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Invariance of DC and RF Characteristics of Mechanically Flexible CMOS Technology on Plastic

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Functional Nanomaterials and Devices for Electronics, Sensors and Energy Harvesting

Part of the book series: Engineering Materials ((ENG.MAT.))

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Abstract

Combining the electrical performance of modern high frequency silicon nanoelectronics with additional properties of mechanical flexibility and stretchability continuously arouses a sustained interest for its utility in a broad range of space-weight-and-power (SWAP) constrained applications related to e.g. healthcare, structure monitoring, sport, telecommunication, security chips. However, the fabrication of transistors and circuits featuring high electrical performance independently of their deformation state (i.e. flat, folded, or stretched for instance) still constitutes an unresolved challenge. Although many different techniques based on the transfer of high mobility nanostructures or patterned thin-films onto flexible plastic foils constitute possible solutions with their respective advantages and weaknesses, little attention has been paid so far to the thinning of mature rigid technology in the ultra-thin regime followed by transfer-bonding onto a flexible handler. The basic idea developed in this chapter is to combine the advantages of a mature radio-frequency (RF) SOI-CMOS technology with mechanical flexibility provided by thinning. Moreover, performance invariance of flexible systems is another challenge requiring a careful inspection to retain function and to guarantee operation stability. A method based on silicon thinning, transfer-bonding and neutral plane engineering is therefore proposed to produce flexible devices and circuits combining high electrical and mechanical performance, in addition to functional invariance upon deformation. In this chapter, it is demonstrated that SOI MOSFETs featuring high frequency, low noise and low power characteristics can withstand curvature radii down to the centimetre range without noticeable variation of their static and high frequency performance. The thinning and transfer-bonding of rigid technology is performed using successive chemical–mechanical lapping, wet etching and dry cleaning steps followed by room temperature bonding. Static, high frequency and noise characterization completely validate this process. Consistently with mechanical modelling, electrical measurements in bent configurations confirm the invariance of electrical performance upon flexure. Beyond the in-depth analysis of SOI-MOSFETs, CMOS circuits have been characterized to demonstrate that this technology paves the way to flexible electronic applications requiring complexity and frequency performance.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the ST-IEMN Common Laboratory and by the region Nord-Pas-de-Calais and FEDER through the CPER-CIA project. It also contributes to the scientific and technological program of the LEAF EQUIPEX project (ANR-11-355 EQPX-0025).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut d’Electronique, de Microélectronique et de Nanotechnologie, IEMN-CNRS, Avenue Poincaré, 59652, Villeneuve d’Ascq, France

    Aurelien Lecavelier des Etangs-Levallois, Justine Philippe, Sylvie Lepilliet, Yoann Tagro, François Danneville, Jean-François Robillard & Emmanuel Dubois

  2. STMicroelectronics, 850 Rue Jean Monnet, 38926, Crolles Cedex, France

    Christine Raynaud & Daniel Gloria

  3. CEA-LETI, Minatec, 17 Rue Des Martyrs, 38054, Grenoble Cedex 9, France

    Christine Raynaud

  4. Instytut Technologii Elektronowej, 02668, Warsaw, Poland

    Jacek Ratajczak

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  1. Aurelien Lecavelier des Etangs-Levallois
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  2. Justine Philippe
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  3. Sylvie Lepilliet
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  4. Yoann Tagro
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  5. François Danneville
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  6. Jean-François Robillard
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  7. Christine Raynaud
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  8. Daniel Gloria
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  9. Jacek Ratajczak
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  10. Emmanuel Dubois
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Correspondence to Emmanuel Dubois .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Academy of Science of Ukraine, Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Kyiv, Ukraine

    Alexei Nazarov

  2. Sinano InstituteIMEP-LAHC, CNRS Grenoble, IMEP-LAHC, Grenoble, France

    Francis Balestra

  3. ICTEAM Institute Microelectronics Laboratory, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Valeriya Kilchytska

  4. ICTEAM Institute, ELEN (Electrical Engineering), Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Denis Flandre

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Lecavelier des Etangs-Levallois, A. et al. (2014). Invariance of DC and RF Characteristics of Mechanically Flexible CMOS Technology on Plastic. In: Nazarov, A., Balestra, F., Kilchytska, V., Flandre, D. (eds) Functional Nanomaterials and Devices for Electronics, Sensors and Energy Harvesting. Engineering Materials. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08804-4_5

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