Mechanics and thermal management of stretchable inorganic electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jizhou; Feng, Xue; Huang, Yonggang

2016-03-01

Stretchable electronics enables lots of novel applications ranging from wearable electronics, curvilinear electronics to bio-integrated therapeutic devices that are not possible through conventional electronics that is rigid and flat in nature. One effective strategy to realize stretchable electronics exploits the design of inorganic semiconductor material in a stretchable format on an elastomeric substrate. In this review, we summarize the advances in mechanics and thermal management of stretchable electronics based on inorganic semiconductor materials. The mechanics and thermal models are very helpful in understanding the underlying physics associated with these systems, and they also provide design guidelines for the development of stretchable inorganic electronics.

Mechanics and thermal management of stretchable inorganic electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Jizhou; Feng, Xue; Huang, Yonggang

2016-01-01

Stretchable electronics enables lots of novel applications ranging from wearable electronics, curvilinear electronics to bio-integrated therapeutic devices that are not possible through conventional electronics that is rigid and flat in nature. One effective strategy to realize stretchable electronics exploits the design of inorganic semiconductor material in a stretchable format on an elastomeric substrate. In this review, we summarize the advances in mechanics and thermal management of stretchable electronics based on inorganic semiconductor materials. The mechanics and thermal models are very helpful in understanding the underlying physics associated with these systems, and they also provide design guidelines for the development of stretchable inorganic electronics. PMID:27547485

Carbon Nanotube Flexible and Stretchable Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Cai, Le; Wang, Chuan

2015-12-01

The low-cost and large-area manufacturing of flexible and stretchable electronics using printing processes could radically change people's perspectives on electronics and substantially expand the spectrum of potential applications. Examples range from personalized wearable electronics to large-area smart wallpapers and from interactive bio-inspired robots to implantable health/medical apparatus. Owing to its one-dimensional structure and superior electrical property, carbon nanotube is one of the most promising material platforms for flexible and stretchable electronics. Here in this paper, we review the recent progress in this field. Applications of single-wall carbon nanotube networks as channel semiconductor in flexible thin-film transistors and integrated circuits, as stretchable conductors in various sensors, and as channel material in stretchable transistors will be discussed. Lastly, state-of-the-art advancement on printing process, which is ideal for large-scale fabrication of flexible and stretchable electronics, will also be reviewed in detail.

Highly stretchable and conductive fibers enabled by liquid metal dip-coating

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiang; Roach, Devin J.; Geng, Luchao; Chen, Haosen; Qi, H. Jerry; Fang, Daining

2018-03-01

Highly stretchable and conductive fibers have been fabricated by dip-coating of a layer of liquid metal (eutectic gallium indium, EGaIn) on printed silicone elastomer filaments. This fabrication method exploits a nanolayer of oxide skin that rapidly forms on the surface of EGaIn when exposed to air. Through dip-coating, the sticky nature of the oxide skin leads to the formation of a thin EGaIn coating (˜5 μm thick) on the originally nonconductive filaments and renders these fibers excellent conductivity. Electrical characterization shows that the fiber resistance increases moderately as the fiber elongates but always maintains conductivity even when stretched by 800%. Besides this, these fibers possess good cyclic electrical stability with little degradation after hundreds of stretching cycles, which makes them an excellent candidate for stretchable conductors. We then demonstrate a highly stretchable LED circuit as well as a conductive stretchable net that extends the 1D fibers into a 2D configuration. These examples demonstrate potential applications for topologically complex stretchable electronics.

Fully Printed Flexible and Stretchable Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Suoming

Through this thesis proposal, the author has demonstrated series of flexible or stretchable sensors including strain gauge, pressure sensors, display arrays, thin film transistors and photodetectors fabricated by a direct printing process. By adopting the novel serpentine configuration with conventional non-stretchable materials silver nanoparticles, the fully printed stretchable devices are successfully fabricated on elastomeric substrate with the demonstration of stretchable conductors that can maintain the electrical properties under strain and the strain gauge, which could be used to measure the strain in desired locations and also to monitor individual person's finger motion. And by investigating the intrinsic stretchable materials silver nanowires (AgNWs) with the conventional configuration, the fully printed stretchable conductors are achieved on various substrates including Si, glass, Polyimide, Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Very High Bond (VHB) tape with the illustration of the capacitive pressure sensor and stretchable electroluminescent displays. In addition, intrinsically stretchable thin-film transistors (TFTs) and integrated logic circuits are directly printed on elastomeric PDMS substrates. The printed devices utilize carbon nanotubes and a type of hybrid gate dielectric comprising PDMS and barium titanate (BaTiO3) nanoparticles. The BaTiO3/PDMS composite simultaneously provides high dielectric constant, superior stretchability, low leakage, as well as good printability and compatibility with the elastomeric substrate. Both TFTs and logic circuits can be stretched beyond 50% strain along either channel length or channel width directions for thousands of cycles while showing no significant degradation in electrical performance. Finally, by applying the SWNTs as the channel layer of the thin film transistor, we successfully fabricate the fully printed flexible photodetector which exhibits good electrical characteristics and the transistors exhibit

