An electronic device and method for its production

Abstract

An electronic device (1) comprising a first and second electrode (2, 3), a semiconducting layer (4) arranged on at least a portion of the first electrode (2), wherein the second electrode (3) is arranged on at least a portion of the semiconducting layer (4), such that the first electrode (2), the semiconducting layer (4) and the second electrode (3) are at least partially stacked on top of each other. The semiconducting layer (4) comprises semiconducting particles (4a) mixed in a non- conducting matrix (4b), wherein the non-conducting matrix (4b) comprises an insulating material and a cured fixation substance, wherein at least a subset of the semiconducting particles (4a) of the semiconducting layer (4) are arranged to make direct contact with the second electrode (3) and with the first electrode (2).

Description

[0001]AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD FOR ITS PRODUCTION TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure is related to an electronic device, such as a diode, comprising a first and second electrode and a semiconducting layer comprising semiconducting particles arranged between the electrodes. The disclosure also relates to a method of producing such an electronic device. BACKGROUND ARTPrinted / flexible electronics is a field that grows fast and its flexibility and conformityenables the integration of electronics on different surfaces and substrates. Suchelectronics require less material to fabricate than traditionally manufactured electronics, but may provide unforeseeable added functionalities.Though such systems can be made in a quite simplistic way, they still need the basicbuilding blocks, such as sensors, powering, logics, and communication. Different components are needed to build up the various modules, such as transistors, diodes, antennas, capacitors, and batteries. Diodes are important devices for converting AC signals to DC signals. Diodes are needed for energy harvesting of radio signals, piezoelectric nanogenerators,triboelectric nanogenerators, etc. There is a need for printed diodes, for the purpose ofreducing the cost and increasing the flexibility.Different techniques may be used to print (flexible) electronics, such as inkjet printing, screen printing, gravure printing, flexography, slot die coating, and dip coating. Different semiconductor materials have been printed for making diodes, such as silicon (Si), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), single-walled carbonnanotube (SWCNT), graphene, pentacene, and poly(triarylamine) (PTAA). Thesemiconductor particles may be provided as particles and especially Si particle diodeshave shown to have very good high frequency performance.In EP3208852B1 is shown a peelable and reconfigurable diode comprising a self-adhesive semiconducting layer composed of glycerol, nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) and with semi-conducting particles, which may be produced by solution processing by means of casting and lamination. One problem observed with diodes comprising particle diodes, such as Si particle diodes, are that the diodes can lose their performance with time. Hence, there is a need for printed / flexible diodes with a more stable performance, in terms of shelf time,degradation during use and resilience towards environmental perturbance such asvibration and temperature / humidity change. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIt is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device, such as a diode,and a method of producing such an electronic device, which has an improved / more stable performance than known such electronic devices, in terms of shelf time,degradation during use and resilience towards e.g. environmental perturbance, suchas vibration and temperature / humidity change. The invention is defined by the appended independent patent claims. Non-limiting embodiments emerge from the dependent claims, the appended drawings, and the following description.According to a first aspect there is provided an electronic device comprising a first andsecond electrode, a semiconducting layer arranged on at least a portion of the first electrode, wherein the second electrode is arranged on at least a portion of thesemiconducting layer, such that the first electrode, the semiconducting layer and thesecond electrode are at least partially stacked on top of each other. The semiconducting layer comprises semiconducting particles mixed in a non-conducting matrix, wherein the non-conducting matrix comprises an insulating material and a cured fixation substance, wherein at least a subset of the semiconducting particles of the semiconducting layer are arranged to make direct contact with the second electrode and with the first