Technion points way to thin, flexible, organic screens

Prof. Yoav Eichen and Prof. Gadi Schuster have created new organic semiconductors.

1 March 05 17:12, Globes correspondent

Technion researchers Prof. Yoav Eichen of the Faculty of Chemistry, Prof. Nir Tessler of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Prof. Gadi Schuster of the Faculty of Biology have succeeded in creating in the laboratory new organic semiconductors based on a peptide structure (artificial proteins).

The researchers believe that, in the future, this breakthrough will enable the production of electronic grade organic materials. The Technion has issued a patent and has granted a license to an Israeli company that will develop the product.

The researchers used nature’s approach to create proteins (peptides) from the amino acids that are their building blocks. They then, in turn, used this to create new organic semiconductors in their laboratory.

The Technion researchers believe that this approach will lead to the creation of very exact materials, with a purity level suitable for use as active elements in electronics.

In their opinion, silicon will not disappear but today’s existing screens, including flat screens, will disappear. They will be replaced by thin, flexible screens that can be folded, and which will have color quality and a display refresh rate unlike any currently existing technology.

“Cooperation between us led to a new view of chemistry as seen through the eyes of the electrical engineer,” says Prof. Tessler. “We believe that in the near future, it will be possible to design and build organic materials with electronic activity by setting a sequence of various building blocks in peptides.”

This research is part of the activities of the Russell Berry Institute for Research in Nanotechnology at the Technion. Prof. Tessler and Prof. Eichen are active members of the Sarah and Moshe Zisapel Nano-Electronics Center.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on Tuesday, March 01, 2005