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High-precision transfer-printing and integration of vertically oriented semiconductor arrays for flexible device fabrication

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Abstract

Flexible electronics utilizing single crystalline semiconductors typically require post-growth processes to assemble and incorporate the crystalline materials onto flexible substrates. Here we present a high-precision transfer-printing method for vertical arrays of single crystalline semiconductor materials with widely varying aspect ratios and densities enabling the assembly of arrays on flexible substrates in a vertical fashion. Complementary fabrication processes for integrating transferred arrays into flexible devices are also presented and characterized. Robust contacts to transferred silicon wire arrays are demonstrated and shown to be stable under flexing stress down to bending radii of 20 mm. The fabricated devices exhibit a reversible tactile response enabling silicon based, nonpiezoelectric, and flexible tactile sensors. The presented system leads the way towards high-throughput, manufacturable, and scalable fabrication of flexible devices.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Nano and Micro Manufacturing and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Mark Triplett, Matthew Ombaba, V. J. Logeeswarren, Matthew Yee, Kazim G. Polat, Jin Y. Oh & M. Saif Islam

  2. Department of Physics, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA

    Mark Triplett

  3. Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, CA, 94551, USA

    François Léonard

  4. Microelectronic Device Science Laboratory, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Nara, Japan

    Hideki Nishimura & Takashi Fuyuki

Authors
  1. Mark Triplett
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  2. Hideki Nishimura
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  3. Matthew Ombaba
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  4. V. J. Logeeswarren
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  5. Matthew Yee
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  6. Kazim G. Polat
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  7. Jin Y. Oh
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  8. Takashi Fuyuki
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  9. François Léonard
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  10. M. Saif Islam
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Correspondence to M. Saif Islam.

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Triplett, M., Nishimura, H., Ombaba, M. et al. High-precision transfer-printing and integration of vertically oriented semiconductor arrays for flexible device fabrication. Nano Res. 7, 998–1006 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0462-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-014-0462-7

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