Deposition Of Semiconductors Research Articles

Construction and development of an ultrasonic spray pyrolysis system for semiconductor thin films deposition to photovoltaic applications

The ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (UPS) technique is an efficient method for depositing high-quality thin films, offering advantages over traditional methods. This paper presents the construction and development of a USP system designed for semiconductor thin films used in photovoltaic applications. It provides an overview of the technique, including the setup, material preparation, and process control. The results demonstrate the system's ability to produce uniform, high-quality films, underscoring its potential to advance semiconductor research and inspire new applications in photovoltaics.

(Invited) High Performance Metal Oxide Thin Film Transistor Using ALD Technology

Field-effect transistors (FETs) based on oxide semiconductors, mainly In2O3 and ZnO, have been commercialized as channel materials for thin-film transistors due to their features such as electron mobility exceeding 10-50 cm2/Vs, extremely low leakage current, and low process temperature. Recently, FETs that can be applied to ferroelectric memory and back end of line have been demonstrated for implementation in ultra-integrated circuits and semiconductor memory. In order to realize various integrated devices using oxide semiconductors, it is necessary to uniformly deposit ultra-thin films of about 5 nm on a three-dimensional structure from the viewpoint of device integration and suppression of short-channel effects. This research group has shown that amorphous In-Ga-O (IGO) is a promising oxide semiconductor material that can be applied to three-dimensional integrated devices. However, it was shown that IGO-FETs have reliability issues because their threshold voltage (Vth) easily fluctuates in response to voltage stress . The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that contribute to Vth instability and to suppress it by evaluating the relationship between FET reliability and IGO composition ratio and annealing temperature, as well as the effect of crystallization. Top-contact/bottom-gate FETs with AlOx protective films were fabricated by depositing 10-11 nm-thick IGO channels on SiO2 (85 nm)/n++-Si substrates using ALD method Triethylindium and Trimethylgallium The composition ratio of In:Ga in the IGO film was controlled by adjusting the ratio of growth cycles of the InOx and GaOx layers. positive bias stress (PBS), in which a positive voltage is applied to the gate electrode. The reliability of amorphous IGO against PBS was found to depend on the composition ratio of In:Ga and annealing temperature. It is known that the formation energy of O-O bonds corresponding to excess oxygen is lower in amorphous oxide semiconductors than in single-crystal and polycrystal structures due to their higher structural degrees of freedom. It was experimentally clarified that electron capture occurs more easily in IGO systems than in other oxide semiconductors (Ex. In-Zn-O), which is consistent with theoretical calculations in previous studies. In addition, we focused on crystalline Ga-doped In2O3 to improve the reliability of the IGO system and developed a deposition process using ALD method. We demonstrated that FETs with polycrystalline IGOs as channels have superior mobility and reliability compared to amorphous IGOs. The present study clarified that excess oxygen must be reduced during deposition of oxide semiconductors using the ALD method, and that polycrystalline oxide semiconductors are effective in improving reliability.

(Invited) Control of Elementary Processes in Semiconductor Process Plasmas

Low-temperature plasma technology is used in as much as 70% of the front-end processes of semiconductor fabrication, including etching, deposition, and surface modification [1-7]. In this talk, I focus on the importance of controlling elementary processes in semiconductor process plasmas. First of all, the choice of source gas is important. In hard carbon thin film deposition, for instance, the higher the C/H in the film, the harder the film tends to be. Therefore, it is easier to achieve a higher degree of hardness by using C2H2 as the raw material gas rather than CH4, which has a lower C/H. If the raw material molecules contain benzene rings, the benzene rings are more easily incorporated into the films, and the C/H tends to be lower. Next, it is important to select the type of radicals produced by electron impact dissociation of the source gas; in the case of CH4, four types of radicals, CH3, CH2, CH, and C, are produced by electron impact dissociation. The surface sticking probability is small for CH3 and large for C. To deposit films with high step coverage on complexly shaped surfaces such as trenches, it is desirable to use CH3, which has a small surface sticking probability, as the main precursor for film deposition. These two different directions make it difficult to form hard carbon thin films in trenches with a high step coverage. Therefore, other avenues are to be explored. One such approach is control of elementary processes by unconventional plasma generation, which includes pulsed plasmas, amplitude-modulated RF discharge plasmas, and arbitrary waveform excitation plasmas. In short, elementary process control is the key to success in low-temperature plasma technology.Acknowledgements: This work was partly supported by JSPS KAKENHI (Grant Nos. JP20H00142, JP21H01372, JP21K18731, and JP23K03368), the JST ASPIRE, the NTT collaborative research, and the Murata Science Foundation.[1] M. Morimoto, et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 62 (2023) SN1001.[2] K. Kamataki, et al., Mater. Sci. Semicond. 164 (2023) 107613.[3] M. N. Agusutrisno, et al., Mater. Sci. Semicond. 162 (2023) 107503.[4] R. Narishige, et al., J. Mater. Res. 38 (2023) 1803.[5] N. Yamashita, et al., J. Mater. Res. 38 (2023) 1178.[6] I. Nagao, et al., Mater. Adv. 7 (2022) 918.[7] S. H. Hwang, et al., Processes., 9 (2020) 2.