electrode.The presence of the cured / curable fixation substance in the semiconducting layerenhances the reliability and stability of the electronic device and provides a morepermanent device as compared to peelable and reconfigurable devices, e.g. in termsof shelf time and resilience towards environmental perturbance, such as vibration andtemperature / humidity change. The theory for this being that the cured fixation substance fixates / holds the semiconducting particles in place in the semiconductinglayer and the electronic device, as compared to prior art devices without such a curedfixation substance. The fixation substance used in the semiconducting layer can be applied in a non-cured or semi-cured state during the formation of the electronic device. This allows the semiconducting particles to be properly positioned and fixed in place. The final curing and solidification of the fixation substance occur during subsequent processing steps, such as thermal curing, UV-curing, solvent-based curing or chemical curing, whichensures the adhesion of the semiconducting layer to the electrode, thereby enhancingthe stability and reliability of the electronic device. As the fixation substance is cured,i.e. it has undergone a curing process, this results in a solid, stable, and permanent layered construction that is stable and fixed in place, less likely to be peelable or reconfigurable. The semiconducting particles may form a single layer in the semiconducting layer, wherein at least a subset of the semiconducting particles are in contact with both the first and the second electrode. In other words, the single layer of semiconducting particles may dominate the charge transport property. That a semiconducting particle is in direct contact with the first and second electrode ishere meant a direct electrical contact (as well as a mechanical contact). Preferably, asmany as possible of the particles are in contact with both electrodes. If the electronic device is a diode, there may be a Schottky contact between the semiconducting layer and the first electrode and an ohmic contact between the semiconducting layer and the second electrode. The first and second electrodes and the semiconducting layer are at least partially stacked on top of each other in a first direction. Hence, the semiconducting layer is sandwiched in between the first and the second electrode.The fixation substance may comprise acrylic adhesive, epoxy, urethane, silicone,rubber resin, or any combination thereof.Fixation substances comprising acrylic adhesive may be cyanoacrylate, two-component acrylic adhesives, UV-curing acrylic adhesives, solvent-based acrylic adhesives.Some specific examples of acrylic adhesives are SP-4533 silk-screen adhesive (from3M), SP-7533 screen-print adhesive (from 3M).The epoxy may be a thermally curable epoxy, an UV-curable epoxy, a one-componentepoxy, or a two-component epoxy.Some specific epoxy examples are Structalit® 3060 from Panacol.Examples of urethane or polyurethane that may be used as the fixation substance are two-component urethane, one-component urethane, hot melt urethane.Some specific urethane examples are HumiSeal® 1A33 spray and HumiSeal® 1A33NSfrom HumiSeal.Examples of silicones that may be used as the fixation substance are pressuresensitive silicone, one-part silicone, two-part silicone, silicon rubber, vulcanizing silicon.Some specific silicone examples are NCS10W from Chip Quick and Loctite® 595 fromLoctite®.Examples of rubber resins that may be used as the fixation substance are naturalrubber based resins, synthetic rubber based resins, styrene-butadiene based adhesives.Some specific rubber resin examples are Scotch-WeldTM from 3M, Fevibond® fromPidilite Industries Ltd., and BondFix® from BondFix.The primary component of the fixation substance may be a polymer that is dissolved ina solvent. The specific polymers and solvents used can vary depending on the formulation and application. Some common solvents used include toluene, acetone, water, and isopropyl alcohol. The fixation substance may be UV-curable and the substance comprising a photoinitiator and monomers. The photoinitiator is a chemical compound that absorbs light energy and initiates the polymerization process. The monomer is a small molecule that reacts with the photoinitiator to form the polymer network. The fixation substance may be heat-curable and comprise primary resins, curing agents, and accelerators. The curing agent is a chemical compound that reacts with the primary resin to form the polymer network. The accelerator is a chemical compound that speeds up the curing process. The insulating material may comprise one or more of nanocellulose, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, and polycarbonate. In one embodiment, the insulating material is