Release strategies for making transferable semiconductor structures, devices and device components
First Claim
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1. A method for making a device or device component, said method comprising the steps of:
- providing a sacrificial layer on at least a portion of a substrate surface, said sacrificial layer having a receiving surface;
patterning said sacrificial layer to generate a pattern of exposed substrate surface;
depositing a functional layer on at least a portion of said sacrificial layer receiving surface and exposed substrate surface pattern, thereby generating a plurality of functional layer anchors corresponding to said pattern of exposed substrate;
releasing at least a portion of said functional layer, wherein the plurality of functional layer anchors remain at least partially anchored to said substrate and at least a portion of said functional layer not anchored to said substrate is released, thereby generating a plurality of transferable structures; and
printing said plurality of transferable structures onto a device substrate or device component supported by a device substrate;
wherein said functional layer is part of a multilayer structure, and the multilayer structure comprises a plurality of functional layers and adjacent functional layers are separated by a sacrificial layer.
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Abstract
Provided are methods for making a device or device component by providing a multilayer structure having a plurality of functional layers and a plurality of release layers and releasing the functional layers from the multilayer structure by separating one or more of the release layers to generate a plurality of transferable structures. The transferable structures are printed onto a device substrate or device component supported by a device substrate. The methods and systems provide means for making high-quality and low-cost photovoltaic devices, transferable semiconductor structures, (opto-)electronic devices and device components.
271 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for making a device or device component, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a sacrificial layer on at least a portion of a substrate surface, said sacrificial layer having a receiving surface; patterning said sacrificial layer to generate a pattern of exposed substrate surface; depositing a functional layer on at least a portion of said sacrificial layer receiving surface and exposed substrate surface pattern, thereby generating a plurality of functional layer anchors corresponding to said pattern of exposed substrate; releasing at least a portion of said functional layer, wherein the plurality of functional layer anchors remain at least partially anchored to said substrate and at least a portion of said functional layer not anchored to said substrate is released, thereby generating a plurality of transferable structures; and printing said plurality of transferable structures onto a device substrate or device component supported by a device substrate; wherein said functional layer is part of a multilayer structure, and the multilayer structure comprises a plurality of functional layers and adjacent functional layers are separated by a sacrificial layer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 17, 18, 19)
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5. A method for generating a multilayer array of transferable semiconductor elements, said method comprising the steps of:
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providing a substrate having an external surface; providing a multilayer structure supported by said external surface of said substrate, wherein said multilayer structure comprises an alternating sequence of semiconductor layers and sacrificial layers; generating one or more recess features by removing material from said multilayer structure; and depositing or coating a heterogeneous anchor element in said one or more recess features, thereby anchoring at least a portion of each of said semiconductor layers to said substrate external surface, or one or more semiconductor layers beneath a semiconductor top-layer of said multilayer structure, or both. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 20, 21, 22)
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13. A method of making a transferable semiconductor element anchored to a substrate, said method comprising:
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generating said transferable semiconductor element supported by an external surface of said substrate; providing a heterogeneous anchor element in physical contact with said transferable semiconductor element and in physical contact with said substrate or a structure provided thereon, thereby anchoring said semiconductor element to said substrate; providing a release layer at least partially positioned between said transferable semiconductor element and said external surface of said substrate; and releasing at least a portion of said transferable semiconductor element by selectively removing said release layer, wherein said releasing step comprises controlled lift-off of said transferable semiconductor element at a breakable tether point that connects said transferable semiconductor element to said heterogeneous anchor. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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Specification