Exploring Light Stability and Trapping Mechanisms in Organic Thin-Film Transistors for High-Brightness MicroLED Integration.

Organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), benefiting from a low-temperature process (≤120 °C), offer a promising approach for the monolithic integration of MicroLED structures through organic-last integration. Previous research has demonstrated that small-molecule/polymer binder-based organic semiconductor deposition, utilizing the vertical phase separation mechanism, can achieve good device uniformity while preserving high field-effect carrier mobility. However, the stability of OTFTs under light exposure at the device level remains underexplored. This study investigates the effects of various light irradiation conditions on OTFTs and delves into the underlying mechanisms of the light-trapping effect. Based on these findings, we propose an optimal OTFT design tailored for driving MicroLED displays at high operational brightness, ensuring both performance and stability.

Structural Features of Porous Silicon Formed on Heavily Doped Plates of Single-Crystal Silicon with Electron Conductivity

Using scanning electron microscopy, the structures of the surface and internal regions of porous silicon obtained by anodizing heavily doped plates of single-crystal silicon with electron conductivity in a hydrofluoric acid solution at different current densities were studied. It is found that the porous silicon surface has dark gray and light gray pores, which differ in size and surface distribution density. Dark gray pores possess larger sizes, and their density is about 5–10 times less than that of light gray pores. Based on the cross-section imagery, it is shown that light gray pores correspond to underdeveloped channels of small depth, while dark gray pores are the entrance points of deep bottle-shaped channels passing from the surface into the depth of the silicon wafer. The equivalent diameters of light gray pores on the surface of porous silicon are 12–15 nm and are practically independent of the anodic current density. At the same time, the equivalent diameters of dark gray pores and average distances between their centers increase linearly from 15 to 35 nm on the surface and from 35 to 120 nm in the volume of porous silicon when the current density is increased from 30 to 90 mA/cm2. The average thickness of silicon skeleton elements is about 3 nm on the surface and increases to 5–6 nm in the volume. By setting the density of the anode current, it is possible to obtain layers of porous silicon with different structural parameters. The obtained research results have practical significance for the formation of composite materials based on porous silicon, which can be used as a porous matrix for the deposition of metals and semiconductors.

Investigating instabilities in magnetized low-pressure capacitively coupled RF plasma using particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations

The effect of a uniform magnetic field on particle transport in low-pressure radio frequency (RF) capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) has been studied using a particle-in-cell model. Three distinct regimes of plasma behavior can be identified as a function of the magnetic field. In the first regime at low magnetic fields, asymmetric plasma profiles are observed within the CCP chamber due to the effect of E→×B→ drift. As the magnetic field increases, instabilities develop and form self-organized spoke-shaped structures that are distinctly seen within the bulk plasma closer to the sheath. In this second regime, the spoke-shaped coherent structures rotate inside the plasma chamber in the −E→×B→ direction, where E→ and B→ are the DC electric and magnetic field vectors, respectively, and the DC electric field exists in the sheath and pre-sheath regions. The spoke rotation frequency is in the megahertz range. As the magnetic field strength increases further, the rotating coherent spokes continue to exist near the sheath. The coherent structures are, however, accompanied by new small-scale incoherent structures originating and moving within the bulk plasma region away from the sheath. This is the third regime of plasma behavior. The threshold values of the magnetic field between these regimes were found not to vary with changing plasma reactor geometry (e.g., area ratio between ground and powered electrodes) or the use of an external capacitor between the RF-powered electrode and the RF source. The threshold values of the magnetic field between these regimes shift toward higher values with increasing gas pressure. Analysis of the results indicates that the rotating structures are due to the lower hybrid instability driven by density gradients and electron-neutral collisions. This paper provides guidance on the upper limit of the magnetic field for instability-free operation in low-pressure CCP-based semiconductor deposition and etch systems that use the external magnetic field for plasma uniformity control.

