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photodetectors

Si CMOS chip

carrier PCB

OLED

OLED Photodiodes Encapsulation

CMOS Chip

Capillary with flowing transparentfluid and reflecting particles

Fraunhofer research Institution for

organics, Materials and electronic

devices coMedd

Maria-Reiche-Str. 2

01109 Dresden

Contact

Ines Schedwill

Phone +49 351 8823-238

ines.schedwill@comedd.fraunhofer.de

Dr. Uwe Vogel

Phone +49 351 8823-282

uwe.vogel@comedd.fraunhofer.de

www.comedd.fraunhofer.de

Smart optoelectronic micro-SenSorS by oleD-on-cmoS

Introduction

Since the advent of silicon-based micro-

electronics the combination of circuitry and

embedded sensors, especially photodetec-

tors has been evident (e.g., CMOS camera

chips). However, there is a specific area

that cannot be covered by this technology

inherently due to the silicon bandgap – ef-

ficient photoemission. That application is

so far reserved by the III-V semiconductor

industry and prevents monolithic integra-

tion of light-emitting optoelectronic devices

into silicon processes, which are by far

most-widely employed in microsystems

manufacturing. Light-emitting components,

as commonly used in optoelectronic

sensors, have to be added in a hybrid way,

which increases cost and reduces reliability.

Now, for the first time organic-light

emitting diodes (OLED) promise to cross

that barrier: By embedding highly efficient

OLED layers onto silicon CMOS backplanes

monolithically integrated optoelectronic

silicon devices incorporating optical excita-

tion may be envisaged (OLED-on-CMOS).

Those can be designed as highly-integrated

micro-scale optical illumination and recep-

tion units on a smart single chip (adding

on-chip signal processing capabilities), by

single elements (e.g., OLED-photodiode

combination), in segments or arrays.

Perspective

A totally new device generation of

OLED-based optoelectronics is foreseen. By

integrating such highly efficient and stable

light sources onto CMOS and into micro-

systems for the first time monolithically

integrated optoelectronic components /

micro-devices with embedded illumination

become reality. This is achieved by highly

integrated micro-scale optical transmission

1 OLED-on-CMOS sensor test chip

by IPMS.

2 Particle flow sensor setup.

3 Feedback demonstrator.

oledcmos-e

1 2 3

and receiver units on a single chip, as single

elements, in segments or arrays.

OLED allow improving the integration

density:

� Monolithic OLED integration reduces

number of system components, lower-

ing size, weight and costs of the system

� Highly-precise optical adjustment of

OLED emitter towards detector area

allows tuned beam steering

� Arbitrary shaped and patterned OLED-

on-CMOS light sources allow new

approaches in dimensional sensors,

being impossible with current sources

(LED, lamps,…)

� Wafer-level integration of beam-steering

micro-optics

Further exploitation opportunities of OLED-

on-CMOS opto sensor technology beyond

the scope of this project can be expected,

e.g., single-chip reflection light barriers,

optical sensors requiring embedded

illumination (slope sensors, stray light sen-

sors, wave front sensors, single-chip optical

heads for 3D shape detection by patterned

illumination,…), lab-on-chip modules with

embedded microfluidics, excitation and

sensors, optical finger-print sensors, chip-

to-chip communication and OLED-based

print-heads. That shows the broad market

potential of this new technology and

devices in several areas beside biomedicine

and biotechnology (including pharmacy),

such as mechanical engineering, telecom-

munication, or automotive.

development offer

� OLED-on-CMOS device integration

� R&D in OLED-based integrated

optoelectronics

� Electronics design (backplane (integrated

circuitry / ASIC), control, interface,…)

� System design (sensor electronics (e.g.,

controller, RF-ID,…), packaging, module)

� Product development and qualification

� Pilot-production (small to medium

volume fabrication)

references

Zoom: BMBF/ 16SV2283

ISEMO: BMBF/D 16SV3682

achievements

� Bidirectional prototype device

� Brightness: >1000 cd / m²

� OLED efficiency: >15 cd / A

� Display resolution: 320 × 240 pixels

(QVGA) monochrome

� Camera resolution:

160 × 120 photo diodes

� Active matrix diagonal size: ca. 0.6˝

applications

Particle flow sensor

� OLED stripes for fluid illumination and 8

photodiodes

� Light reflection depending on local fluid

velocity and particle density

� Analyzing photocurrents and correlation

functions, the fluid particle velocity can

be calculated

optical inspection

� Patterned illumination and detection of

pattern distortion

� Dimensional optical measuring of

surface topology

opto-coupler

� OLED as embedded light source for

integrated opto-couplers (e.g., in drivers,

controllers,…)

4 Display and camera

demonstrator.

5 OLED-on-CMOS sensor test chip

by IPMS.

6 Feedback demonstrator.

5 6

4