made from a mixture of glycerol and cellulose based material, which may be cellulose nano-fibrill (CNF). The amount of glycerol may be 5 wt% to 75 wt%, and the amount of cellulose nano-fibrill (CNF) maybe 10 wt % to 50 wt%.The non-conducting matrix, may comprise a blend of the fixation substance and the insulating material.This blend may be a homogenous blend or an inhomogeneous blend. The blend maycomprise a gradient, wherein the concentration / amount of fixation substance in the non-conducting matrix is highest at the first electrode and / or the second electrode. The non-conducting matrix may be a layered structure comprising one or more layers of the fixation substance, the insulating material and / or a blend of insulating material blended with fixation substance. In such a layered structure semiconducting particles are present in all layers.A layer comprising fixation substance may be arranged in contact with the first and / orsecond electrode.The non-conducting matrix may comprise fixation substance to insulating material in aratio of 1:0.1 to 1:50 w:w.The above ratio is the dry ratio of fixation substance to insulating material.A wet ratio of fixation substance to insulating material in the non-conducting matrix, i.e.during production of the device when applying the semiconducting layer onto the firstelectrode, would be in a range of 1:5 to 1:1000 w:w.The semiconducting particles may be selected from group IV or III, or selected fromgroup IV and doped with elements of group III or V. The semiconducting particles may be selected from silicon particles, indium gallium zinc oxide, germanium, gallium arsenide, aluminium phosphide, aluminium arsenide, indium phosphide, indium arsenide, gallium nitride, indium nitride zinc oxide, single- walled carbon nanotube, graphene, pentacene, and / or poly(triarylamine).Si particles may be n- or p-doped.The semiconducting particles in the semiconducting layer may have an average diameter of 5-150 µm, or 20-100 µm, or 20-80 µm. The semiconducting particles may form a single layer in the semiconducting layer. A majority of the semiconducting particles may be in direct contact with both the first and the second electrode in the electronic device. The semiconducting layer may comprise 0.1 wt.% to 85 wt.% semi conducting particles. The amount of semiconducting particles in the semiconducting layer may be in the range of 0.1 wt.% to 85 wt.%, or 1 wt.% to 60 wt.%, or 5 wt.% to 30 wt.%, or 10 wt.% to 20 wt.%. The thickness of the non-conducting matrix is such that at least a portion of the semi-conducting particles arranged therein stick out from the matrix and make contact withthe first and second electrodes. Average thickness of the semiconducting layer being measured between the first and second electrode.The first electrode may comprise aluminium, silver, copper, gold, nickel, electricallyconductive polymers, carbon based materials or combinations thereof. The second electrode may comprise aluminium, silver, copper, gold, nickel, electrically conductive polymers, carbon based materials or combinations thereof.The electronic device may further comprise an encapsulation layer arranged on atleast a portion of an outer surface of the second electrode.Preferably, the encapsulation layer fully covers the electronic device. Adding anencapsulation layer enhances reliability and stability of the electronic device. The encapsulation layer may comprise epoxy, silicone, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer, and / or thermoplastic polyurethane. The first electrode may be arranged on a substrate of polyethylene teraphthalate, polyimide, polyethylene-naphtalene, paper, and / or textile. An adhesive layer may be arranged between the substrate and the first electrode.Such adhesive may be selected from polyurethane, polyacrylic, and epoxy.The electronic device described above may be a diode, a photovoltaic cell or part of atransistor.According to a second aspect there is provided a method of producing an electronicdevice, comprising: 1) providing a substrate; 2) arranging a first electrode on at last a portion of a surface of said substrate; 3) forming a semiconducting layer on at least a portion of the first electrode by: 3a1) arranging a non-conducting non-cured or semi-cured fixation substance on at least a portion of a surface of the first electrode, and3a2) arranging an insulating material comprising semiconducting particles mixedtherein on at least a portion of said fixation substance, or 3b) mixing an insulatingmaterial with semiconducting particles and a non-conducting fixation substance and applying the blend on at least a portion of a surface of the first electrode. Thereafter, 4) arranging a second electrode on at least a portion of the semiconducting layer, such that the first