A Review of CIGS Thin Film Semiconductor Deposition via Sputtering and Thermal Evaporation for Solar Cell Applications

Over the last two decades, thin film solar cell technology has made notable progress, presenting a competitive alternative to silicon-based solar counterparts. CIGS (CuIn1−xGaxSe2) solar cells, leveraging the tunable optoelectronic properties of the CIGS absorber layer, currently stand out with the highest power conversion efficiency among second-generation solar cells. Various deposition techniques, such as co-evaporation using Cu, In, Ga, and Se elemental sources, the sequential selenization/sulfidation of sputtered metallic precursors (Cu, In, and Ga), or non-vacuum methods involving the application of specialized inks onto a substrate followed by annealing, can be employed to form CIGS films as light absorbers. While co-evaporation demonstrates exceptional qualities in CIGS thin film production, challenges persist in controlling composition and scaling up the technology. On the other hand, magnetron sputtering techniques show promise in addressing these issues, with ongoing research emphasizing the adoption of simplified and safe manufacturing processes while maintaining high-quality CIGS film production. This review delves into the evolution of CIGS thin films for solar applications, specifically examining their development through physical vapor deposition methods including thermal evaporation and magnetron sputtering. The first section elucidates the structure and characteristics of CIGS-based solar cells, followed by an exploration of the challenges associated with employing solution-based deposition techniques for CIGS fabrication. The second part of this review focuses on the intricacies of controlling the properties of CIGS-absorbing materials deposited via various processes and the subsequent impact on energy conversion performance. This analysis extends to a detailed examination of the deposition processes involved in co-evaporation and magnetron sputtering, encompassing one-stage, two-stage, three-stage, one-step, and two-step methodologies. At the end, this review discusses the prospective next-generation strategies aimed at improving the performance of CIGS-based solar cells. This paper provides an overview of the present research state of CIGS solar cells, with an emphasis on deposition techniques, allowing for a better understanding of the relationship between CIGS thin film properties and solar cell efficiency. Thus, a roadmap for selecting the most appropriate deposition technique is created. By analyzing existing research, this review can assist researchers in this field in identifying gaps, which can then be used as inspiration for future research.

Comparative Study of Silver and Gold Source/Drain Contacts for Organic Thin‐Film Transistors with Low Contact Resistance

AbstractFlexible low‐voltage organic thin‐film transistors (TFTs) with Ag source/drain contacts are fabricated, and the contact resistance is measured using the transfer length method. The TFTs are fabricated in the inverted coplanar (bottom‐gate, bottom‐contact) device architecture, using the vacuum‐deposited small‐molecule semiconductor dinaphtho[2,3′b:2′,3′‐f]thieno[3,2‐b]thiophene (DNTT). Prior to the semiconductor deposition, the contact surface is functionalized with a chemisorbed monolayer of pentafluorobenzenethiol (PFBT). For comparison, TFTs with PFBT‐functionalized Au source/drain contacts are fabricated on the same substrate. Overall, the performance of the TFTs with the Ag contacts is very similar to that of the TFTs with the Au contacts, and the contact resistance of the TFTs with the Ag contacts (377 Ωcm) is the smallest reported to date for p‐channel organic TFTs with a contact material other than Au or Pt.

Semiconductor Deposition via Laser Printing of a Bespoke Toner Containing Metal Xanthate Complexes.

A methodology to use laser printing, a form of electrophotography, to print metal chalcogenide complexes on paper, is described. After fusing the toner to paper, a heating step is used to cause the printed metal xanthate complexes to thermolyze within the toner and form three target metal chalcogenides: CuS, SnS, and ZnS. To achieve this, we synthesize a poly(styrene-co-n-butyl acrylate) thermopolymer that emulates the thermal properties of a commercial toner and is also solution processable with the metal xanthate complexes used: [Zn(S2COEt)2], [Cu(S2COEt)·(PPh3)2], and [Sn(S2COEt)2]. We demonstrate through energy dispersive X-ray mapping that the toner is deposited following printing and that thermolysis of the metal xanthate complexes occurs in the fused toner, demonstrating the first example of laser printing of inorganic complexes and, in turn, semiconductors.

