Optical systems fabricated by printing-based assembly

• US 9,117,940 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2014
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois, X Display Company Technology Limited (Sensinnovat BVBA)
• Original Assignee: Board of Trustees of The University of Illinois, Semprius, Inc.
• Inventors: Rogers, John, Nuzzo, Ralph, Meitl, Matthew, Menard, Etienne, Baca, Alfred, Motala, Michael, Ahn, Jong-Hyun, Park, Sang-Il, Yu, Chang-Jae, Ko, Heung Cho, Stoykovich, Mark, Yoon, Jongseung
• Primary Examiner(s): YUSHIN, NIKOLAY K
• Application Number:
  US14/209,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20140373898A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 257/79, 257/419, 257/431, 257/432, 438/107, 438/22, 438/73
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B81C 2201/0185 Printing, e.g. microcontact printing
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/00 Processes or apparatus adapted for the manufacture or treatment of semiconductor or solid state devices or of parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/2919 with a principal constituent of the material being a polymer, e.g. polyester, phenolic based polymer, epoxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/32225 the item being non-metallic, e.g. insulating substrate with or without metallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/75753 Means for optical alignment, e.g. sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/75901 using a computer, e.g. fully- or semi-automatic bonding
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/7598 specially adapted for batch processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83 using a layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/83005 being a temporary or sacrificial substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/97 the devices being connected to a common substrate, e.g. interposer, said common substrate being separable into individual assemblies after connecting
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/29 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/32 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/72 Detachable connecting means consisting of mechanical auxiliary parts connecting the device, e.g. pressure contacts using springs or clips
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/75 Apparatus for connecting with bump connectors or layer connectors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 24/83 using a layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/042 the devices being arranged next to each other solar cells H01L31/042
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/0753 the devices being arranged next to each other
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/167 comprising optoelectronic devices, e.g. LED, photodiodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/50 Multistep manufacturing processes of assemblies consisting of devices, each device being of a type provided for in group H01L27/00 or H01L29/00 H01L21/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1214 : comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/124 : with a particular composition, shape or layout of the wiring layers specially adapted to the circuit arrangement, e.g. scanning lines in LCD pixel circuits wiring structures per se H01L23/52
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1285 : using control of the annealing or irradiation parameters, e.g. using different scanning direction or intensity for different transistors
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1292 : using liquid deposition, e.g. printing
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14627 : Microlenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14636 : Interconnect structures
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14643 : Photodiode arrays; MOS imagers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78603 : characterised by the insulating substrate or support H01L29/78657 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78681 : having a semiconductor body comprising AIIIBV or AIIBVI or AIVBVI semiconductor materials, or Se or Te
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 : Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 : the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 : Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12041 : LED
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/005 : relating to encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0058 : relating to optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0066 : relating to arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2933/0091 : Scattering means in or on the semiconductor body or semiconductor body package H01L33/22 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02005 : for device characterised by at least one potential jump barrier or surface barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02008 : for solar cells or solar cell modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02168 : the coatings being antireflective or having enhancing optical properties for the solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02325 : the optical elements not being integrated nor being directly associated with the device
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/02327 : the optical elements being integrated or being directly associated to the device, e.g. back reflectors optical coatings H01L31/0216
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0288 : characterised by the doping material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/03046 : including ternary or quaternary compounds, e.g. GaAlAs, InGaAs, InGaAsP
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/043 : Mechanically stacked PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0525 : including means to utilise heat energy directly associated with the PV cell, e.g. integrated Seebeck elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0543 : comprising light concentrating means of the refractive type, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0547 : comprising light concentrating means of the reflecting type, e.g. parabolic mirrors, concentrators using total internal reflection
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0693 : the devices including, apart from doping material or other impurities, only AIIIBV compounds, e.g. GaAs or InP solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/0725 : Multiple junction or tandem solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/167 : the light sources and the devices sensitive to radiation all being semiconductor devices characterised by potential barriers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1804 : comprising only elements of Group IV of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1824 : Special manufacturing methods for microcrystalline Si, uc-Si
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1868 : Passivation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1876 : Particular processes or apparatus for batch treatment of the devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1892 : methods involving the use of temporary, removable substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/005 : Processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0093 : Wafer bonding; Removal of the growth substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/0095 : Post-treatment of devices, e.g. annealing, recrystallisation or short-circuit elimination
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/06 : within the light emitting region, e.g. quantum confinement structure or tunnel barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/30 : containing only elements of Group III and Group V of the Periodic Table
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/483 : Containers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/52 : Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/54 : having a particular shape
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/56 : Materials, e.g. epoxy or silicone resin
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/58 : Optical field-shaping elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/62 : Arrangements for conducting electric current to or from the semiconductor body, e.g. lead-frames, wire-bonds or solder balls
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/021 : Silicon based substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02251 : using optical fibres
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/183 : having only vertical cavities, e.g. vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers [VCSEL]
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/3013 : AIIIBV compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/34326 : with a well layer based on InGa(Al)P, e.g. red laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/423 : having a vertical cavity
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/52 : PV systems with concentrators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/544 : Solar cells from Group III-V materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/545 : Microcrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/547 : Monocrystalline silicon PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