electrode, the semiconducting layer and the second electrode are at least partially stacked on top of each other, 5) applying a pressure on the formed stack such that at least a portion of the semiconducting particles of the semiconducting layer make direct contact with the first electrode and with the second electrode, and 6) curing the non-conducting fixation substance. Applying pressure can for example be made through calendaring. A non-cured fixation substance is in its initial state and has not undergone any curing process. It remains in a liquid or semi-liquid form, allowing it to flow and adapt to thesurface it is applied to. It provides initial adhesion but lacks the mechanical strengthand stability of a cured substance. A semi-cured fixation substance has undergone partial curing. It is in an intermediate state between non-cured and fully cured, providing some degree of mechanical strength and stability while still being somewhat pliable. The curing method used depends on the chosen non-conducting fixation substanceand could for example be UV-curing, thermal curing, chemical curing or solvent-basedcuring etc.Step 5) of applying the pressure can be made before step 6) of curing the non- conducting fixation substance step or the steps can be performed substantially simultaneously.The method may further comprise a step of applying a pressure after step 3) on theformed semiconducting layer.The method may further comprise a step 7) of applying an encapsulation layer on atleast a portion of the second electrode.Applying an encapsulation layer, step 7), may be performed after step 6). Step 7) mayalternatively be performed substantially simultaneously with step 6).In step 3a1) the non-conducting non-cured or semi-cured fixation substance may be arranged on at least a portion of a surface of the first electrode in a layer having anaverage thickness of 3-10 µm.In step 3a2) the insulating material comprising semiconducting particles mixed therein may be arranged on at least a portion of the non-cured or semi-cured fixation substance such that when a pressure has been applied to the layer, at least a portionof the semi-conducting particles arranged therein stick out from the matrix and makecontact with the first and second electrodes. In step 3b) the blend may be applied on at least a portion of a surface of the first electrode in a layer such that when a pressure has been applied to the layer, at least a portion of the semi-conducting particles arranged therein stick out from the matrix and make contact with the first and second electrodes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSFigs 1a-1d schematically illustrate a side view of an electronic device during productionthereof. Fig.2 illustrates production of the same electronic device as in Figs 1a-1d from a top- view. Fig.3 shows schematically a method of producing the electronic device of Fig.1d. Fig.4a shows I-V characteristics of a diode produced as described in Figs 1a-1d. Fig.4b shows the rectification ratio of the same diode.Fig. 5a shows I-V characteristics of a diode produced as described in the Figs 1a-1d.Fig. 5b shows I-V characteristics of a similar diode but without a fixation substance inthe semiconducting layer.Fig. 6a shows a SEM picture of a semiconducting layer comprising semiconductingparticles (from the bottom side) of a device produced as in Figs 1a-1d. Fig. 6b shows aSEM picture of the same semiconducting layer after pressing. Fig.7 shows a SEM cross section of a diode produced as illustrated in Figs 1a-1d. DETAILED DESCRIPTIONFigs 1a-1d and Figs 2a-2d schematically illustrate an electronic device duringproduction thereof and Fig. 3 shows schematically a method of producing suchelectronic device. The electronic device may for example be a diode, a photovoltaiccell or part of an electronic device comprising more than one diode such as atransistor, a thyristor, or a varistor. On a substrate 7, e.g. made of polyethylene teraphthalate, polyimide, polyethylene- naphtalene, paper, and / or textile, a first electrode 2 is arranged. An adhesive 8 (Fig. 1a), such as polyurethane, polyacrylic, or epoxy may be used to fix the electrode 2 to the substrate 7. On at least a portion of the first electrode 2 is formed a semiconducting layer 4. This semiconducting layer 4 comprises semiconductingparticles 4a mixed in a non-conducting matrix 4b. The semi conducting particles 4amay be from group IV or III, or from group IV and doped with elements of group III or V. The particles 4a may have an average diameter of 5-150 µm. The semiconducting layer 4 may comprise 0.1 wt% to 85 wt% semi conducting particles. On top of thesemiconducting layer 4 is arranged a second electrode 3. The second electrode 3 isarranged on at least a portion of the semiconducting layer 4, such that the