With the world still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the traditional approaches to business have been forced to change, including conferences. SEMI’s FLEX 2020 was one of the last conferences to be held before the global shutdown, and this year’s FLEX 2021 conference, which will begin Monday, Feb. 22, will be held virtually.

The event opens on Feb. 15, with the availability of 25 of the talks, which will form the basis of the discussion on the LIVE sessions beginning Feb. 22. On Feb. 22, all 70 technical presentations, plus 25 student poster presentations, all are posted to the ON Demand section of the platform.

SEMI has put together a terrific conference, with four LIVE days complete with keynote talks, panels, TechTALKS, student posters and networking opportunities. Also, there will be a virtual trade show.

Melissa Grupen-Shemansky, CTO of SEMI, said that the planning that has gone into this year’s conference has been exceptional.

“As far as attendance it is hard to say, but the committee has been tremendous – members have been all hands in and have quality speakers joining up,” said Grupen-Shemansky. “The mission this year for FLEX is more on the R&D side of things, as attendes explicitly come to hear the latest breakthroughs.”

Heidi Hoffman, senior director, marketing and communications for SEMI, said that there are a number of innovations in store for this year’s FLEX, which is the 20th anniversary of the show. One innovation is the approach to virtual booths.

“The first half hour of each LIVE day will be a keynote talk, followed by panel sessions and ourTechTALKS, Hoffman said. “We are trying a topical approach to booths that will focus on educational opportunities. Our platform allows attendees to connect with companies through a video call during conference hours.”

Grupen-Shemansky said that healthcare is a promising opportunity for flexible hybrid electronics (FHE).

“We think FHE will emerge in more high volume healthcare apps, and I think automotive will be next,” added Grupen-Shemansky. “There are some absolutely phenomenal apps in healthcare. It is opening up such possibilities.”

Gity Samadi, R&D manager for SEMI, said that wearables, automotive, communications, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) and displays are among the areas being covered.

“We are closer to making new products through our public-private partnerships – building up ecosystems with materials through fully integrated systems. We will soon see more end products,” Samadi added.

Sustainability will be an important focus for 2021 FLEX.

“I think that sustainability is really quite promising,” Grupen-Shemansky said. “FHE brings together semiconductors, additive manufacturing processing and printing, which reduced that waste stream. It reduces the use of water and power. We are also trying to develop interest in making semiconductors more recyclable and less hazardous.”

“Wearables is one of my favorites,” Samadi observed. “Sustainability is an area we want to introduce. FHE is a nascent technology and we can look at sustainability from the beginning. We are also focusing on the latest greatest high density energy batteries as well as sustainable power.”

The schedule is:

• Monday, Feb. 22: Flexible Hybrid Electronics Systems

Co-moderators: Ben Leever, technical director US Air Force Research Laboratory, and Scott Miller of NextFlex

• 8:00-8:30 a.m. Keynote: Ana Claudia Arias, University of California, Berkeley

• 8:35-9:30 a.m. – FHE Systems Panel Discussion

• 9:30-10:00 a.m. – TechTALKS

• 10:00 a.m. – noon – Networking

• On-Demand Sessions

• Alertgy Technology for Virus Screening

• Interaction of Process-Parameters and Realized Properties of Additively Printed Z-axis Interconnects in Multilayer Circuits

• Wearable ECG Monitor with Capacitively-Coupled Electrodes

• Next-Generation Simulator for Flexible Electronics Design

• Wireless, Nanomembrane Soft Electronics for Continuous Stress Monitoring and Management Practice in Daily Life

• How to Make Wearables Bearable

• FHE Design: Reducing Time to Market

• Printed Electronics for Supply Chain Security

• Flexible Circuit Testing Methodologies

• Flexible, Sensorized Glove for Force Sensitive Measurements

• FHE Device Encapsulation and Overmold: Application-Responsive Encapsulation Processes for FHE Devices

• Superhydrophobic Encapsulants for FHE Devices

• Optical Angular Scatterometry 8.0-kHz for In-line Nano-Manufacturing

• Optimization of Inkjet Printing for FHEs

• 3D-printed Wearables & Sensing Robot Systems

• Microchip Assembly Printer

• Sustainment in Electronics – Leveraging Future 3D Hybrid Electronics Manufacturing for Munitions Applications

• Tuesday, Feb. 23: Materials Processing

Co-moderators: Mark Poliks, Empire Innovation Professor Binghamton University, and Stephen Farias, chief science officer, Materic

• 8:00-8:30 a.m. Keynote: Safety and Stewardship as Elements of Success With Advanced Materials – Charles Geraci, Jr., Ph.D., CIH, FAIHA, NIOSH

