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In recent years, with the spread of wearable devices and IoT equipment, there has been an increasing demand for lightweight, thin, and flexible electronic devices. A technology that is gaining attention to support this realization is Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE). This column will provide an easy-to-understand explanation of the basics of FHE, its application areas, and technical challenges. It is recommended for those interested in FHE and printed electronics, as well as those considering research, development, and prototyping of next-generation electronic devices. Sakurai Graphic Systems, a manufacturer of screen printing machines, offers a development and prototyping support service that consistently assists in process design, prototyping, quality establishment, and mass production without the need for equipment. Please feel free to consult us about ideas in the conceptual stage of FHE development. *For detailed content of the column, you can view it through the related links. For more information, please feel free to contact us.

Do you have these challenges in device development? "Communication and control performance is insufficient with just printing technology." "Silicon ICs are rigid and cannot be expanded to large areas or curved surfaces." "There is a concept for FHE, but there is no evaluation equipment or manufacturing know-how." In this column, we will organize the characteristics and limitations of printed electronics (PE) and silicon semiconductors, and clearly explain the design philosophy of "FHE (Flexible Hybrid Electronics)" that merges the strengths of both. Wiring and sensors are formed using flexible printing (PE), while computing and communication functions are realized with high-performance ICs. We will introduce an approach to integrate these into a device and the prototyping process that holds the key to development. At Sakurai Graphic Systems, a screen printing machine manufacturer, we provide consistent support for process verification from the conceptual stage with our "prototyping-focused contract manufacturing" that requires no equipment and allows for a small start. *For more details about the column, please refer to the related links. For further inquiries, feel free to contact us.

"FHE" is an electronics design philosophy that accompanies changes in social structure. By using printing technology to create thin, lightweight, and flexible sensors and wiring that do not fit into traditional enclosures, and combining them with silicon semiconductors, we achieve low-cost and flexible device development. It is a system architecture that appropriately combines the areas where printing excels, such as "sensing (wiring, electrodes, antennas, sensors, etc.)," with the areas where silicon excels, such as "thinking (CPU, memory, AI computation, communication control, etc.)," to connect the real world to the digital society. [Features] - Thin, lightweight, flexible - Large area, disposable, ultra-low cost *For more details, please download the PDF or feel free to contact us.

We will introduce the technical challenges and solutions related to the large-scale deployment of IoT sensors required in Society 5.0. In a society where constant measurement in various locations is demanded, the demand for disposable temperature sensors is rapidly increasing, and the number of sensors is expanding into unknown territories. For areas that cannot be addressed by traditional rigid and expensive silicon substrates, we propose low-cost data collection for society as a whole using inexpensive and flexible sensor substrates. 【What the new society demands】 ■ Bendable ■ Lightweight ■ Thin ■ Large area ■ Disposable ■ Ultra-low cost *For more details, please download the PDF or feel free to contact us.

"Printed electronics" is a new manufacturing technology that reduces environmental impact by directly applying functional ink to necessary areas. In comparison to the conventional semiconductor manufacturing process of photolithography, which involves multiple stages and significant material waste, this technology adopts a simple process that applies ink only where needed. It significantly reduces the complexity of traditional processes, achieving reductions in material loss, energy consumption, costs, and environmental impact. 【Features】 ■ Directly applies functional ink to necessary areas ■ Significantly reduces the number of steps from traditional complex processes ■ Achieves reductions in material loss, energy consumption, costs, and environmental impact *For more details, please download the PDF or feel free to contact us.

"FHE" is a system architecture that integrates flexibility, allowing for free shape changes, and complexity by merging printing and semiconductors. This system first detects changes in temperature and pressure in the real world using flexible printed sensors, which transmit the weak signals through printed wiring. Then, a small silicon LSI mounted on the film processes and records the signals. The true value lies in the ability to integrate a series of functions—measuring, transmitting, and judging—within a single sheet of film. [Features] ■ Flexibility to change shape freely ■ Complexity by merging printing and semiconductors ■ Functionality that completes the system ■ Integration of the series of functions—measuring, transmitting, and judging—within a single sheet of film *For more details, please download the PDF or feel free to contact us.

"FHE" is a design philosophy for device manufacturing that meets the new demands for creating thin, lightweight, bendable surfaces at low cost. It is not merely "bendable electronic components," but integrates flexibility, complexity, and functionality to seamlessly connect the real world to the digital society. Through printed electronics, it significantly reduces the number of processes, minimizes material waste, and achieves low cost, energy savings, and reduced environmental impact. Leveraging world-class core technologies, it is expected to serve as an electronics substrate technology for digitizing various industries. [Features] - Flexibility to change shape freely - Complexity that merges printing and semiconductors - Functionality that completes the system - Reduction of processes, achieving low cost and energy savings - Contribution to environmental impact reduction with minimal material waste *For more details, please download the PDF or feel free to contact us.

FHE (Flexible Electronics) is a technology that merges printed electronics with traditional rigid electronics. Since conductive and insulating layers are formed by stacking multiple layers, not only is the printing accuracy of each layer important, but also the precision and reproducibility of accurately aligning multiple layers, which increases the difficulty. In this context, we verified the reproducibility of multilayer printing through continuous printing using our roll-to-roll screen printing machine. For the first layer, we used copper paste, which is expected to be more sustainable than silver paste, and for the second layer, we used insulating paste. We aligned the first layer's pattern using camera alignment to form the insulating layer. [Features] - Formation of conductive layers using "copper paste," which is expected to be more sustainable and cost-effective than silver paste. - Multilayer stacking technology using different pastes (copper × insulating). The webinar will showcase the details of the technology and demonstrations. *For more information, please refer to the related links or feel free to contact us.