Large [[Integrated circuit|circuit]]s made with [[thin-film transistor]]s and other devices can be [[pattern]]ed onto these large substrates, which can be up to a few metres wide and 50 km long.{{cn|date=March 2017}} Some of the devices can be patterned directly, much like an [[inkjet printer]] deposits ink. For most [[semiconductor]]s, however, the devices must be patterned using [[photolithography]] techniques.
Roll-to-roll processing of large-area electronic devices isreduces amanufacturing technologycost.<ref>{{cite that is still in developmentbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZiGjrlkSpOQC&pg=PA19&lpg=PA19&dq=%22web+processing%22+%22Roll+to+roll%22&source=bl&ots=cKLMNnpKYw&sig=BJcY7byhE38jDUuCKOUHNca2hdo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi4r6W5noXZAhUUzGMKHfhlDe0Q6AEIbTAP#v=onepage&q=%22web%20processing%22%20%22Roll%20to%20roll%22&f=false|title=Flexible Electronics: IfMaterials [[semiconductorand device]]sApplications|chapter=Fabrication canon beWeb fabricatedby inRoll-to-Roll thisProcessing|page=19|editors=Wong, wayWilliam onS., largeand substratesSalleo, manyAlberto|publisher=Springer|place=New devicesYork, could be fabricated at a fraction of the cost of traditional semiconductor manufacturing methods.NY|year=2009|isbn=0387743634}}</ref> Most notable would be [[solar cell]]s, which are still prohibitively expensive for most markets due to the high cost per unit area of traditional bulk ([[Monocrystalline silicon|mono-]] or [[Polycrystalline silicon|polycrystalline]]) silicon manufacturing. Other applications could arise which take advantage of the flexible nature of the substrates, such as electronics embedded into clothing, large-area flexible displays, and roll-up portable displays.