Skin electronics from scalable fabrication of an intrinsically stretchable transistor array.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Sihong; Xu, Jie; Wang, Weichen; Wang, Ging-Ji Nathan; Rastak, Reza; Molina-Lopez, Francisco; Chung, Jong Won; Niu, Simiao; Feig, Vivian R; Lopez, Jeffery; Lei, Ting; Kwon, Soon-Ki; Kim, Yeongin; Foudeh, Amir M; Ehrlich, Anatol; Gasperini, Andrea; Yun, Youngjun; Murmann, Boris; Tok, Jeffery B-H; Bao, Zhenan

2018-03-01

Skin-like electronics that can adhere seamlessly to human skin or within the body are highly desirable for applications such as health monitoring, medical treatment, medical implants and biological studies, and for technologies that include human-machine interfaces, soft robotics and augmented reality. Rendering such electronics soft and stretchable-like human skin-would make them more comfortable to wear, and, through increased contact area, would greatly enhance the fidelity of signals acquired from the skin. Structural engineering of rigid inorganic and organic devices has enabled circuit-level stretchability, but this requires sophisticated fabrication techniques and usually suffers from reduced densities of devices within an array. We reasoned that the desired parameters, such as higher mechanical deformability and robustness, improved skin compatibility and higher device density, could be provided by using intrinsically stretchable polymer materials instead. However, the production of intrinsically stretchable materials and devices is still largely in its infancy: such materials have been reported, but functional, intrinsically stretchable electronics have yet to be demonstrated owing to the lack of a scalable fabrication technology. Here we describe a fabrication process that enables high yield and uniformity from a variety of intrinsically stretchable electronic polymers. We demonstrate an intrinsically stretchable polymer transistor array with an unprecedented device density of 347 transistors per square centimetre. The transistors have an average charge-carrier mobility comparable to that of amorphous silicon, varying only slightly (within one order of magnitude) when subjected to 100 per cent strain for 1,000 cycles, without current-voltage hysteresis. Our transistor arrays thus constitute intrinsically stretchable skin electronics, and include an active matrix for sensory arrays, as well as analogue and digital circuit elements. Our process offers a

Recent developments of truly stretchable thin film electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Juan; Chi, Zhihe; Yang, Zhan; Chen, Xiaojie; Arnold, Michael S; Zhang, Yi; Xu, Jiarui; Chi, Zhenguo; Aldred, Matthew P

2018-03-29

Truly stretchable electronics, wherein all components themselves permit elastic deformation as the whole devices are stretched, exhibit unique advantages over other strategies, such as simple fabrication process, high integrity of entire components and intimate integration with curvilinear surfaces. In contrast to the stretchable devices using stretchable interconnectors to integrate with rigid active devices, truly stretchable devices are realized with or without intentionally employing structural engineering (e.g. buckling), and the whole device can be bent, twisted, or stretched to meet the demands for practical applications, which are beyond the capability of conventional flexible devices that can only bend or twist. Recently, great achievements have been made toward truly stretchable electronics. Here, the contribution of this review is an effort to provide a panoramic view of the latest progress concerning truly stretchable electronic devices, of which we give special emphasis to three kinds of thin film electronic and optoelectronic devices: (1) thin film transistors, (2) electroluminescent devices (including organic light-emitting diodes, light-emitting electrochemical cells and perovskite light-emitting diodes), and (3) photovoltaics (including organic photovoltaics and perovskite solar cells). We systematically discuss the device design and fabrication strategies, the origin of device stretchability and the relationship between the electrical and mechanical behaviors of the devices. We hope that this review provides a clear outlook of these attractive stretchable devices for a broad range of scientists and attracts more researchers to devote their time to this interesting research field in both industry and academia, thus encouraging more intelligent lifestyles for human beings in the coming future.

From stretchable to reconfigurable inorganic electronics

KAUST Repository

Nassar, Joanna M.

2016-05-06

Today’s state-of-the-art electronics are high performing, energy efficient, multi-functional and cost effective. However, they are also typically rigid and brittle. With the emergence of the Internet of Everything, electronic applications are expanding into previously unexplored areas, like healthcare, smart wearable artifacts, and robotics. One major challenge is the physical asymmetry of target application surfaces, which often cause mechanical stretching, contracting, twisting and other deformations to the application. In this review paper, we explore materials, processes, mechanics and devices that enable physically stretchable and reconfigurable electronics. While the concept of stretchable electronics is commonly used in practice, the notion of physically reconfigurable electronics is still in its infancy. Because organic materials are commonly naturally stretchable and physically deformable, we predominantly focus on electronics made from inorganic materials that have the capacity for physical stretching and reconfiguration while retaining their intended attributes. We emphasize how applications of electronics dictate theory to integration strategy for stretchable and reconfigurable inorganic electronics.

Skin electronics from scalable fabrication of an intrinsically stretchable transistor array

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Sihong; Xu, Jie; Wang, Weichen; Wang, Ging-Ji Nathan; Rastak, Reza; Molina-Lopez, Francisco; Chung, Jong Won; Niu, Simiao; Feig, Vivian R.; Lopez, Jeffery; Lei, Ting; Kwon, Soon-Ki; Kim, Yeongin; Foudeh, Amir M.; Ehrlich, Anatol; Gasperini, Andrea; Yun, Youngjun; Murmann, Boris; Tok, Jeffery B.-H.; Bao, Zhenan

2018-03-01

Skin-like electronics that can adhere seamlessly to human skin or within the body are highly desirable for applications such as health monitoring, medical treatment, medical implants and biological studies, and for technologies that include human-machine interfaces, soft robotics and augmented reality. Rendering such electronics soft and stretchable—like human skin—would make them more comfortable to wear, and, through increased contact area, would greatly enhance the fidelity of signals acquired from the skin. Structural engineering of rigid inorganic and organic devices has enabled circuit-level stretchability, but this requires sophisticated fabrication techniques and usually suffers from reduced densities of devices within an array. We reasoned that the desired parameters, such as higher mechanical deformability and robustness, improved skin compatibility and higher device density, could be provided by using intrinsically stretchable polymer materials instead. However, the production of intrinsically stretchable materials and devices is still largely in its infancy: such materials have been reported, but functional, intrinsically stretchable electronics have yet to be demonstrated owing to the lack of a scalable fabrication technology. Here we describe a fabrication process that enables high yield and uniformity from a variety of intrinsically stretchable electronic polymers. We demonstrate an intrinsically stretchable polymer transistor array with an unprecedented device density of 347 transistors per square centimetre. The transistors have an average charge-carrier mobility comparable to that of amorphous silicon, varying only slightly (within one order of magnitude) when subjected to 100 per cent strain for 1,000 cycles, without current-voltage hysteresis. Our transistor arrays thus constitute intrinsically stretchable skin electronics, and include an active matrix for sensory arrays, as well as analogue and digital circuit elements. Our process offers a

Stretchable supercapacitors based on highly stretchable ionic liquid incorporated polymer electrolyte

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tamilarasan, P.; Ramaprabhu, S., E-mail: ramp@iitm.ac.in

2014-11-14

Mechanical stability of electrolyte in all-solid-state supercapacitor attains immense attention as it addresses safety aspects. In this study, we have demonstrated, the fabrication of stretchable supercapacitor based on stretchable electrolyte and hydrogen exfoliated graphene electrode. We synthesized ionic liquid incorporated stretchable Poly(methyl methacrylate) electrolyte which plays dual role as electrolyte and stretchable support for electrode material. The molecular vibration studies show composite nature of the electrolyte. At least four-fold stretchability has been observed along with good ionic conductivity (0.78 mS cm{sup −1} at 28 °C) for this polymer electrolyte. This stretchable supercapacitor shows a low equivalent series resistance (16 Ω) due to the compatibility at electrode–electrolyte interface. The performance of the device has been determined under strain as well. - Highlights: • A stretchable supercapacitor has been fabricated using stretchable electrolyte. • Here ionic liquid incorporated polymer plays dual role as electrolyte and stretchable support. • The developed device shows low equivalent series resistance. • The device has specific capacitance of 83 F g{sup −1}, at the specific current of 2.67 A g{sup −1}. • The energy density and power density of 25.7 Wh kg{sup −1} and 35.2 kW kg{sup −1}, respectively.

2.5D direct laser engraving of silicone microfluidic channels for stretchable electronics

OpenAIRE

Nagels, Steven; Deferme, Wim

2017-01-01

Stretchable and bendable sensors have become increasingly relevant as the technology behind them matures rapidly from lab based to industrially applicable production principles. In a broader sense, stretchable electronics promises to increase the way we are surrounded by and interact with our devices. Electronic circuits will be deployed in environments where we require them to dynamically flex, bend, stretch, compress, twist and - quite possibly - even fold; where they have to demonstrate a ...

Free form CMOS electronics: Physically flexible and stretchable

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2015-12-07

Free form (physically flexible and stretchable) electronics can be used for applications which are unexplored today due to the rigid and brittle nature of the state-of-the-art electronics. Therefore, we show integration strategy to rationally design materials, processes and devices to transform advanced complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) electronics into flexible and stretchable one while retaining their high performance, energy efficiency, ultra-large-scale-integration (ULSI) density, reliability and performance over cost benefit to expand its applications for wearable, implantable and Internet-of-Everything electronics.

High-performance, stretchable, wire-shaped supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tao; Hao, Rui; Peng, Huisheng; Dai, Liming

2015-01-07

A general approach toward extremely stretchable and highly conductive electrodes was developed. The method involves wrapping a continuous carbon nanotube (CNT) thin film around pre-stretched elastic wires, from which high-performance, stretchable wire-shaped supercapacitors were fabricated. The supercapacitors were made by twisting two such CNT-wrapped elastic wires, pre-coated with poly(vinyl alcohol)/H3PO4 hydrogel, as the electrolyte and separator. The resultant wire-shaped supercapacitors exhibited an extremely high elasticity of up to 350% strain with a high device capacitance up to 30.7 F g(-1), which is two times that of the state-of-the-art stretchable supercapacitor under only 100% strain. The wire-shaped structure facilitated the integration of multiple supercapacitors into a single wire device to meet specific energy and power needs for various potential applications. These supercapacitors can be repeatedly stretched from 0 to 200% strain for hundreds of cycles with no change in performance, thus outperforming all the reported state-of-the-art stretchable electronics. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultra-stretchable Interconnects for high-density stretchable electronics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shafqat, S.; Hoefnagels, J.P.M.; Savov, A.; Joshi, S.; Dekker, R.; Geers, M.G.D.

2017-01-01

The exciting field of stretchable electronics (SE) promises numerous novel applications, particularly in-body and medical diagnostics devices. However, future advanced SE miniature devices will require high-density, extremely stretchable interconnects with micron-scale footprints, which calls for

Highly Sensitive and Very Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on a Rubbery Semiconductor.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hae-Jin; Thukral, Anish; Yu, Cunjiang

2018-02-07

There is a growing interest in developing stretchable strain sensors to quantify the large mechanical deformation and strain associated with the activities for a wide range of species, such as humans, machines, and robots. Here, we report a novel stretchable strain sensor entirely in a rubber format by using a solution-processed rubbery semiconductor as the sensing material to achieve high sensitivity, large mechanical strain tolerance, and hysteresis-less and highly linear responses. Specifically, the rubbery semiconductor exploits π-π stacked poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) nanofibrils (P3HT-NFs) percolated in silicone elastomer of poly(dimethylsiloxane) to yield semiconducting nanocomposite with a large mechanical stretchability, although P3HT is a well-known nonstretchable semiconductor. The fabricated strain sensors exhibit reliable and reversible sensing capability, high gauge factor (gauge factor = 32), high linearity (R 2 > 0.996), and low hysteresis (degree of hysteresis wearable smart gloves. Systematic investigations in the materials design and synthesis, sensor fabrication and characterization, and mechanical analysis reveal the key fundamental and application aspects of the highly sensitive and very stretchable strain sensors entirely from rubbers.

Integrated silicon optoelectronics

CERN Document Server

Zimmermann, Horst

2000-01-01

'Integrated Silicon Optoelectronics'assembles optoelectronics and microelectronics The book concentrates on silicon as the major basis of modern semiconductor devices and circuits Starting from the basics of optical emission and absorption and from the device physics of photodetectors, the aspects of the integration of photodetectors in modern bipolar, CMOS, and BiCMOS technologies are discussed Detailed descriptions of fabrication technologies and applications of optoelectronic integrated circuits are included The book, furthermore, contains a review of the state of research on eagerly expected silicon light emitters In order to cover the topic of the book comprehensively, integrated waveguides, gratings, and optoelectronic power devices are included in addition Numerous elaborate illustrations promote an easy comprehension 'Integrated Silicon Optoelectronics'will be of value to engineers, physicists, and scientists in industry and at universities The book is also recommendable for graduate students speciali...

Stretchable Electronic Sensors of Nanocomposite Network Films for Ultrasensitive Chemical Vapor Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Hong; Zhong, Mengjuan; Lv, Ze; Wan, Pengbo

2017-11-01

A stretchable, transparent, and body-attachable chemical sensor is assembled from the stretchable nanocomposite network film for ultrasensitive chemical vapor sensing. The stretchable nanocomposite network film is fabricated by in situ preparation of polyaniline/MoS 2 (PANI/MoS 2 ) nanocomposite in MoS 2 suspension and simultaneously nanocomposite deposition onto prestrain elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The assembled stretchable electronic sensor demonstrates ultrasensitive sensing performance as low as 50 ppb, robust sensing stability, and reliable stretchability for high-performance chemical vapor sensing. The ultrasensitive sensing performance of the stretchable electronic sensors could be ascribed to the synergistic sensing advantages of MoS 2 and PANI, higher specific surface area, the reliable sensing channels of interconnected network, and the effectively exposed sensing materials. It is expected to hold great promise for assembling various flexible stretchable chemical vapor sensors with ultrasensitive sensing performance, superior sensing stability, reliable stretchability, and robust portability to be potentially integrated into wearable electronics for real-time monitoring of environment safety and human healthcare. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Tattoo-Like Strain Gauges Based on Silicon Nano-Membranes

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Nanshu

2012-02-01

This talk reports the in vivo measurement of tissue deformation through adhesive-free, conformable lamination of a tattoo-like elastic strain gauge consisted of piezoresistive silicon nano-membranes strategically integrated with tissue-like elastomeric substrates. The mechanical deformation in soft tissues cannot yet be directly quantified due to the lack of enabling tools. While stiff strain gauges for structural health monitoring have long existed, biological tissues are soft, curvilinear and highly deformable in contrast to civil or aerospace structures. An ultra-thin, ultra-soft, tattoo-like strain gauge that can conform to the convoluted surface of human body and stay attached during locomotion will be able to directly quantify tissue deformation without affecting the mechanical behavior of the tissue. While single crystalline silicon is known to have the highest gauge factor and best elastic response, it is intrinsically stiff and brittle. To achieve strain gauges with high compliance, high stretchability and reasonable sensitivity, single crystalline silicon nano-membranes will be transfer-printed onto polymeric support through carefully engineered stamps. The thickness and length of the Si strip will be chosen according to theoretical and numerical mechanics analysis which takes into account for the tradeoff between stretchability and sensitivity.

Highly Stretchable Non-volatile Nylon Thread Memory

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Ting-Kuo

2016-04-01

Integration of electronic elements into textiles, to afford e-textiles, can provide an ideal platform for the development of lightweight, thin, flexible, and stretchable e-textiles. This approach will enable us to meet the demands of the rapidly growing market of wearable-electronics on arbitrary non-conventional substrates. However the actual integration of the e-textiles that undergo mechanical deformations during both assembly and daily wear or satisfy the requirements of the low-end applications, remains a challenge. Resistive memory elements can also be fabricated onto a nylon thread (NT) for e-textile applications. In this study, a simple dip-and-dry process using graphene-PEDOT:PSS (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate) ink is proposed for the fabrication of a highly stretchable non-volatile NT memory. The NT memory appears to have typical write-once-read-many-times characteristics. The results show that an ON/OFF ratio of approximately 103 is maintained for a retention time of 106 s. Furthermore, a highly stretchable strain and a long-term digital-storage capability of the ON-OFF-ON states are demonstrated in the NT memory. The actual integration of the knitted NT memories into textiles will enable new design possibilities for low-cost and large-area e-textile memory applications.

Metal/Polymer Based Stretchable Antenna for Constant Frequency Far-Field Communication in Wearable Electronics

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.

2015-10-06

Body integrated wearable electronics can be used for advanced health monitoring, security, and wellness. Due to the complex, asymmetric surface of human body and atypical motion such as stretching in elbow, finger joints, wrist, knee, ankle, etc. electronics integrated to body need to be physically flexible, conforming, and stretchable. In that context, state-of-the-art electronics are unusable due to their bulky, rigid, and brittle framework. Therefore, it is critical to develop stretchable electronics which can physically stretch to absorb the strain associated with body movements. While research in stretchable electronics has started to gain momentum, a stretchable antenna which can perform far-field communications and can operate at constant frequency, such that physical shape modulation will not compromise its functionality, is yet to be realized. Here, a stretchable antenna is shown, using a low-cost metal (copper) on flexible polymeric platform, which functions at constant frequency of 2.45 GHz, for far-field applications. While mounted on a stretchable fabric worn by a human subject, the fabricated antenna communicated at a distance of 80 m with 1.25 mW transmitted power. This work shows an integration strategy from compact antenna design to its practical experimentation for enhanced data communication capability in future generation wearable electronics.

Kirigami-based stretchable lithium-ion batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Zeming; Wang, Xu; Lv, Cheng; An, Yonghao; Liang, Mengbing; Ma, Teng; He, David; Zheng, Ying-Jie; Huang, Shi-Qing; Yu, Hongyu; Jiang, Hanqing

2015-01-01

We have produced stretchable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using the concept of kirigami, i.e., a combination of folding and cutting. The designated kirigami patterns have been discovered and implemented to achieve great stretchability (over 150%) to LIBs that are produced by standardized battery manufacturing. It is shown that fracture due to cutting and folding is suppressed by plastic rolling, which provides kirigami LIBs excellent electrochemical and mechanical characteristics. The kirigami LIBs have demonstrated the capability to be integrated and power a smart watch, which may disruptively impact the field of wearable electronics by offering extra physical and functionality design spaces. PMID:26066809

Development of a New Stretchable and Screen Printable Conductive Ink

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammed, Anwar A.

Stretchable conductive ink is a key enabler for stretchable electronics. This thesis research focuses on the development of a new stretchable and screen printable conductive ink. After print and cure, this ink would be capable of being stretched by at least 500 cycles at 20% strain without increasing its resistance by more than 30 times the original resistance, while maintaining electrical and mechanical integrity. For a stretchable and screen-printable conductive ink, the correct morphology of the metal powder selected and the ability of the binder to be stretched after the sintering process, are both indispensable. This research has shown that a bi-modal mixture of fine and large-diameter silver flakes will improve stretchability. While the smaller flakes increase the conductivity and lower the sintering temperature, the larger flake particles promote ohmic connectivity during stretching. The bi-modal flake distribution increases connection points while enhancing packing density and lowering the thermal activation barrier. The polymer binder phase plays a crucial role in offering stretchability to the stretchable conductive inks. The silver flakes by themselves are not stretchable but they are contained within a stretchable binder system. The research demonstrates that commonly used printable ink binder when combined with large-chain polymers through a process known as 'elastomeric chain polymerization' will enable the conductive ink to become more stretchable. This research has shown that the new stretchable and screen printable silver conductive ink developed based upon the two insights mentioned above; (1) bi modal flakes to improve ohmic connectivity during stretching and (2) elastomeric chain polymerized binder system which could stretch even after the ink is sintered to the substrate, can exhibit an ink stretchability of at least 500 cycles at 20% strain while increasing the resistance by less than 30 times the original resistance. Wavy print patterns can

Editable Supercapacitors with Customizable Stretchability Based on Mechanically Strengthened Ultralong MnO2 Nanowire Composite.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Zhisheng; Luo, Yifei; Tang, Yuxin; Wei, Jiaqi; Zhu, Zhiqiang; Zhou, Xinran; Li, Wenlong; Zeng, Yi; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Yanyan; Qi, Dianpeng; Pan, Shaowu; Loh, Xian Jun; Chen, Xiaodong

2018-01-01

Although some progress has been made on stretchable supercapacitors, traditional stretchable supercapacitors fabricated by predesigning structured electrodes for device assembling still lack the device-level editability and programmability. To adapt to wearable electronics with arbitrary configurations, it is highly desirable to develop editable supercapacitors that can be directly transferred into desirable shapes and stretchability. In this work, editable supercapacitors for customizable shapes and stretchability using electrodes based on mechanically strengthened ultralong MnO 2 nanowire composites are developed. A supercapacitor edited with honeycomb-like structure shows a specific capacitance of 227.2 mF cm -2 and can be stretched up to 500% without degradation of electrochemical performance, which is superior to most of the state-of-the-art stretchable supercapacitors. In addition, it maintains nearly 98% of the initial capacitance after 10 000 stretch-and-release cycles under 400% tensile strain. As a representative of concept for system integration, the editable supercapacitors are integrated with a strain sensor, and the system exhibits a stable sensing performance even under arm swing. Being highly stretchable, easily programmable, as well as connectable in series and parallel, an editable supercapacitor with customizable stretchability is promising to produce stylish energy storage devices to power various portable, stretchable, and wearable devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Recent Advances in Flexible/Stretchable Supercapacitors for Wearable Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, La; Lou, Zheng; Chen, Di; Jiang, Kai; Han, Wei; Shen, Guozhen

2017-11-22

The popularization of personalized wearable devices has accelerated the development of flexible/stretchable supercapacitors (SCs) that possess remarkable features of miniaturization, high security, and easy integration to build an all-in-one integrated system, and realize the functions of comfortable, noninvasive and continuous health monitoring, motion records, and information acquisition, etc. This Review presents a brief phylogeny of flexible/stretchable SCs, represented by planar micro-supercapacitors (MSCs) and 1D fibrous SCs. The latest progress and advantages of different flexible/stretchable/self-healing substrate, solid-state electrolyte and electrode materials for the fabrication of wearable SCs devices are summarized. The various configurations used in planar MSCs and 1D fibrous SCs aiming at the improvement of performance are also discussed. In addition, from the viewpoint of practical value and large-scale production, a survey of integrated systems, from different types of SC powered wearable sensing (gas, pressure, tactile…) systems, wearable all-in-one systems (including energy harvest, storage, and functional groups), to device packaging is presented. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of wearable SCs are also considered. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

DEA deformed stretchable patch antenna

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang, X-J; Jalali Mazlouman, S; Menon, C; Mahanfar, A; Vaughan, R G

2012-01-01

A stretchable patch antenna (SPA) whose frequency is tuned by a planar dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) is presented in this paper. This mechanically reconfigurable antenna system has a configuration resembling a pre-stretched silicone belt. Part of the belt is embedded with a layer of conductive liquid metal to form the patch antenna. Part of the belt is sandwiched between conductive electrodes to form the DEA. Electrical activation of the DEA results in a contraction of the patch antenna, and as a result, in a variation of its resonance frequency. Design and fabrication steps of this system are presented. Measurement results for deformation, resonance frequency variation and efficiency of the patch antenna are also presented. (paper)

Stretchable V2O5/PEDOT supercapacitors: a modular fabrication process and charging with triboelectric nanogenerators.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Ruijie; Nie, Jinhui; Liu, Mingyang; Xia, Mengyang; Lu, Xianmao

2018-04-26

Stretchable energy storage devices are of great importance for the viable applications of wearable/stretchable electronics. Studies on stretchable energy storage devices, especially supercapacitors (SCs), have shown encouraging progress. However, challenges still remain in the pursuit of high specific capacitances and facile fabrication methods. Herein, we report a modular materials fabrication and assembly process for stretchable SCs. With a V2O5/PEDOT composite as the active material, the resulting stretchable SCs exhibited high areal specific capacitances up to 240 mF cm-2 and good capacitance retention at a strain of 50%. To demonstrate the facile assembly process, a stretchable wristband was fabricated by simply assembling SC cells in series to deliver a voltage higher than 2 V. Charging the wristband with a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) to light an LED was further demonstrated, indicating the potential to integrate our SCs with environmental energy harvesters for self-powered stretchable devices.

Improved power transfer to wearable systems through stretchable magnetic composites

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarus, N.; Bedair, S. S.

2016-05-01

The use of wireless power transfer is common in stretchable electronics since physical wiring can be easily destroyed as the system is stretched. This work presents the first demonstration of improved inductive power coupling to a stretchable system through the addition of a thin layer of ferroelastomeric material. A ferroelastomer, an elastomeric polymer loaded with magnetic particulates, has a permeability greater than one while retaining the ability to survive significant mechanical strains. A recently developed ferroelastomer composite based on sendust platelets within a soft silicone elastomer was incorporated into liquid metal stretchable inductors based on the liquid metal galinstan in fluidic channels. For a single-turn inductor, the maximum power transfer efficiency rises from 71 % with no backplane, to 81 % for a rigid ferrite backplane on the transmitter side alone, to 86 % with a ferroelastomer backplane on the receiver side as well. The coupling between a commercial wireless power transmitter coil with ferrite backplane to a five-turn liquid metal inductor was also investigated, finding an improvement in power transfer efficiency from 81 % with only a rigid backplane to 90 % with the addition of the ferroelastomer backplane. Both the single and multi-turn inductors were demonstrated surviving up to 50 % uniaxial applied strain.

