IEEE Approves First Test Standard for Organic Ring Oscillators

July 8, 2006

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The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) approved the first standard for characterizing printed and organic transistor-based ring oscillators for timing applications in electronic displays, identification tags and other uses. The standard is intended to help accelerate the commercialization of these components. The IEEE has also begun to revise its base printed and organic field effect transistor (OFET) standard.

The new standard, IEEE 1620.1 - Standard for Test Methods for the Characterization of Organic Transistor-Based Ring Oscillators - creates uniform circuit testing procedures so results obtained at one research or manufacturing facility are reproducible elsewhere. It also sets standard reporting procedures for performance and associated data.

IEEE 1620.1 replaces diverse and often incompatible procedures used to evaluate organic ring oscillators in research, development, manufacturing and product validation. Its methods apply to all ring oscillators made from organic and printable semiconductors independent of the fabrication process. It considers many semiconductor measurement parameters as well as test design and layout and equipment platforms.

In addition, the IEEE is updating the first printed and organic electronics standard, IEEE 1620 - Standard for Test Methods for the Characterization of Organic Transistors and Materials. IEEE 1620 is the base OFET testing and reporting standard for characterizing printed and organic transistors and materials and for conveying the results.

This standard, which has gained increasing international prominence in research and development efforts since it was approved in 2004, is being revised to clarify issues identified during its use. Specifically, these issues involve procedures for characterizing transistor gate leakage, which have been found to give erroneous values for device performance in certain circumstances.

Printed and organic electronics promise to deliver economical circuitry for high-volume applications that are not commercially viable in silicon. Their flexibility, light weight and low cost suggest uses such as roll-up displays, smart cards, biometric sensors and radio frequency identification tags for applications that include monitoring inventories, checking out groceries and facility security.

Source: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE).