Materials Strategies and Devices for Flexible and Stretchable Electronics

Abstract

However, even flexible electronic devices with the simple mechanical bendability described above, not to mention conventional wafer-based device technologies, have clear limitations in certain applications on irregular and rugged surfaces, such as those on a wearable computer or various personal health sensing systems and hemispherical detector arrays. Therefore, other qualities besides flexibility, such as foldability (extreme bendability) or stretchability, are required. In this dissertation, a simple approach to high performance, stretchable and foldable integrated circuits was developed by integrating aligned arrays of nanoribbons of single crystalline silicon with ultrathin plastic and elastomeric substrates with an unconventional geometry, such as wavy and non-coplanar pop-up structures. In addition, various high potential applications, including electronic devices on gloves or disposable papers and encapsulation strategies for practical product applications, were also developed.