Light Emitting Diodes Scale

Thin polymer films have many possible technical applications. Transistors and light-emitting diodes are the obvious ones. In ultra-thin films, one may even approach an electronics of molecular dimension. Molecular electronics will be a future challenge for basic and applied science. Nature applies it on a large scale in the reaction centers of the photosynthetic process, where photoinduced mobile charges are separated in some analogy to the separation of the photo-(p-n)-pair in the junction zone of a semiconductor (see Section 13.3.1). 

In recent years much effort has been spent on the development of experimental techniques to grow well defined nanoscale materials, due to their possible applications in nanometric electronic devices. Indeed the creation of nanowire field effect transistors [128-132], nano-sensors [133,134], atomic scale light emitting diodes and lasers [135,136], has been made possible by the development of new techniques, which allow one to control the growth processes of nanotubes, nanowires and quantum dots. Of particular importance, among the different atomic scale systems experimentally studied, are... 

S.K. Mishra, P.K. Dasgupta, Capillary scale light emitting diode based multi-reflection absorbance detector, Anal. Chim. Acta 605 (2007) 166. 

Self-assembly is a demonstrated strategy to achieve interconnections and to constract tliree-dimensional circuits and stractures. Self-assembly of millimeter-scale polyhedra, with surfaces patterned with solder dots, and light-emitting diodes, generated electrically functional, three-dimensional networks. The patterns of dots and wues controlled the structure of the networks formed. Both parallel and serial connections were formed. This self-assembly mechanism may be suitable for generating other starctures for implantates and biosensors. 

The future will demand continuous processes that deliver fine-scale, intricate, precisely controlled structures. Indicators for this include the emerging technologies of flat-panel and flexible displays based on variable state encapsulates and on organic light-emitting diodes, and incipient developments of flexible nanoelectronics based on advanced polymers and colloids - all accompanied by visions of lower cost processing on flexible... 

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