to develop the process technology and know-how to produce amorphous silicon thin film transistors (a-Si TFTs) on a clear, high temperature-capable polymer foil substrate.

[...] organic substrates cannot withstand typical TFT semiconductor on [...]]]> The Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM) has been awarded a $1.7M R&D contract by the U.S. Display Consortium (USDC)

to develop the process technology and know-how to produce amorphous silicon thin film transistors (a-Si TFTs) on a clear, high temperature-capable polymer foil substrate.

[...] organic substrates cannot withstand typical TFT semiconductor on glass processing temperatures of >300°C. The Princeton program is based on a new type of clear, flexible polymer substrate that is capable of use at these “glass-like” processing temperatures.

The two-year program has several important milestones. For example, by the end of Year 1, a best effort will be made to demonstrate an electrophoretic test array and an OLED test array on the plastic substrate. [...]
The principal investigators, Wagner and PRISM director Dr. James Sturm, have been working on experimental substrates for some time and have made a-Si TFTs at 280° C with performance nearly identical to typical TFTs made on glass. Applied Materials’ subsidiary, AKT, will collaborate to investigate the scale up of these materials using industry-standard fabrication tools.