Kyung Hee University Professor Jinyoung Oh's Team Develops Next-Generation Electronic Skin Device

Securing Core Semiconductor Technology for Electronic Skin Implementation

The research team led by Professor Jinyoung Oh of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Kyung Hee University has developed next-generation semiconductor device technology that can reliably operate in environments that are as soft and stretchable as human skin, while simultaneously performing both information storage and logic operation functions. This research was published in the June issue of the internationally renowned journal Nature Communications (IF=15.7).

Professor Jinyoung Oh's research team in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Kyung Hee University (from left: co-first authors Sunhoo Park, Minwoo Jung, graduate students; corresponding author Professor Jinyoung Oh). Kyung Hee University

The device developed by the team is a stretchable optoelectronic memory transistor that controls its operating state in response to light and electrical signals. The team implemented a reconfigurable logic-in-memory (R-LIM) semiconductor technology, which enables non-volatile information storage as well as flexible switching of logic functions within a circuit. By overcoming the limitations of conventional electronic skin technology—which only detected signals—the new device allows data storage and computation to be performed simultaneously on a single device platform. This significantly expands the potential for intelligent skin-attachable electronic systems.

The developed device demonstrated high mechanical reliability, maintaining stable memory and logic semiconductor characteristics even under up to 30% tensile strain and repetitive mechanical stress conditions. The team implemented the R-LIM system on a stretchable substrate the size of a 4-inch wafer, thereby proving its scalability and commercialization potential for mass production.

Professor Jinyoung Oh explained, "This study demonstrates that electronic skin can evolve beyond a simple sensor into an intelligent soft semiconductor platform capable of storing and processing data directly in the field." He further stated, "It will serve as a fundamental technology for the realization of next-generation bioelectronic devices and personalized healthcare systems." This research was conducted with support from the National Research Foundation of Korea, the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, and Gyeonggi Province’s GRRC program.

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