Stretchable and Foldable Electronic Devices
First Claim
1. A method of making a stretchable and foldable electronic device, said method comprising:
- a. coating a receiving substrate having a first Young'"'"'s modulus with an isolation layer having a second Young'"'"'s modulus, said isolation layer having a receiving surface, wherein said second Young'"'"'s modulus is less than said first Young'"'"'s modulus;
b. providing a printable electronic device on a support substrate;
c. transferring said printable electronic device from said support substrate to said isolation layer receiving surface;
wherein said isolation layer isolates at least a portion of said transferred electronic device from an applied strain.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Disclosed herein are stretchable, foldable and optionally printable, processes for making devices and devices such as semiconductors, electronic circuits and components thereof that are capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed. Strain isolation layers provide good strain isolation to functional device layers. Multilayer devices are constructed to position a neutral mechanical surface coincident or proximate to a functional layer having a material that is susceptible to strain-induced failure. Neutral mechanical surfaces are positioned by one or more layers having a property that is spatially inhomogeneous, such as by patterning any of the layers of the multilayer device.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A method of making a stretchable and foldable electronic device, said method comprising:
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a. coating a receiving substrate having a first Young'"'"'s modulus with an isolation layer having a second Young'"'"'s modulus, said isolation layer having a receiving surface, wherein said second Young'"'"'s modulus is less than said first Young'"'"'s modulus; b. providing a printable electronic device on a support substrate; c. transferring said printable electronic device from said support substrate to said isolation layer receiving surface; wherein said isolation layer isolates at least a portion of said transferred electronic device from an applied strain. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A stretchable and foldable electronic device comprising:
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a. a receiving substrate; b. an isolation layer that at least partially coats one surface of said receiving substrate, said isolation layer having a Young'"'"'s modulus less than or equal to said receiving substrate Young'"'"'s modulus; and c. an electronic device that is at least partially supported by said isolation layer; wherein said isolation layer is capable of providing at least 20% or greater strain isolation when said device is stretched or folded compared to a device without said isolation layer. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of making a stretchable and foldable electronic device, said method comprising:
a. providing a multilayer device comprising a substrate layer, a functional layer and a one or more neutral mechanical surface adjusting layer, wherein said functional layer is supported by a substrate layer, with at least one layer of said multilayer having a property that is spatially inhomogeneous, wherein said spatially inhomogeneous property positions a neutral mechanical surface that is coincident or proximate to a functional layer. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of making an electronic device having a curved surface, said method comprising:
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a. providing a multilayer device comprising a substrate layer, a functional layer and a one or more neutral mechanical surface adjusting layer, wherein said functional layer is supported by a substrate layer, with at least one layer of said multilayer having a property that is spatially inhomogeneous, wherein said spatially inhomogeneous property positions a neutral mechanical surface that is coincident or proximate to a functional layer; b. providing a curvilinear surface; and c. conformally wrapping said curvilinear surface with said multilayer device, thereby making an electronic device with a curved surface.
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33. A method of making a foldable electronic device, said method comprising:
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a. providing a carrier layer surface; b. coating at least a portion of said carrier layer surface with a sacrificial layer; c. attaching a substrate layer to said sacrificial layer, wherein said substrate layer supports at least a component of said electronic device; d. patterning a plurality of sacrificial layer access openings through said substrate layer; and e. releasing said substrate layer from said carrier layer surface by introducing a sacrificial-removing material to said sacrificial layer via said access openings, thereby obtaining a foldable electronic device.
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34. A method of patterning an array of electronic devices on a surface, said method comprising:
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a. providing a functional layer on a supporting substrate surface, wherein said functional layer comprises an array of electronic devices; b. etching one or more access openings in said functional layer; c. casting a polymeric material against said functional layer and access openings, wherein said cast polymer in said access openings generates anchors that facilitate high-fidelity lift-off of said array from said supporting substrate surface; d. contacting an elastomeric stamp with said polymeric material; and e. removing the elastomeric stamp in a direction away from said supporting substrate to remove said polymeric material from said substrate and thereby removing said array anchored to said polymeric material from said supporting substrate.
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35. A method for printing planar electronic devices to curved surfaces, said method comprising:
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a. providing a device on a substantially planar substrate surface; b. providing an elastomeric stamp having a curvilinear geometry; c. deforming said elastomeric stamp, wherein said deformation provides a substantially flat stamp surface; d. contacting the substantially flat stamp surface with said device on said substrate surface; e. removing said device from said substrate surface by lifting the stamp in a direction that is away from the substrate, thereby transferring said component from said substrate surface to said substantially flat stamp surface; and f. relaxing said elastomeric stamp, thereby transforming said substantially flat stamp surface to a surface having a curved geometry. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39)
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40. A device for applying a force to a curvilinear elastomeric stamp to substantially flatten the stamp, said device comprising:
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a. a holder for secureably receiving said elastomeric stamp; and b. a force generator operably connected to said holder for generating a force on a secureably received elastomeric stamp, said force capable of substantially flattening said curvilinear stamp.
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41. A stretchable and foldable electronic device comprising:
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a. a support layer, wherein said layer is elastomeric; b. a functional layer supported by said support layer; c. an one or more neutral mechanical surface adjusting layer; wherein at least one or more of any of the layers has a property that is spatially inhomogeneous, thereby generating a neutral mechanical surface coincident or proximate to said functional layer. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44)
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Specification