2 research outputs found
Photolithography-Based Patterning of Liquid Metal Interconnects for Monolithically Integrated Stretchable Circuits
We demonstrate a new patterning technique
for gallium-based liquid
metals on flat substrates, which can provide both high pattern resolution
(∼20 μm) and alignment precision as required for highly
integrated circuits. In a very similar manner as in the patterning
of solid metal films by photolithography and lift-off processes, the
liquid metal layer painted over the whole substrate area can be selectively
removed by dissolving the underlying photoresist layer, leaving behind
robust liquid patterns as defined by the photolithography. This quick
and simple method makes it possible to integrate fine-scale interconnects
with preformed devices precisely, which is indispensable for realizing
monolithically integrated stretchable circuits. As a way for constructing
stretchable integrated circuits, we propose a hybrid configuration
composed of rigid device regions and liquid interconnects, which is
constructed on a rigid substrate first but highly stretchable after
being transferred onto an elastomeric substrate. This new method can
be useful in various applications requiring both high-resolution and
precisely aligned patterning of gallium-based liquid metals
Quantum Confinement Effects in Transferrable Silicon Nanomembranes and Their Applications on Unusual Substrates
Two dimensional (2D) semiconductors
have attracted attention for
a range of electronic applications, such as transparent, flexible
field effect transistors and sensors owing to their good optical transparency
and mechanical flexibility. Efforts to exploit 2D semiconductors in
electronics are hampered, however, by the lack of efficient methods
for their synthesis at levels of quality, uniformity, and reliability
needed for practical applications. Here, as an alternative 2D semiconductor,
we study single crystal Si nanomembranes (NMs), formed in large area
sheets with precisely defined thicknesses ranging from 1.4 to 10 nm.
These Si NMs exhibit electronic properties of two-dimensional quantum
wells and offer exceptionally high optical transparency and low flexural
rigidity. Deterministic assembly techniques allow integration of these
materials into unusual device architectures, including field effect
transistors with total thicknesses of less than 12 nm, for potential
use in transparent, flexible, and stretchable forms of electronics