Chinese Scientists Pioneer "Fiber Chip" - What Impact Will It Have on Existing Chips?

Performing tasks that traditional chips have historically struggled with How to achieve efficient information processing functions on fibers without compromising their intrinsic properties such as softness, adaptability to complex deformations, and weavability? The latest breakthrough from a team at Fudan University makes the large-scale application of fiber devices a possibility. In the early hours of January 22nd, research results from the team of Peng Huisheng and Chen Peining at Fudan University were published in the main journal *Nature*. This achievement breaks away from the traditional silicon-based research paradigm of integrated circuits by pioneering a multi-layer spiral stacking architecture, enabling the creation of large-scale integrated circuits within elastic polymer fibers (referred to as "fiber chips"). The soft "fiber chip" tied into a knot on a finger. Photo provided by the research team. The information processing capability of the "fiber chip" is comparable to some classic commercial chips, and it possesses unique advantages such as high flexibility, adaptability to stretching and twisting deformations, and weavability. It is expected to provide strong support for the transformative development of emerging industries like brain-computer interfaces, electronic textiles, and virtual reality. "We are not aiming to replace existing chips; rather, we hope to offer a potential new pathway for some emerging application scenarios," Chen Peining, a professor at the Institute of Fiber Electronics Materials and Devices/School of Polymer Science at Fudan University and corresponding author of the paper, stated. Their fiber chip is expected to perform tasks that traditional chips have historically found difficult. Chen Peining explained that fiber systems connected to traditional rigid chip circuits offer poor comfort when worn, and the entire circuit connection is unstable. Therefore, the team aimed to create the information processing module in a fiber form as well. Starting in 2020, while developing fabric display devices, they simultaneously began tackling the challenges of creating the "fiber chip." What are the potential application scenarios? Chips with information processing capabilities are the core components for realizing fiber electronic systems and information interaction functions. However, the previous integration paradigm for fiber electronic systems largely relied on connecting rigid, block-shaped chip circuits. This paradigm often leads to complex and unstable internal circuit connections within the system, fundamentally conflicting with application requirements such as fiber flexibility, breathability, lightweight design, and wearing comfort, which greatly limited the development of the fiber device field. A reel of "fiber chips" and a close-up detail. Photo provided by the research team. The "fiber chip" is expected to free fiber systems from their previous dependence on external information processing equipment, showing unique application prospects in multiple fields. For example, in the field of brain-computer interfaces, electrodes for traditional brain-computer interfaces generally need to be connected to rigid external signal processing modules. Based on "fiber chip" technology, it is possible to integrate a closed-loop functional system of "sensing - signal processing - stimulation output" within a single fiber as fine as a strand of hair. The team preliminarily verified that on an ultra-fine fiber with a diameter as small as 50 micrometers, a high-density sensing-stimulation electrode array and signal preprocessing circuits can be integrated simultaneously. This system possesses flexibility comparable to brain tissue and good biosafety. The signal-to-noise ratio of the neural signals it collects is comparable to that of commercial external signal preprocessing equipment. This fiber system is expected to provide a new tool for brain science and the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases. In the field of electronic textiles, which are considered the ultimate form of wearable devices, the core challenge lies in how to achieve a "fully flexible" textile system. Based on the "fiber chip," it is possible to directly weave and construct soft, breathable, fully flexible electronic textile systems without the need for external processors. For instance, by utilizing the built-in active drive circuits of the "fiber chip," dynamic pixel displays can be achieved within the fabric. In the field of virtual reality, current haptic interfaces heavily rely on blocky, rigid signal processing modules, resulting in poor conformity with the flexible surface of the skin. This makes it difficult to achieve precise and detailed signal acquisition and output, with limitations particularly prominent in scenarios requiring fine motor skills, such as remote medical robotic surgery. A smart haptic glove constructed based on "fiber chips" combines high flexibility and breathability, making it indistinguishable from ordinary fabric. Performance still needs improvement Compared to traditional chips, the "fiber chip" also boasts excellent flexibility, withstanding complex deformations such as bending, stretching, and twisting—for example, enduring bending with a 1mm radius, 30% tensile strain, and twisting of 180°/cm. It can even continue to function normally after undergoing washing, exposure to high and low temperatures, and being run over by a truck. Chen Peining stated that the "fiber chip" involves multiple disciplines; for instance, material preparation involves chemistry, and circuit design involves information science and electronics. "This is also why it's so difficult to develop," he said. He revealed that this work involves material synthesis and preparation, electronic device construction, circuit design and integration, and medical applications, requiring research methods from different disciplines such as chemistry, information science, electronics, and medicine. The Institute of Fiber Electronics Materials and Devices, which their team is part of, has in recent years formed a multidisciplinary research team and established a full-chain research platform covering chemical synthesis, device construction, lithography-based micro/nano-fabrication, and pilot-scale concept validation. Furthermore, this work received collaboration from teams within the university, including the School of Integrated Circuits and Micro-Nano Electronics, the School of Biomedical Engineering and Technological Innovation, the Electron Microscopy Center, and Zhongshan Hospital. Chen Ke, a PhD student at the Institute of Fiber Electronics Materials and Devices/School of Polymer Science at Fudan University and the first author of the paper, also mentioned the advantages of being a novice in integrated circuits. "I initially had no idea what integrated circuits or chips were. The benefit of starting from a blank slate was that we dared to imagine and dared to attempt things that hadn't been done before. For example, even though traditional chips are rigid, we wondered if we could make them soft and apply them in places where traditional chips couldn't be used." The research team indicated that there is still much work to be done regarding future research on the "fiber chip." They hope to continue collaborating with scholars from various disciplines to further enhance device integration density and improve information processing performance by synthesizing and preparing advanced semiconductor materials, thereby meeting the demands of more complex application scenarios. Regarding large-scale preparation and application, the team has already established an independent intellectual property system and looks forward to strengthening cooperation with industry. Wang Zhen, a PhD student at the Institute of Fiber Electronics Materials and Devices/School of Intelligent Materials and Future Energy Innovation at Fudan University and also a first author of the paper, mentioned that the "fiber chip" can be adapted to some unique application scenarios, such as the soft surface of human skin. "In the future, we also hope to collaborate with two-dimensional materials. This would allow it to achieve both good flexibility and excellent form while possessing complex functions, meeting the needs for true interaction and implantation applications."