first electrode 2, the semiconducting layer 4 and the second electrode 3 are at least partially stacked on top of each other (Fig.1c, Fig.1d, Fig.2b). At least a subset of the semiconducting particles 4a of the semiconducting layer 4 are arranged to make direct contact with the second electrode 3 and with the first electrode 2. The non-conducting matrix 4b may comprise an insulating material 4d and a non-conducting fixation substance 4c. The fixation substance 4c may comprise acrylicadhesive, epoxy, urethane, silicon, rubber resin, or any combination thereof, and the insulating material 4d may comprise nanocellulose, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, or any combination thereof. The non-conducting matrix 4b may comprise fixation substance4c to insulating material in a ratio of 1:0.1 to 1:50 w:w.The non-cured or semi-cured fixation substance 4c may be blended with the insulating material 4d and the semiconducting particles 4a. The blend with particles may be applied in a layer on at least a portion of the first electrode 2. Alternatively, the non-conducting matrix 4b is a layered structure comprising one ormore layers of the fixation substance 4c, the insulating material 4d and / or insulatingmaterial blended with fixation substance.In Figs 1a and 2b is illustrated a layer of cured fixation substance 4c arranged on thefirst electrode 2, which is arranged on the substrate 7. On this layer of cured fixation substance 4c is arranged a layer of insulating material 4d with semiconducting particles mixed therein (Figs 1b, 2c). On top of the semiconducting layer 4 is arranged the second electrode 3, Figs 1c, 1d, 2d. During production of the device, a pressure may be applied on the formedsemiconducting layer 4 and / or on the second electrode 3 to ensure that at least asubset of the semiconducting particles 4a of the semiconducting layer 4 make directcontact with the first electrode 2 and with the second electrode 3.The fixation substance 4c used in the semiconducting layer 4 can be applied in a non- cured or semi-cured state during the formation of the electronic device. This allows the semiconducting particles 4a to be properly positioned and fixed in place. The final curing and solidification of the fixation substance occur during a subsequentprocessing step after or substantially simultaneous to the pressing step. This enhancesthe stability and reliability of the electronic device. Such curing may be, depending onsubstance used, e.g. thermal curing, UV-curing, solvent-based curing or chemicalcuring.In Fig. 1d, the device is further provided with an encapsulation layer 6 (e.g made ofepoxy, silicone, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer, and / or thermoplasticpolyurethane) to enhance reliability and stability of the electronic device 1. Such stepmay optionally be followed by a hot pressing step.Additionally an extra layer with barrier properties can be applied to the entire device. Abarrier layer with adhesive can be added onto the whole structure and from both sides of the device, leaving only two contacts leads exposed to the external environment.The barrier layer protects the device from moisture and environmental impact. Forexample, a Honeywell Hydroblock barrier can be used.Below is described in more detail one way of producing an electronic device 1, a diode,as described above, wherein the semiconducting layer 4 comprises semiconducting particles 4a being silicon particles mixed in a non-conducting matrix 4b comprisingnanocellulose as insulating material 4d and an acrylic-based fixation substance 4c. For preparation of silicon micro-particles (Si-μPs), a single crystal silicon wafer with aresistivity of 0.01–0.02 Ω·cm and doped with antimony (Sb) was used. First, the waferwas crushed and then milled for 2 hours in a Retsch PM100 ball milling machine. Theobtained particles were further fractioned using a Retsch sieve machine with a 100 μm stainless steel sieve, where passed μPs were collected and used for the diode manufacturing process. Insulating material An aqueous dispersion of anionic nano-fibrillated cellulose (NFC) gel was prepared by high-pressure homogenization of carboxylethylated cellulose fibers and consecutively by an ultrasonication centrifugation process at RISE Bioeconomy. Device fabrication The fractioned Si powder was then mixed with 0.5 wt.% NFC water suspension andglycerol; the latter ingredient was included to enhance the surface adhesion of thedried film. The mixture was then further diluted with water by a factor of two andthoroughly mixed with a Turrax mixer for 3 minutes, and then further mixed with anultrasonic gun (Fisher scientific, sonic Dismembrator, 12.7 mm probe diameter) byapplying 1 sec pulses and 1 sec pause, at a 50% duty cycle for 20 min at 30 %. 