Georgia Tech-COPE Distinguished Lecture: Takao Someya

The Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics welcomes University of Tokyo Professor Takao Someya lecturing on "Stretchable and Ultraflexible Electronics using Printed Organic Transistors" as part of its Distinguished Lecture Series.

Biography

Professor Takao Someya of the University of Tokyo is one of the world’s leading experts in large-area organic electronics and circuits. He has received a number of awards, most recently a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Prize (awarded in the presence of the Crown Prince of Japan), and the 1st Prize of the newly established German Innovation Award. He is a member of the board of directors of the U.S. Materials Research Society, one example among many of his constructive participation in professional societies and of his engagement in the international research community. On April 1, 2009, he occupied a new chair at the University of Tokyo that was created to promote multidisciplinary research.

His research ranges from physics to materials and processes to devices and circuits, which he crafts in innovative and unconventional configurations. He has demonstrated wireless power transfer (e.g. laptop charging from a grid embedded throughout a tabletop), the elements of electronic skin (e.g. demonstrating a robotic hand with sense of touch), and other visionary applications of large area electronics (such as a sheet of electronically programmable Braille). Soon to be seen is a “wearable ultrasound” fabric, such as for 24/7 fetal monitoring.

Abstract

Stretchable and Ultraflexible Electronics using Printed Organic Transistors

In view of the tremendous technical challenges for realizing next-generation information technology, organic semiconductors have attracted significant attention since the emerging electronics based on them have features that are complimentary to main stream electronics based on silicon. Thanks to the recent advent of organic transistors (FETs), the emergence of a new class of electronics makes full use of the unique features of organic semiconductors, such as the ultralow cost, low weight, and flexibility, is becoming more realistic. With this background, our group discerned that large-area circuits could be easily fabricated using organic transistors, which are essential for certain applications, and has developed large-area sensors and actuators using organic transistors. More accurately, we have integrated various types of sheet-type sensors and sheet-type actuators with organic transistors on plastic films and have demonstrated electronic artificial skin (E-skin), a sheet-type Braille display, a wireless power transmission sheet, and many other sheet-type devices.