December 9, 2021
Keio University
A research group led by Naofusa Matsuhisa, a full-time lecturer in the Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University; Dr. Simiao Niu, a postdoctoral researcher (at the time of the research) in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University; and Professor Zhenan Bao has succeeded for the first time in the world in operating a soft and stretchable semiconductor device at a high frequency of 13.56 MHz (a frequency also used for contactless transit cards). The operating frequency of stretchable semiconductor devices has previously been limited to around 100 Hz, so this represents a dramatic performance improvement of 100,000 times.
Soft electronic devices, like thin rubber sheets, are expected to be used as next-generation wearable devices with excellent comfort, as they can be attached snugly to the skin. One of the major challenges has been the issue of power supply, but the high-frequency diode device from this research now enables wireless power transmission and communication. Furthermore, the electronic materials for stretchable semiconductors developed in this study can also be applied to sensors and light-emitting elements, which is expected to improve the overall performance of soft wearable devices, bringing them one step closer to practical application.
The results of this research were published in "Nature" on December 8, 2021.
Please see below for the full press release.