Fujifilm Announces Development of World’s fastest Organic CMOS Circuit For Multi-bit flexible Temperature Sensor
Fujifilm just published a press-release about world’s fastest organic CMOS circuit. They say they made “great strides towards mass production for a wide range of applications“.
I’m not sure if “wide range of applications” includes also digital cameras. The press release says something about “smart devices” – “high-speed organic CMOS [that allows to] build sophisticated integrated circuits using more than a few thousand transistors and enable direct communication between the temperature management electronic tag and the smart device”.
It also says that “digital signal processing with a large amount of data becomes possible“.
Fujifilm also talks about “temperature management“, which eventually might indicate that they could have fixed the overheating issue (if this press-release is really about the mythical organic sensor).
The press release is google translated, so if there is any Japanese speaking FR-reader willing to help to translate it better, feel free to share it in the comments.
But before I share the press-release (you can see it below – click READ MORE), here is a short organic sensor recap:
- June 2013: Fujifilm and Panasonic announced the organic sensor development
- June 2013: X-guru Rico Pfirstinger expected “actual digital cameras to feature this sensor design within 18-24 months from now”
- December 2014: Our sources told us here, that there is a crucial problem to be solved with the organic sensor: heat generation (and battery drain)
- December 2014: Top Fujifilm Managers confirmed, that the organic sensor is “still well ahead of us.”
- October 2015: 43rumors broke the rumor here, that it will still take a 2 or 3 years before the organic sensor will be ready for mass production.
- February 2016: Panasonic announced that, along with Fujifilm, they are developing an organic sensor with global shutter and impressive 123dB (!!!) dynamic range.
- February 2016: Fujifilm managment says: “We don’t have any specific plans of incorporating an organic sensor into our products at the moment, but yes we are observing the progress of this technology. As of today, there would be No benefits to using an organic sensor. Our X-Trans III sensor is superior to the currently available organic sensor.”
- March 2016: a source told us in March 2016 here, that the Global Shutter should find its way in the first cameras in 2018. But note that the source only said something about the global shutter, and not about the organic sensor.
- February 2017: Panasonic announces the world’s first organic CMOS image sensor with electrically controllable near-infrared light sensitivity. However, unlike in previous press-releases, this time Fujifilm isn’t mentioned.
Full Press Release (google translated) – Push READ MORE
World’s fastest Organic CMOS Circuit Realizes Multi-bit flexible Temperature Sensor
– Evolution as IoT device realizing advanced information management from box unit to individual item –
14th February 2017
FUJIFILM Corporation. Toppan Forms Co., Ltd. Osaka Prefectural Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. JNC Corporation. DENSO CORPORATION. Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd. Japan Electroplating Engineers Co., Ltd. PI CRYSTAL LTD. National University University of Tokyo
The group such as Fujifilm, Toppan Forms, Pai Crystal succeeded in further speeding up and integration of the organic semiconductor CMOS circuit which can be manufactured by printing in the NEDO project, and from the unique ID code and the temperature sensor stored inside the electronic tag It is now possible to greatly expand the amount of information acquired.
The world’s fastest organic CMOS circuit developed this time is all formed on a film substrate, and as a plastic electronic tag with a low cost temperature sensor function realizing IoT (Internet of Things), more advanced logistics management, health care etc. We made great strides towards mass production for a wide range of applications.
In addition, we plan to exhibit this result at the NEDO booth “nano tech 2017” to be held at Tokyo Big Sight from February 15th to 17th, 2017.
![[Photo]](http://fujifilm.jp/information/pack/images/articleImg/articlead_0452_img_01.jpg)
Fig. 1 Digital circuit and trial production tag of temperature management electronic tag composed of the world’s fastest organic CMOS circuit developed this time
![[Photo]](http://fujifilm.jp/information/pack/images/articleImg/articlead_0452_img_02.jpg)
Figure 2 Temperature Sensor Block with Organic A / D Converter Circuit
This result was obtained as a result of the strategic energy conservation technological innovation program of “New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)” National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (NEDO) “Development of plastic electronic tag using innovative high performance organic transistor” .
1. Results of this year
![[Photo]](http://fujifilm.jp/information/pack/images/articleImg/articlead_0452_img_03.jpg)
Fig. 3 Digital circuit (left) of temperature control electronic tag and high-speed logic operation waveform (right)
- ① Integration with world’s fastest organic CMOS
- Fujifilm and Pai Crystal Co., Ltd., Professor Takeya of the University of Tokyo developed a high mobility organic semiconductor CMOS circuit fabricated by “single crystal application” which applies a solution and makes it single crystal. In the high-speed operation of the organic CMOS flip-flop circuit of Fig. 3, the logic operation speed exceeds 0.5 MHz, achieving a speed which is one order of magnitude higher than the report of the same group so far. Furthermore, we developed a process to realize integration that does not rely on miniaturization from conventional methods by stacking p-type layer and n-type layer for this application type high-speed organic CMOS. With these new technologies, we can build sophisticated integrated circuits using more than a few thousand transistors and enable direct communication between the temperature management electronic tag and the smart device.
![[Photo]](http://fujifilm.jp/information/pack/images/articleImg/articlead_0452_img_04.jpg)
Figure 4 Organic A / D Converter Circuit for Reading the Temperature Sensor (Left) and the Manufactured Device (Top Right) and its Output Characteristics (Right Bottom)
- ② Flexible multibit organic A / D converter realizes temperature sensor reading
- The Osaka Prefectural Institute of Industrial Science and Technology has developed a flexible temperature sensor structure that can operate stably even in the refrigeration / freezing temperature range for logistics temperature monitoring. Also, in collaboration with PI CRYSTAL LTD., We can print multi-bit A / D converter which converts analog signal of temperature sensor to digital signal using organic CMOS flip-flop circuit with world’s fastest response speed in the world for the first time It was realized using semiconductors (Figure 4). By combining with the organic semiconductor CMOS circuit of ①, it is possible to construct RFID tag for temperature control which can perform contactless communication and realize usage for low cost temperature monitor such as physical distribution management and environmental management.
【Glossary】
* 1 An organic CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) circuit is a circuit in which thin film transistors using p-type and n-type organic semiconductors are integrated in an active layer. Efficient logic operation with low power consumption becomes possible.
* 2 Flip-flop circuit is a logic circuit for recording and holding logical information. Digital signal processing with a large amount of data becomes possible. In this case adopt D type.
2. Outline and purpose of NEDO project
![[Photo]](http://fujifilm.jp/information/pack/images/articleImg/articlead_0452_img_05.jpg)
Figure 5 Project Organization Chart
Fujifilm, Toppan Forms Corporation, Osaka Prefectural Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, JNC Corporation, DENSO CORPORATION, Tanaka Kikinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd., Japan Electroplating Engineers Ltd., Pai Crystal Corporation, National University corporation Tokyo We are implementing NEDO’s strategic energy-saving technological innovation program “Development of plastic electronic tags using innovative high-performance organic transistors” in a group composed of universities.
In this project, an organic semiconductor targeting a cost less than 1/10, a performance of 10 times or more, and a cost performance of 100 times or more than that of a conventional polycrystalline organic semiconductor device is formed easily and at low cost, and a commercial frequency We aim to realize an RFID tag with high-speed response capability that can be communicated with.
via fujifilm.jp