SEMI FlexTech Announces 2022 FLEXI Award Winners for Outstanding Achievements in Flexible Electronics

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Recognizing innovations and other outstanding accomplishments in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), SEMI FlexTech, a SEMI Technology Community, presented the 2022 FLEXI Awards at the FLEX Conference and Exhibition, co-located with SEMICON West 2022 Hybrid in San Francisco. The FLEXI Awards spotlight FHE contributions in four categories: R&D Achievement, Product Innovation and Commercialization, Environmental Sustainability Champion, and Industry Leadership.

R&D Achievement – Dr. Sheng Xu of the University of California, San Diego, was recognized for developing a fully integrated wireless ultrasound patch that conforms to the human skin and continuously records central blood pressure waveforms and heart rate variability when wearers are in motion. Entries were evaluated for their world-class research, originality, and commercial potential for expanding the scope of flexible or printed electronics or their manufacturing processes.

Product Innovation and Commercialization – E Ink won a FLEXI for its color-changing car, the BMW iX Flow. The car is wrapped in E Ink Prism™, the company’s ultra-low power, bistable technology, to enable dynamic color change between black and white. With the color changes, the BMW iX Flow can better reflect ultraviolet (UV) light to keep the car cooler or absorb UV to keep it warmer while helping extend the battery life and range of electric vehicles. Entries were evaluated for design and ingenuity, potential or proven market adoption, and revenue generation.

Environmental Sustainability Champion – Dr. Robert Praino, co-founder of CHASM Advanced Materials, received a FLEXI for his leadership in promoting discussions on environmental sustainability at FLEX Conference executive planning meetings. Praino led the push to add a session focused on sustainability and power consumption at FLEX Conference 2021 and 2022. A key focus of the session is the recycling of rare materials required to power many leading-edge flexible electronics devices. The recognition honors a champion of advancing environmental sustainability in the FHE industry. 

Flexible Electronics Industry Leadership – Michael Ciesinski was recognized for his contributions to building awareness of FHE and their impact on the larger electronics industry.  Ciesinski dedicated nearly 30 years to promoting flexible electronics collaboration, technology development and advancement as CEO of the U.S. Display Consortium, later renamed SEMI FlexTech Alliance, and as vice president of SEMI Technology Communities. Ciesinski was instrumental in building a strong and vibrant flexible, printed, and hybrid electronics community by promoting the FHE industry. He also helped secure federal and industry research funding to grow the FHE ecosystem. Ciesinski contributed to the establishment of the Flexible Display Center, the Center for Microelectronics Manufacturing, NextFlex, and the Manufacturing Innovation Institute for FHE manufacturing. 

The 2022 FLEXI Award Committee consisted of representatives from Applied Materials, Eli Lilly, STMicroelectronics, and UES.