• 8:35-9:30 a.m. – Materials Processing Panel Discussion

• 9:30-10:00 a.m. – TechTALKS

• 10:00 a.m. – noon – Networking

• On-Demand Sessions

• Roll-to-Roll Laser Processing of Flexible Devices

• P-Type Thin Film Oxide Semiconductors for Thin-Film Transistor-Based CMOS Logic

• The Inflated Performance of Printed Flexible Electronics—The Evolution From Uniaxial to Biaxial Stretch Testing of Flexible Inks

• Broadband Flash Lamps to Achieve Non-Equilibrium Soldering and Assembly Over Wide area Using Conventional Solder Alloys

• All-Printed Conformal Cu High-Temperature Sensor Electronics

• Reactive Laser Additive Manufacturing of Multifunctional Carbide and Nitride Ceramics

• Novel Dielectric Substrate Manufacturing for Stretchable Electronics

• Ultrahigh Resolution Printing of Functional Optical and Electronics Materials as a Sustainable Approach for FHE and Metasurface Manufacturing

• Metal-Oxide Thin-Film Transistors on Plastic Substrates for Entirely Flexible Analog Sensor Systems

• Atmospheric Plasma Treatment of Dielectric Materials for Improved Interfacial Adhesive Strength and Durability

• Mechanically Inspired Laser Scribing (MILS) of Thin Flexible materials

• Tips for Realizing the Advantages of High-Resolution Printing for Flexible Electronics

• Tuesday, Feb. 23 – Flexible Technology from Asia

Co-moderators: Masaaki Sugimoto, co-founder and SVP, board member Elephantech, and Takafumi Fukushima, professor, Tohoku University

• 4:00-4:30 p.m. Keynote: Flex PCB Manufacturing Method by Additive Manufacturing Using Inkjet Technology and Its Application – Masaaki Sugimoto, Elephantech

• 4:30-4:50 p.m. – Silicone, an Untapped Sustainable Source of Materials for Innovations Towards Flexible Hybrid Electronics – Anupam Mukherjee, General Silicones

• 4:50-5:10 p.m. – Ultra-Low-Power Printed CNT Electronics Toward Battery-Less Smart Sensors and IoT – Vincenzo Pecunia, Soochow University

• 5:10 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – Flexible Hybrid Electronics and Printed Sensors for Healthcare and Logistics Applications – Shizuo Tokito, Yamagata University

• Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Sensors & MEMS

Co-moderators – Electronics on the Brain – George Malliaras, University of Cambridge

• 8:00-8:30 a.m.

• 8:35-9:30 a.m. – Sensors & MEMS Panel Discussion

• 9:30-10:00 a.m. – TechTALKS

• 10:00 a.m. – noon – Networking

• On-Demand Sessions

• Alertgy Technology for a Face-Mask That Detects Viruses

• Printed Electronics for Energy-Efficient Wireless Systems

• Organic Thin Film Transistor Gas Sensor Device and Circuit Level Optimization

• Wednesday, Feb. 24 – Technology, Reliability & Applications From Asia

Co-moderators: Falcon Liu, marketing director, PlayNitride Display, and John Olenick, consultant, MILCOMM Ceramics

• 4:00-4:30 p.m. Keynote: MicroLED Display for Flexible Applications – Falcon Liu, PlayNitride Display

• 4:30-4:50 p.m. – Further Visualization of Mechanical Stress on FHE During Folding – Kei Hyodo, Yuasa System

• 4:50-5:10 p.m. – Flexible In-Mold Electronics: Advanced FHE Technologies and Applications,

Takafumi Fukushima, Tohoku University

• 5:10 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. – FHE Standards Development Update from SEMI Taiwan FHE Technical Committee, Steve Huang, AiQ Smart Clothing

• Thursday, Feb. 25: Sustainability and Power

Co-moderators Bob Praino, Chasm Advanced Materials, and Eric Forsythe, staff physicist, CCDC Army Research Laboratory

• 8:00-8:30 a.m. Keynote: Safe, High Performance, Green Batteries for Blending Electronics Into Our Lives | Christine Ho, Imprint Energy – Ana Claudia Arias, University of California, Berkeley

• 8:35-9:30 a.m. – Sustainability and Power Panel Discussion

• 9:30-10:00 a.m. – TechTALKS

• 10:00 a.m. – noon – Networking

• On-Demand Sessions

• Ultra-Thin Supercapacitors Enable MicroPower Sources for Flexible Electronics

• Microsystems and Microfabrication for a Sustainable World

• Integrating Solid State Micro-Batteries in Low Power, Miniature Medical Devices

• Solution-Processed Hexagonal Boron Nitride Ionogel Electrolytes for Printed Electronics and Energy Storage

For information on 2021 FLEX, please see https://flex.semi.org.