Claims

1. A method of making an integrated optical device comprising the steps of:

transfer printing a plurality of printable semiconductor elements to a device substrate; and

addressing an optical component or an array of optical components with the plurality of printable semiconductor elements on the device substrate, wherein each of the plurality of printable semiconductor elements are optically addressed to the optical component or to a unique individual member of the array of optical components;

wherein the transfer printing comprises the steps of;

contacting an array of solar cells on a wafer with a stamp contact surface;

removing the stamp in a direction away from the wafer to transfer the array of solar cells from the wafer to the stamp contract surface;

transferring the array of solar cells from the stamp contact surface to a back electrode supported by a target assembly substrate;

wherein the method further comprises the steps of;

providing an insulating layer and front electrodes in electrical contact with the transferred array of solar cells; and

addressing an array of microlenses with the transferred array of solar cells, wherein each microlens in the array is individually addressed and optically aligned with an individual solar cell.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of microlenses is a molded array of microlenses.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the microlenses comprise concentrating lenses to focus incident light on a solar cell to which the microlens is individually addressed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the solar cells are a multilayer structure comprising:

an antireflection layer;

a top contact that traverses the antireflection layer;

a p-n junction in electrical contact with the top contact; and

a bottom layer that supports the p-n junction.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the microlenses comprise collectors to optically focus light to solar cells, wherein each microlens-solar cell individually addressed pair has a collector area to solar cell area ratio that is greater than or equal to 400.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the collectors have an individual size that is about 2 mm and the solar cells have an individual size that is about 0.1 mm.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of microlenses is made by replica molding.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the array of microlenses comprises a plano-concave polymer lens array.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of microlenses comprises Fresnel lenses.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of microlenses comprise horizontal light pipes, waveguides, or both horizontal light pipes and waveguides.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the solar cells comprise silicon solar cells made from a silicon on insulator wafer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the solar cell comprises a doped top surface with a P/As mixture supported by a buried oxide layer.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

casting the insulating layer on the printed solar cells, thereby planarizing the printed solar cells; and

depositing the top electrodes on the planarized printed solar cells.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the stamp is an elastomeric stamp.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the front electrodes are aligned in a direction that is perpendicular to the transferred array of solar cells to minimize shadowing of solar cells by the front electrodes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the front electrodes optically obstruct a lateral distance of an underlying solar cell, wherein the optically obstructed lateral distance is less than 60 μ

m for a solar cell having a length greater than about 1 mm.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 1000 micro solar cells are transfer printed in parallel.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of printable semiconductor elements are part of:

a light emitting diode (LED) addressed to a diffusing optical lens;

a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) addressed to an optical fiber;

a photodiode addressed to a collecting optical lens;

or

an optical sensor and an optical generator addressed to a collecting lens.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the device substrate is a thin and flexible substrate and the transferred semiconductor elements are part of an LED having a thickness less than or equal to 0.3 mm and greater than or equal to 0.0003 mm to provide a conformable LED lighting system.

20. An optical system comprising:

a device substrate;

a plurality of device components supported by the device substrate, wherein each device component comprises a printable micro-solar cell; and

an array of optical components comprising an array of collecting optical lens to concentrate light on the micro-solar cells, wherein each member of the array of optical components is optically addressed to a unique member of the plurality of device components;

wherein each collecting optical lens has a collector area and each micro-solar cell has a solar cell area, and a ratio of the collector area to the solar cell area is greater than or equal to 400.

21. The optical system of claim 20, wherein the optical components comprise a polymer lens array.