemistry).

The graphene field effect transistor (GFET) is developed from high-quality CVD grown graphene with a carrier mobility of ~2500 cm2 V-1 s-1 on a flexible Kapton substrate with a thin alumina dielectric spacer in the channel region.

The use of such optimized and advanced materials leads to stability against bending and a record high frequency performance. The GFET continues to function even after 1,000 bending cycles and can be flexed to a radius of 12 mm with a cut-off frequency change of up to 10%.

Lastly, the device is examined for thermal stability. Thermal stability is a key issue in flexible electronics, because of the poor thermal conductivity of the polymer substrates normally used in such devices. The Researchers demonstrate that at high voltage bias, the device heats up and performance worsens irreversibly.

Conclusion

This new research on flexible GFETs sets a new record for the bandwidth and at the same time shows that degradation typically seen in these devices at high bias is due to thermal deformation of the substrate.

As research in this direction progresses, it is becoming clear that flexible GFETs are going to be around for a long time and will serve as crucial building blocks of future wearable technology.

This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Graphenea.

For more information on this source, please visit Graphenea.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

  • APA

    Graphenea. (2018, September 10). Developing Graphene Based Flexible Sensors – RF Flexible Electronics. AZoSensors. Retrieved on December 01, 2024 from https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1324.

  • MLA

    Graphenea. "Developing Graphene Based Flexible Sensors – RF Flexible Electronics". AZoSensors. 01 December 2024. <https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1324>.

  • Chicago

    Graphenea. "Developing Graphene Based Flexible Sensors – RF Flexible Electronics". AZoSensors. https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1324. (accessed December 01, 2024).

  • Harvard

    Graphenea. 2018. Developing Graphene Based Flexible Sensors – RF Flexible Electronics. AZoSensors, viewed 01 December 2024, https://www.azosensors.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1324.

Tell Us What You Think

Do you have a review, update or anything you would like to add to this article?

Leave your feedback
Your comment type
Submit

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.