5 g ofthe final mixture was cast into a petri dish with a diameter of 50 mm and then left to dryin ambient environment. The resulting dried film contained 12.5 wt.% Si-μPs, 51.5 wt.%glycerol and 36 wt.% NFC. The resulting films was easily be peeled off from the bottom of the Petri dishes. The surfaces of the two sides of the NFC:Si film were characterizedby optical profilometer and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The thickness of thenanocellulose film was around 15 µm. A portion of the Si particles had larger diameterthan this and when the cast film of nanoculluose:Si was dried, the bigger particleswould be sticking out from the film.A 9 μm aluminium foil laminated onto a 36 μm polyethylene terephthalate (PET) wasused as a substrate. The Al substrate can be patterned by a photolithography processto form first electrode(s) on the substrate, where the pattern was defined and etched by photoresist and buffered phosphoric acid, respectively. The Al substrate can also be patterned via dry-phase milling to skip the photolithography steps. A fixation substance, here SP4533 from 3MTM(comprises vinyl acetate-acrylic ester copolymer, water, vinyl acetate, nonylphenol, ethoxylatedis), was arranged on a1 mmwide Al strip on the pre-patterned Al substrate using Doctor blade coating. Thethickness of the applied fixation substance layer was around 5 µm.A piece of the NFC:Si-μPs composite film was then cut and pressed onto the fixationsubstance layer using a calender machine, with a pressure of 4 bar, which ensuresthat at least some of the Si-μP extend through the fixation substance layer establishing a good contact between the Al electrode and the Si-μP in the semiconducting layer. A double adhesive conducting tape consisting of Ni plated carbon fibers (3MTM9713) (Ni / C tape hereafter), supported with a layer of Al foil on top, was then applied on top of the NFC:Si-μPs layer, to form the second electrode. The entire PET / Al / NFC:Si-μP / Ni / C stack structure was pressed once more using the calender machine, againwith a pressure of 3 bar. The overlapping surface area of the Si film and the top electrode was 2 mm2. An encapsulating layer was added on the second electrode to encapsulate the stack. Thermoplastic polyurethane with hot melt was put on the diode stack, and a hot pressing step was applied on the whole structure. The TPU layer having a thickness of 115 ^m. Reference device Reference diodes were produced as above but without the fixation substance. The NFC:Si-μPs composite film was directly applied on the first electrode on the substrate. Device characterizationDC, I-V, characteristics of the formed diodes were measured by a Keithley 2602Bsource measure meter. In Fig. 4a is shown I-V characteristics of a diode produced asdescribed above. The rectification ratio of the diode versus voltage level shows howeffectively the diode converts AC voltage to DC voltage and is shown in Fig. 4b. Therectification ratio can be used to describe how the diode behaves towards signals ofdifferent polarity. The bigger the ratio, the more effective is the diode. As seen fromFig. 4b, the rectification ratio is close to 10000, indicating that the produced diode canbe considered an effective diode. Fig.5a shows I-V characteristics of a diode produced as described above. Fig.5b shows I-V characteristics of a reference diode produced as described above without afixation substance in the semiconducting layer. In Fig. 5b is seen the reference diodeA) immediately after fabrication and B) 48 hours after production. Already 48 hoursafter production the reference diode had lost performance. A diode with fixationsubstance in the semiconducting layer could sustain its diode characteristics for up to4 weeks (27 days) shelf time, as is shown in Fig. 5a. The results show that the fixationsubstance is necessary and beneficial for the stability, and shelf time, of the diodes.Fig. 6a shows a SEM picture of silicon particles mixed in a non-conducting matrix ofnanocellulose. The image shows that the Si particles stick out from the nanocellulosematrix. This surface configuration is a result of the membrane composition and the Si particle size. Fig.6b shows a SEM picture of the same semiconducting layer afterpressing onto the Al substrate with acrylic in between the Si:CNF membrane and theAl bottom electrode layer, the image shows that the Si particles have been pressed down. In Fig.7 is shown a SEM cross section of a diode produced as illustrated in Figs 1a-1d. Here, it is clearly seen the different layers of the diode: the PET substrate 7, the Alelectrode 2, the semiconducting layer 4 (comprising Si particles mixed with nanocellulose and the acrylic-based fixation substance, Ni / C tape with a layer of Al foil as the second electrode 3, and the TPU encapsulation layer 6.

