Ultra-thin anodic alumina capacitor films for plastic electronics

In plastic electronics polymer substrates are combined with stacks of thin metallic, dielectric and semiconducting films to form flexible devices. While the demonstration of active components is highly advanced there is a considerable lack in the development of passive elements. Commonly available capacitors use aluminium or tantalum foils with their oxides as dielectric insulator. The highest performance in oxide formation is achieved by anodisation. A versatile approach for the fabrication of thin film capacitors for plastic electronics by potentiostatic anodisation of aluminium is reported by Mardare et al. (pp. 813–818). The back cover image illustrates such a thin film capacitor with an anodized aluminium oxide dielectric and aluminium electrodes on a PEN substrate and demonstrates the high mechanical flexibility of the fabricated capacitors. Such capacitors may potentially be useful as passive components in flexible plastic electronic circuits.