3D printed stretchable capacitive sensors for highly sensitive tactile and electrochemical sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Kai; Wei, Hong; Liu, Wenguang; Meng, Hong; Zhang, Peixin; Yan, Chaoyi

2018-05-01

Developments of innovative strategies for the fabrication of stretchable sensors are of crucial importance for their applications in wearable electronic systems. In this work, we report the successful fabrication of stretchable capacitive sensors using a novel 3D printing method for highly sensitive tactile and electrochemical sensing applications. Unlike conventional lithographic or templated methods, the programmable 3D printing technique can fabricate complex device structures in a cost-effective and facile manner. We designed and fabricated stretchable capacitive sensors with interdigital and double-vortex designs and demonstrated their successful applications as tactile and electrochemical sensors. Especially, our stretchable sensors exhibited a detection limit as low as 1 × 10-6 M for NaCl aqueous solution, which could have significant potential applications when integrated in electronics skins.

Tape transfer atomization patterning of liquid alloys for microfluidic stretchable wireless power transfer.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Seung Hee; Hjort, Klas; Wu, Zhigang

2015-02-12

Stretchable electronics offers unsurpassed mechanical compliance on complex or soft surfaces like the human skin and organs. To fully exploit this great advantage, an autonomous system with a self-powered energy source has been sought for. Here, we present a new technology to pattern liquid alloys on soft substrates, targeting at fabrication of a hybrid-integrated power source in microfluidic stretchable electronics. By atomized spraying of a liquid alloy onto a soft surface with a tape transferred adhesive mask, a universal fabrication process is provided for high quality patterns of liquid conductors in a meter scale. With the developed multilayer fabrication technique, a microfluidic stretchable wireless power transfer device with an integrated LED was demonstrated, which could survive cycling between 0% and 25% strain over 1,000 times.

Conductive Elastomers for Stretchable Electronics, Sensors and Energy Harvesters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jin-Seo Noh

2016-04-01

Full Text Available There have been a wide variety of efforts to develop conductive elastomers that satisfy both mechanical stretchability and electrical conductivity, as a response to growing demands on stretchable and wearable devices. This article reviews the important progress in conductive elastomers made in three application fields of stretchable technology: stretchable electronics, stretchable sensors, and stretchable energy harvesters. Diverse combinations of insulating elastomers and non-stretchable conductive materials have been studied to realize optimal conductive elastomers. It is noted that similar material combinations and similar structures have often been employed in different fields of application. In terms of stretchability, cyclic operation, and overall performance, fields such as stretchable conductors and stretchable strain/pressure sensors have achieved great advancement, whereas other fields like stretchable memories and stretchable thermoelectric energy harvesting are in their infancy. It is worth mentioning that there are still obstacles to overcome for the further progress of stretchable technology in the respective fields, which include the simplification of material combination and device structure, securement of reproducibility and reliability, and the establishment of easy fabrication techniques. Through this review article, both the progress and obstacles associated with the respective stretchable technologies will be understood more clearly.

Highly stretchable carbon aerogels.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Fan; Jiang, Yanqiu; Xu, Zhen; Xiao, Youhua; Fang, Bo; Liu, Yingjun; Gao, Weiwei; Zhao, Pei; Wang, Hongtao; Gao, Chao

2018-02-28

Carbon aerogels demonstrate wide applications for their ultralow density, rich porosity, and multifunctionalities. Their compressive elasticity has been achieved by different carbons. However, reversibly high stretchability of neat carbon aerogels is still a great challenge owing to their extremely dilute brittle interconnections and poorly ductile cells. Here we report highly stretchable neat carbon aerogels with a retractable 200% elongation through hierarchical synergistic assembly. The hierarchical buckled structures and synergistic reinforcement between graphene and carbon nanotubes enable a temperature-invariable, recoverable stretching elasticity with small energy dissipation (~0.1, 100% strain) and high fatigue resistance more than 10 6 cycles. The ultralight carbon aerogels with both stretchability and compressibility were designed as strain sensors for logic identification of sophisticated shape conversions. Our methodology paves the way to highly stretchable carbon and neat inorganic materials with extensive applications in aerospace, smart robots, and wearable devices.

Highly stretchable carbon nanotube transistors enabled by buckled ion gel gate dielectrics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Meng-Yin; Chang, Tzu-Hsuan; Ma, Zhenqiang; Zhao, Juan; Xu, Feng; Jacobberger, Robert M.; Arnold, Michael S.

2015-01-01

Deformable field-effect transistors (FETs) are expected to facilitate new technologies like stretchable displays, conformal devices, and electronic skins. We previously demonstrated stretchable FETs based on buckled thin films of polyfluorene-wrapped semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes as the channel, buckled metal films as electrodes, and unbuckled flexible ion gel films as the dielectric. The FETs were stretchable up to 50% without appreciable degradation in performance before failure of the ion gel film. Here, we show that by buckling the ion gel, the integrity and performance of the nanotube FETs are extended to nearly 90% elongation, limited by the stretchability of the elastomer substrate. The FETs maintain an on/off ratio of >10 4 and a field-effect mobility of 5 cm 2 V −1 s −1 under elongation and demonstrate invariant performance over 1000 stretching cycles

Silicon integrated circuit process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jong Duck

1985-12-01

This book introduces the process of silicon integrated circuit. It is composed of seven parts, which are oxidation process, diffusion process, ion implantation process such as ion implantation equipment, damage, annealing and influence on manufacture of integrated circuit and device, chemical vapor deposition process like silicon Epitaxy LPCVD and PECVD, photolithography process, including a sensitizer, spin, harden bake, reflection of light and problems related process, infrared light bake, wet-etch, dry etch, special etch and problems of etching, metal process like metal process like metal-silicon connection, aluminum process, credibility of aluminum and test process.

