| This dissertation presents the research efforts that deal with the development of polysilicon thin film transistors (TFTs) on stainless-steel-foil substrates, the implementation of high-resolution flexible active-matrix backplanes, and the integration of the flexible polysilicon TFT backplanes with polymer light-emitting diodes. This research investigated the preparation of the steel foil substrates, the fabrication of flexible polysilicon TFT backplanes and polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs), and the encapsulation of the flexible Active Matrix Polymer Light Emitting Diode displays.;The first successful integration of polysilicon TFT backplane with PLEDs onto light-weight, robust, and flexible stainless-steel-foil substrates is presented. A top-emitting, monochrome active-matrix polymer light-emitting diode (AM-PLED) display, having the VGA (640x480) format and a 230 dpi resolution, is demonstrated for the first time on flexible stainless-steel-foil substrates.;This work validates the compatibility of the polysilicon technology for high-resolution flexible AM-PLED displays. Furthermore, this work shows that a variety of other large-area microelectronics could also be implemented onto flexible metal foils, benefiting by the metal oil dimensional stability and ability to withstand high process temperature. In conclusion, the polysilicon TFT technology combining with metal-foil substrates opens up a new road for flexible displays as well as large-area flexible electronic applications. |