Claims

CLAIMS1. An electronic device (1) comprising:a first and second electrode (2, 3);a semiconducting layer (4) arranged on at least a portion of the first electrode (2),wherein the second electrode (3) is arranged on at least a portion of thesemiconducting layer (4), such that the first electrode (2), the semiconducting layer (4)and the second electrode (3) are at least partially stacked on top of each other, wherein the semiconducting layer (4) comprises semiconducting particles (4a) mixed in a non-conducting matrix (4b), wherein the non-conducting matrix (4b) comprises aninsulating material (4d) and a cured fixation substance (4c), wherein at least a subsetof the semiconducting particles (4a) of the semiconducting layer (4) are arranged to make direct contact with the second electrode (3) and with the first electrode (2).

2. The electronic device (1) of claim 1, wherein the fixation substance (4c)comprises acrylic adhesive, epoxy, urethane, silicon, rubber resin, or any combinationthereof.

3. The electronic device (1) of claim 1 or 2, wherein the insulating materialcomprises one or more of nanocellulose, silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, and polycarbonate.

4. The electronic device (1) of any of claims 1-3, wherein the non-conductingmatrix (4b) comprises a blend of the fixation substance (4c) and the insulating material (4d).

5. The electronic device (1) of any of claims 1-4, wherein the non-conductingmatrix (4b) is a layered structure comprising one or more layers of the fixationsubstance (4c), the insulating material (4d) and / or a blend of insulating material (4d)and fixation substance (4c).

6. The electronic device (1) of claim 5, wherein a layer comprising fixationsubstance (4c) is arranged in contact with the first and / or second electrode (2, 3).

7. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the non-conducting matrix (4b) comprises fixation substance (4c) to insulating material (4d) in aratio of 1:0.1 to 1:50 w:w.

8. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein thesemiconducting particles (4a) are selected from group IV or III, or selected from group IV and doped with elements of group III or V.

9. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein thesemiconducting particles (4a) in the semiconducting layer (4) have an averagediameter of 5-150 µm, or 20-100 µm, or 20-80 µm.

10. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein thesemiconducting layer (4) comprises 0.1 wt.% to 85 wt.% semi conducting particles (4a).

11. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first (2)electrode comprises aluminium, silver, copper, gold, nickel, electrically conductive polymers, carbon based materials or combinations thereof.

12. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the second (3)electrode comprises aluminium, silver, copper, gold, nickel, electrically conductive polymers, carbon based materials or combinations thereof.

13. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, further comprising anencapsulation layer (6) arranged on at least a portion of an outer surface of saidsecond electrode (3).

14. The electronic device (1) of claim 13, wherein the encapsulation layer (6)comprises epoxy, silicone, polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer, and / orthermoplastic polyurethane.

15. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the firstelectrode (2) is arranged on a substrate (7) of polyethylene teraphthalate, polyimide,polyethylene-naphtalene, paper, and / or textile.

16. The electronic device (1) of any of the preceding claims, wherein the electronicdevice is a diode, a photovoltaic cell or part of a transistor.

17. Method of producing an electronic device (1), comprising:1) providing a substrate (7),2) arranging a first electrode (2) on at last a portion of a surface of said substrate (7),3) forming a semiconducting layer (4) on at least a portion of the first electrode (2) by 3a1) arranging a non-conducting non-cured or semi-cured fixation substance (4c) on at least a portion of a surface of the first electrode (2),and 3a2) arranging an insulating material (4d) comprising semiconducting particles (4a) mixed therein on at least a portion of said fixation substance (4c), or 3b) mixing an insulating material (4d) with semiconducting particles (4a) and a non-conducting non-cored or semi-cured fixation substance (4c) and applying the blend on at least a portion of a surface of the firstelectrode (2), 4) arranging a second electrode (3) on at least a portion of said semiconductinglayer (4), such that the first electrode (2), the semiconducting layer (4) and the secondelectrode (3) are at least partially stacked on top of each other, 5) applying a pressure on the formed stack such that at least a portion of thesemiconducting particles (4a) of the semiconducting layer (4) make direct contact withthe first electrode (2) and with the second electrode (3),6) curing the non-conducting fixation substance (4c).

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising 7) applying an encapsulation layer(6) on at least a portion of the second electrode (3).

19. The method of claim 17 or 18, wherein in step 3a1) the non-conducting non-cured or semi-cured fixation substance is arranged on at least a portion of a surface ofthe first electrode (2) in a layer having an average thickness of 3-10 µm.

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