Spectroscopic detection of the gallium methylene (GaCH2 and GaCD2) free radical in the gas phase by laser-induced fluorescence and emission spectroscopy.

GaCH2, a free radical thought to play a role in the chemical vapor deposition of gallium-containing thin films and semiconductors, has been spectroscopically detected for the first time. The radical was produced in a pulsed discharge jet using a precursor mixture of trimethylgallium vapor in high pressure argon and studied by laser-induced fluorescence and wavelength resolved emission techniques. Partially rotationally resolved spectra of the hydrogenated and deuterated species were obtained, and they exhibit the nuclear statistical weight variations and subband structure expected for a 2A2-2B1 electronic transition. The measured spectroscopic quantities have been compared to our own abinitio calculations of the ground and excited state properties. The electronic spectrum of gallium methylene is similar to the corresponding spectrum of the aluminum methylene radical, which we reported in 2022.

Flexible Artificial Mechanoreceptor Based on Microwave Annealed Morphotropic Phase Boundary of HfxZr1‐xO2 Thin Film

AbstractThe development of artificial tactile receptor systems is important in the fields of prosthetic devices, interfaces for the metaverse, and sensors. A pressure sensor and memory device may be used in this system to replicate the tactile detecting capabilities of human skin. The implementation of systems that take into account mass production and miniaturization is still difficult. Here, a flexible artificial tactile receptor built using conventional semiconductor processes that combine a vertically stacked piezoelectric sensor with neuromorphic memory is presented. As a fundamental component for both sensors and memory, hafnium zirconium oxide (HZO) formed by using semiconductor deposition technique is introduced. Due to its exceptional piezoelectric performance, the morphotropic phase boundary of HZO is studied. The entire materials and processes are highly compatible with conventional semiconductor processes, including microwave annealing‐based low‐temperature crystallization. Even after 10,000 times of bending stress, the sensor and memory constructed on a flexible substrate exhibit consistent pressure detection characteristics over a wide range of 2–25 kPa. The feasibility of the approach is further demonstrated by a deep neural network simulation, which reached 90.8% braille recognition accuracy. Wearable electronics and medical devices are two examples of industrial domains that can use these flexible, exceptionally durable devices.

Multi-Scale Simulations of Gas-Phase Particles Generated in Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition Processes

Recently, Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition (PEALD) has been investigated as an advanced semiconductor deposition method to expand the number and variety of materials other than those available in thermal ALD. The high reactivity of the plasma species at the deposition surface during PEALD has the advantage of increasing the degree of freedom of processing conditions and enabling a wider range of material properties. PEALD consists of four steps in the order of feed, 1st purge, reaction, and 2nd purge. In this reaction step, the secondary gas-phase reaction is important because the properties of the thin film vary greatly depending on the particles that arrive on the growing surface. Therefore, the particle distribution in the gas phase before arrival on the surface should be accurately predicted to estimate the film quality. Generally, the DSMC (Direct Simulation Monte Carlo) method is a commonly used method for analyzing particle distribution in the gas phase. The DSMC method requires reaction and scattering models that simulate the behavior between molecules. Variable Hard Sphere and Variable Soft Sphere are often used as the model in DSMC. These models are about molecular transport, such as molecular diffusion, and cannot deal with molecular reactions. The total collision energy model is determined for molecular reactions, but it may not accurately describe molecular reactions in non-equilibrium flow. The purpose of the study is to develop a new reaction-scattering model in non-equilibrium flow in the DSMC method for determining the particle distribution in the gas phase in the PEALD processes. Here, we focus on ammonia plasma used in the reaction step of boron nitride nanomaterial films, which are used in various applications, such as semiconductors and fine ceramics with two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures. This study focused on neutral and ionic molecules, NH3 and NH4 +, which can be the main collisional species in secondary gas-phase reactions.A molecular dynamics simulation with a reactive force field (ReaxFF) was performed. The left figure shows the simulation system of NH3 and NH4 + collisions. The periodic boundary conditions were applied to the simulation box for all directions in the size of 100 Å × 100 Å × 100 Å. Randomly oriented NH3 and NH4 + were placed in a line at an initial distance of 15 Å. NH4 + was given an electric charge of –0.22892 on N and 0.30723 on H. The initial translational energy of NH4 + was set at 5-60 eV, and the difference in the vertical coordinate at 0.1-5.0 Å. The collisions were sampled 2000 times.The right figure shows the calculated collision cross section, which determines whether a collision occurs or not. The collision coefficient bcoll represents the difference in the maximum vertical coordinate at which the absolute value of the scattering angle is greater than 1 degree. The collision cross section decreases as the translational energy increases because the negligible attraction-force act on NH3 and NH4 + at a long distance. When the translational energy exceeds 40 eV, the collisional cross-section no longer decreases and becomes asymptotic. The reason can be considered as follows. As the cross-section approaches 40 Å2, the collision cross section asymptotically approaches 40 Å2, regardless of the translational energy, because the attractive and repulsive forces are balanced. We compared our results with a reference model in grey color. In the reference model, Etr, 0 represents the minimum translational energy, σT,0 is the collision cross section at the minimum, Etr is the translational energy, and ω is a fitting parameter. Here, ω was set at –3.1. The reference model shows a good agreement with our results. However, the collision cross section is asymptotic above 40 eV, which may affect the results when the DSMC simulations are performed. We will apply the reaction scattering model to the DSMC method and analyze the gas-phase reaction of PEALD, including a comparison of the results of existing models. Figure 1

