Harish Subbaraman, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at Oregon State University, is pioneering a selective area metal deposition process designed to reduce costly material waste in electronics manufacturing. This method not only minimizes the use of expensive metals such as gold but also achieves smaller feature sizes than conventional additive printing. His technology is particularly relevant in non-planar structures like bendable phones and screens or wearable electronics like smart rings and watches.
Subbaraman plans to leverage the technology and expertise developed through OSU’s Advantage Accelerator to launch a spinout called AdLitho, which will focus on working directly with electronics manufacturers.
"Customer discovery in the Accelerate Program helped us see that people really care about solving this longstanding problem of material wastage. We want to show that we can mass manufacture across large areas to demonstrate that what we're doing is more efficient and cheaper than the existing processes," Subbaraman said.
This research contributes to the broader field of additive manufacturing for flexible electronics. By enabling non-planar, unobtrusive devices, the project aims to reduce form factors and support the development of sleeker, more integrated technologies.
In the coming months, Subbaraman and his team aim to demonstrate lab-scale specifications comparable to conventional technology and scale up. They have submitted a white paper to the National Science Foundation for potential seed funding and plan to involve undergraduate students in the fall to accelerate progress. While producers have proven that flexible chips are viable in future technology, Subbaraman believes that we are going to see these products in novel mainstream gadgets in the very near future, like clothing that can monitor heart rate, flexible screens, and smart packaging.