Semiconductors have long been a key driver across various fields, from smartphones to industrial machines, supporting digital transformation, improving efficiency and productivity, and driving exciting new consumer experiences.
So far, rigid silicon chips have dominated the semiconductor market. However, as innovators continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible, new flexible semiconductors based on advanced materials such as metal oxides or organic semiconductors are emerging as a complementary technology. They are paving the way for new use cases in different fields, from industry and healthcare to consumer electronics.
But what is the main difference? As ubiquitous intelligence becomes a reality, how do these complementary technologies measure up?
01
Rigid Semiconductors vs Flexible Semiconductors
Rigid silicon semiconductors excel in processing power, making them indispensable for high-performance tasks such as powering computers, smartphones, AI, and autonomous systems. They are designed for robustness and offer proven long-term reliability, which is essential for mission-critical applications where failure is not an option, such as aerospace, automotive, and telecommunications.
However, this performance comes at the cost of flexibility, both literally and figuratively. The long lead times and high costs associated with silicon chip production often result in overly complex specifications, creating chips that are usable for anything, rather than being tailored for specific tasks.
Of course, this makes perfect sense: if a chip might take months or even years to deliver, it should be made suitable for a wide range of use cases, regardless of the urgency of the demand. But for certain use cases, this is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. While silicon chips provide high performance, they are often costly and have a significant environmental impact.
What about form factor? Rigid semiconductors make perfect sense for structured, flat designs such as smartphones and computers. However, as the Internet of Things (IoT) becomes the Internet of Everything (IoE), an eagerly awaited new world where intelligence is directly embedded into everyday objects, flexibility opens up new opportunities to add intelligence almost anywhere.
Due to their light weight, thinness, and flexibility, flexible semiconductors can be seamlessly integrated into items with curved or irregular surfaces. They are directly embedded into packaging, often imperceptible to the touch. They do not take up product branding space, cannot be covered or replaced, and are durable enough to withstand the rigors of transportation. Moreover, they are relatively low-cost, making it possible to introduce intelligence on a large scale into mass-market products, providing insights where needed.
02
Internet of Everything
While rigid silicon chips will undoubtedly dominate high-power applications for the foreseeable future, flexible semiconductors introduce a new paradigm: the ability to add intelligence where it would be cost-prohibitive or even impossible for traditional electronic devices.
This is primarily due to their manufacturing process being more flexible than standard semiconductor production and the significant reduction in environmental overhead. It also allows for end-to-end production at a single site. As a result, production speed is dramatically faster—typically just a few weeks, compared to months for standard chip production.
The preparation process for rigid silicon semiconductors is highly complex, with hundreds of steps, many of which occur at extremely high temperatures. A large part of this involves preparing silicon ingots, which are sliced from the ingot before etching and cutting into chips. In contrast, flexible semiconductors using thin-film technology have only 30 process steps, most of which take place at temperatures below 200°C, and wafer preparation uses simple polyimide coatings.
Naturally, this streamlined process consumes less energy, water, and harmful chemicals, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of production. It also significantly lowers non-recurring engineering costs. These factors alone make this type of semiconductor more suitable for mass-market applications. However, another benefit of fast production is that it creates opportunities for quick and cost-effective customization.
03
Customizable Intelligence
Customizing rigid semiconductors can be both expensive and time-consuming, but it offers unmatched performance and efficiency.
In contrast, customizing flexible semiconductor designs is fast and straightforward. The designs are typically less complex and tailored to the specific application. To reduce costs, versatility, and adaptability, performance trade-offs are often acceptable. This makes the resulting chips particularly well-suited for application-specific workloads, especially in edge IoE use cases.
In fact, the potential of flexible chips is enormous. From smart labels on food packaging to monitor freshness, to flexible sensors embedded in sportswear to track biometrics, they make the future of seamlessly integrating electronics into the world around us possible.
Their flexible form factor makes them ideal for smart medical patches that are cost-effective and comfortable to wear. These can monitor wounds—alerting clinicians to signs of deterioration through moisture/leakage detection or changes in temperature, pressure, or pH—or detect irregular heartbeats that may signal more serious coronary events.
They are embedded in product packaging, facilitating smooth, interactive consumer experiences with just a tap of a smartphone. They are discreet and protected, enabling instant access to dynamic, personalized content that helps boost loyalty and makes every touchpoint a richer experience.
Looking ahead, they could provide new, powerful ways to interact with our environment, making monitoring, detection, and autonomous decision-making part of a sensor swarm—a cluster of interconnected sensors working together to collect large amounts of data in real time. Here, the applications are both diverse and impactful, ranging from tracking climate change and monitoring pollution levels to optimizing energy consumption or enhancing traffic management in smart city scenarios.
In virtual reality and augmented reality (VR/AR) applications, they could enable increasingly complex remote immersive and interactive experiences to be embedded into lighter, more affordable, user-friendly glasses and headsets, or even electronic skin.
They may even play a role in biocomputing, where microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technologies accomplish what historically required an entire laboratory. This innovation could increase the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of scientific research, but it could also democratize access to advanced diagnostic and analytical tools, potentially transforming global healthcare and other sectors.
04
Complementary Intelligence
In short, rigid semiconductors and flexible semiconductors play complementary yet equally valuable roles in our increasingly interconnected world. Flexible semiconductors will not replace rigid silicon chips. Instead, they will work alongside them, allowing innovators to choose the best chip for the task at hand.
By utilizing flexible chips to achieve low-cost, customizable intelligence, with advantages in fast production, carbon footprint, and form factor, we can free up carbon-heavy rigid silicon chips for workloads that require power and optimal general performance.
The future of electronics will be built on the strong credentials of rigid semiconductors and the low-cost agility of flexible semiconductors, providing innovators with limitless versatility and the ability to tackle design challenges, no matter the size.
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