Deposition of CdO semiconductors on yarns by dip coating method and gas sensor applications

Thin films produced by deposition of metal oxides on different surfaces show semi-conductor properties that are sensitive to the surrounding atmosphere components. With their optical, electrical, and structural properties, CdO metal oxides are used in a variety of fields ranging from optoelectronic materials to gas sensors. CdO thin films can be produced by different methods such as spray pyrolysis, SILAR, sol-gel spin coating and dip coating technique. The sol-gel dip coating technique, which is simple, accessible, adjustable, and repeatable based on desired parameters, is widely used in the production of CdO thin films. In this study, CdO metal oxide thin films were coated on polyamide, acrylic and cotton yarns by sol-gel dipping method in three different molarities of 0.1 M, 0.3 M and 0.5 M starting solutions. Structural properties of CdO thin film coated yarn samples were investigated using SEM and EDX analyzes were performed. The sensor tests of the yarn samples for LPG gas were carried out in the specially designed gas sensor measurement system and in the gas chamber. The 0.5 M CdO thin film coated cotton yarn samples showed better semiconductor properties and gas response than the other samples.

Control of the ion flux and energy distribution of dual-frequency capacitive RF plasmas by the variation of the driving voltages

Due to its advantages of spatial uniformity and ion energy control, a dual-frequency (DF) capacitive-coupled plasma is widely used in semiconductor etching and deposition processes. In low-pressure discharges, the mean free path of ions is longer than the sheath width, and the ion energy distribution function is sensitive to the driving voltage waveform. In this respect, it is necessary to use a particle-in-cell (PIC) simulation to observe ion movement according to the time-varying electric field in the sheath. This study uses a two-dimensional PIC simulation parallelized with a graphics processing unit to monitor the ion energy distribution and flux according to the DF voltage waveform. We suggested a method to control the ion energy through a phase-resolved ion energy distribution in the region, where the ion transit time is longer than the high-frequency period and shorter than the low-frequency period.

Machine learning enabled optimization of showerhead design for semiconductor deposition process

Machine learning enabled optimization of showerhead design for semiconductor deposition process

Selective electrodeposition of indium microstructures on silicon and their conversion into InAs and InSb semiconductors

The idea of benefitting from the properties of III-V semiconductors and silicon on the same substrate has been occupying the minds of scientists for several years. Although the principle of III-V integration on a silicon-based platform is simple, it is often challenging to perform due to demanding requirements for sample preparation rising from a mismatch in physical properties between those semiconductor groups (e.g. different lattice constants and thermal expansion coefficients), high cost of device-grade materials formation and their post-processing. In this paper, we demonstrate the deposition of group-III metal and III-V semiconductors in microfabricated template structures on silicon as a strategy for heterogeneous device integration on Si. The metal (indium) is selectively electrodeposited in a 2-electrode galvanostatic configuration with the working electrode (WE) located in each template, resulting in well-defined In structures of high purity. The semiconductors InAs and InSb are obtained by vapour phase diffusion of the corresponding group-V element (As, Sb) into the liquified In confined in the template. We discuss in detail the morphological and structural characterization of the synthesized In, InAs and InSb crystals as well as chemical analysis through scanning electron microscopy (SEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (TEM/STEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The proposed integration path combines the advantage of the mature top-down lithography technology to define device geometries and employs economic electrodeposition (ED) and vapour phase processes to directly integrate difficult-to-process materials on a silicon platform.Graphical abstract

