Flexible and wearable biosensors are the next-generation healthcare devices that can efficiently monitor human health conditions in day-to-day life. Moreover, the rapid growth and technological advancements in wearable optoelectronics have promoted the development of flexible organic photoplethysmography (PPG) biosensor systems that can be implanted directly onto the human body without any additional interface for efficient bio-signal monitoring. As an example, the pulse oximeter utilizes PPG signals to monitor the oxygen saturation (SpO2 ) in the blood volume using two distinct wavelengths with organic light emitting diode (OLED) as light source and an organic photodiode (OPD) as light sensor. Utilizing the flexible and soft properties of organic semiconductors, pulse oximeter can be both flexible and conformal when fabricated on thin polymeric substrates. It can also provide highly efficient human-machine interface systems that can allow for long-time biological integration and flawless measurement of signal data. In this work, a clear and systematic overview of the latest progress and updates in flexible and wearable all-organic pulse oximetry sensors for SpO2 monitoring, including design and geometry, processing techniques and materials, encapsulation and various factors affecting the device performance, and limitations are provided. Finally, some of the research challenges and future opportunities in the field are mentioned.
Keywords: SpO2 sensors; flexible organic devices; organic biosensors; organic light emitting diodes; organic photodetectors; photoplethysmography; pulse oximeter.
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