Imagine you want to design a bendable screen or a wearable health sensor, but every time you try a new circuit layout you have to physically build it to see if it works. That gets expensive fast. DOMINO created computer models — like a flight simulator, but for flexible transistors — so engineers can test their designs digitally before spending money on real prototypes. The team built open-source software libraries that plug into the same design tools electronics companies already use, making the jump from lab measurements to a finished product much faster.
Designing circuits for flexible electronics — bendable displays, wearable sensors, smart labels — is slow and expensive because engineers lack reliable computer models for organic and oxide thin-film transistors. Without good simulation tools, companies resort to build-and-test cycles that waste materials, time, and money. This gap between flexible electronics technology and practical circuit design tools has been holding back commercialization of products that consumers and industries are ready to buy.
The project delivered a final release of TCAD software containing physics-based electrical models for organic and amorphous oxide thin-film transistors, along with full documentation. The software includes compact model libraries designed to plug into commercial Electronic Design Automation environments, plus parameter extraction templates that help engineers go from initial device measurements to complete circuit designs.
If you are a display manufacturer dealing with long and expensive prototyping cycles for flexible screens — this project developed open-source transistor simulation models that integrate into standard Electronic Design Automation tools. Instead of building and testing physical prototypes repeatedly, your engineers can simulate circuit behavior digitally first, cutting design iterations and material waste.
If you are a wearable device maker struggling to move from a lab prototype to a reliable product — DOMINO built compact model libraries with parameter extraction templates that speed up the path from initial device measurements to full circuit design. This means your R&D team can validate sensor circuit layouts in simulation before committing to fabrication runs.
If you are a printed electronics producer facing unpredictable performance from organic or oxide thin-film transistors — this project delivered TCAD software with physics-based models specifically for organic and amorphous oxide TFTs. Your design engineers get predictive simulations that match real device behavior, reducing costly surprises at the manufacturing stage.
The project aimed to produce open-source model libraries, meaning the core simulation code is freely available. Your main cost would be the commercial Electronic Design Automation (EDA) software license you likely already have, plus engineering time to integrate and calibrate the models for your specific devices.
The models were designed to be integrated into commercial EDA environments used for full large-area, low-cost circuit design. The consortium included 3 industry partners alongside 4 universities and 2 research organizations across 5 countries, providing real-world validation input. However, scaling to high-volume production design would require calibration with your specific manufacturing process data.
DOMINO set out to produce open-source model libraries, which suggests the core models are available without restrictive licensing. The final TCAD software release and documentation were delivered as a project output. For specific licensing terms, you would need to contact the coordinating university, Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain.
The project specifically built these models as compact libraries designed to plug into commercial EDA tools, with parameter extraction templates included. This means integration follows a standardized path rather than requiring custom software development. Based on available project data, the templates assist in fast transfer between initial prototype device measurements and full product design.
The models cover two key flexible electronics technologies: organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs) and amorphous oxide semiconductor (AOS) TFTs. These are the two dominant transistor types used in flexible displays, wearable sensors, and printed electronics today.
The project ended in November 2018, so active EU-funded development has concluded. The consortium of 9 partners across 5 countries produced 6 deliverables during the project. For current status of the software and any continued development, you would need to check the project website or contact the coordinator.
The DOMINO consortium brought together 9 partners from 5 European countries (Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands, UK), with a balanced mix of 4 universities, 2 research organizations, and 3 industry players — giving the project a 33% industry ratio. The 3 SMEs in the consortium suggest the models were tested against practical, commercially relevant device data rather than purely academic scenarios. The coordinator, Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Spain, is a recognized center for organic electronics research. For a business looking to adopt these tools, the multi-country, multi-sector consortium increases the likelihood that the models work across different manufacturing processes and device architectures, not just one lab's setup.
Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain) — contact through SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the research team
Want to evaluate whether DOMINO's simulation models fit your flexible electronics design workflow? SciTransfer can arrange a technical briefing with the research team and help you assess integration feasibility.