Direct Writing of Aligned Conjugated Polymer Micro-Ribbons for High-Performance Organic Electronics

Organic semiconductors (OSCs) and relevant devices have presented their great potential in flexible and wearable electronics. Controlled solution deposition of organic semiconductors at a limited local region is highly expected because it can realize feasible and low-cost fabrication of highly integrated devices with low current leakage and free crosstalk between adjacent devices. Here, we reported a feasible microscale meniscus-guided direct writing method to purposely deposit conjugated polymer poly[2,5-(2-octyldodecyl)-3,6-diketopyrrolopyrrole-alt-5,5-(2,5-di(thien-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene)] micro-ribbons at preset local regions. The direct writing of OSCs was carried out on a microscale with the width of written micro-ribbons down to 5 μm, which was seldomly reported before. Direct writing operation induced anisotropic crystallization of organic semiconducting micro-ribbons, which further enhanced the electrical performance of organic transistors with a device on/off ratio of 5.1 × 104 and carrier mobility of 1.05 cm2 V–1 s–1. Small-angle X-ray diffraction analysis further proved the existence of anisotropic crystallization behavior. This technique shed light on the feasible and convenient fabrication of future high-performance organic electronics.

High throughput processing of dinaphtho[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) organic semiconductors.

The deposition of organic semiconductors (OSCs) using solution shearing deposition techniques is highly appealing for device implementation. However, when using high deposition speeds, it is necessary to use very concentrated OSC solutions. The OSCs based on the family of dinaphtho[2,3-b:2',3'-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) have been shown to be excellent OSCs due to their high mobility and stability. However, their limited solubility hinders the processing of these materials at high speed. Here, we report the conditions to process alkylated DNTT and the S-shaped π-core derivative S-DNTT by bar-assisted meniscus shearing (BAMS) at high speed (i.e., 10 mm s-1). In all the cases, homogeneous thin films were successfully prepared, although we found that the gain in solubility achieved with the S-DNTT derivative strongly facilitated solution processing, achieving a field-effect mobility of 2.1 cm2 V-1 s-1, which is two orders of magnitude higher than the mobility found for the less soluble linear derivatives.

Nanostructured Electrodes Based on Two-Dimensional SnO2 for Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting

Here we demonstrate the fabrication of two-dimensional SnO2 nanosheet arrays and their use as electrodes for solar water oxidation. These nanosheets deposited on commercial transparent electrodes are used as substrates for the deposition of photoactive semiconductors including BiVO4 and Fe2O3. These composite photoanodes show a marked enhancement in their photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance, including improved light absorption, lower onset potentials, and higher photocurrents. Importantly, SnO2 nanosheets alone have negligible PEC activity, suggesting that their role is purely morphological (enhanced surface area) and electronic (surface passivation, improved charge extraction). Our results provide the foundation for further work on photoanode architectures for efficient water splitting.

Fabrication of multi-material electronic components applying non-contact printing technologies: A review

Recent scientific achievements in the area of printed electronics allow the production of electronic devices with enhanced performances and versatility at a relatively low cost. The transfer from a single to multi-material applications, advances in the sequential deposition of insulators, conductors or semiconductors enable the progress from uncomplicated antennas and conductive interconnects towards fully printed complex, flexible electronic components, integrated within objects and smart devices at the same time offering greater precision and less complex manufacturing in comparison to traditional fabrication methods. In contrast to conventional fabrication techniques, additive approaches allow for avoiding expensive and tedious mask fabrication and the objects here can be quickly manufactured according to a customised design, thus making the processes feasible when rapid prototyping or fabrication of customised components are necessary. These advantages are good indicators that multi-material printed electronics will gradually replace traditional subtractive fabrication methods, thus there is keen interest to pursue research activities on this subject. Prior to continuing the research, it is of great significance to understand the recent achievements and trends in materials, processes and applications, as well as to identify potential challenges in the field of multi-material printed electronics. The purpose of this review paper is to introduce the reader to the state of art printed electronics applications, present materials, methods of fabrication as well as highlight the challenges.