Silicon integrated circuit process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jong Duck

1985-12-15

This book introduces the process of silicon integrated circuit. It is composed of seven parts, which are oxidation process, diffusion process, ion implantation process such as ion implantation equipment, damage, annealing and influence on manufacture of integrated circuit and device, chemical vapor deposition process like silicon Epitaxy LPCVD and PECVD, photolithography process, including a sensitizer, spin, harden bake, reflection of light and problems related process, infrared light bake, wet-etch, dry etch, special etch and problems of etching, metal process like metal process like metal-silicon connection, aluminum process, credibility of aluminum and test process.

Free form CMOS electronics: Physically flexible and stretchable

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa; Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Sevilla, Galo T.; Hussain, Aftab M.; Ghoneim, Mohamed T.; Hanna, Amir; Kutbee, Arwa T.; Nassar, Joanna M.; Cruz, Melvin

2015-01-01

Free form (physically flexible and stretchable) electronics can be used for applications which are unexplored today due to the rigid and brittle nature of the state-of-the-art electronics. Therefore, we show integration strategy to rationally design

Hybrid Integrated Platforms for Silicon Photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Di; Roelkens, Gunther; Baets, Roel; Bowers, John E.

2010-01-01

A review of recent progress in hybrid integrated platforms for silicon photonics is presented. Integration of III-V semiconductors onto silicon-on-insulator substrates based on two different bonding techniques is compared, one comprising only inorganic materials, the other technique using an organic bonding agent. Issues such as bonding process and mechanism, bonding strength, uniformity, wafer surface requirement, and stress distribution are studied in detail. The application in silicon photonics to realize high-performance active and passive photonic devices on low-cost silicon wafers is discussed. Hybrid integration is believed to be a promising technology in a variety of applications of silicon photonics.

Silicon hybrid integration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Xianyao; Yuan Taonu; Shao Shiqian; Shi Zujun; Wang Yi; Yu Yude; Yu Jinzhong

2011-01-01

Recently,much attention has concentrated on silicon based photonic integrated circuits (PICs), which provide a cost-effective solution for high speed, wide bandwidth optical interconnection and optical communication.To integrate III-V compounds and germanium semiconductors on silicon substrates,at present there are two kinds of manufacturing methods, i.e., heteroepitaxy and bonding. Low-temperature wafer bonding which can overcome the high growth temperature, lattice mismatch,and incompatibility of thermal expansion coefficients during heteroepitaxy, has offered the possibility for large-scale heterogeneous integration. In this paper, several commonly used bonding methods are reviewed, and the future trends of low temperature wafer bonding envisaged. (authors)

Extending Moore’s Law for Silicon CMOS using More-Moore and More-than-Moore Technologies

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.

2016-12-01

With the advancement of silicon electronics under threat from physical limits to dimensional scaling, the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS) released a white paper in 2008, detailing the ways in which the semiconductor industry can keep itself continually growing in the twenty-first century. Two distinct paths were proposed: More-Moore and More-than-Moore. While More-Moore approach focuses on the continued use of state-of-the-art, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology for next generation electronics, More-than-Moore approach calls for a disruptive change in the system architecture and integration strategies. In this doctoral thesis, we investigate both the approaches to obtain performance improvement in the state-of-the-art, CMOS electronics. We present a novel channel material, SiSn, for fabrication of CMOS circuits. This investigation is in line with the More-Moore approach because we are relying on the established CMOS industry infrastructure to obtain an incremental change in the integrated circuit (IC) performance by replacing silicon channel with SiSn. We report a simple, low-cost and CMOS compatible process for obtaining single crystal SiSn wafers. Tin (Sn) is deposited on silicon wafers in the form of a metallic thin film and annealed to facilitate diffusion into the silicon lattice. This diffusion provides for sufficient SiSn layer at the top surface for fabrication of CMOS devices. We report a lowering of band gap and enhanced mobility for SiSn channel MOSFETs compared to silicon control devices. We also present a process for fabrication of vertically integrated flexible silicon to form 3D integrated circuits. This disruptive change in the state-of-the-art, in line with the More-than-Moore approach, promises to increase the performance per area of a silicon chip. We report a process for stacking and bonding these pieces with polymeric bonding and interconnecting them using copper through silicon vias (TSVs). We

Lateral buckling and mechanical stretchability of fractal interconnects partially bonded onto an elastomeric substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Haoran; Xu, Sheng; Rogers, John A.; Xu, Renxiao; Huang, Yonggang; Jiang, Jianqun; Zhang, Yihui

2015-01-01

Fractal-inspired designs for interconnects that join rigid, functional devices can ensure mechanical integrity in stretchable electronic systems under extreme deformations. The bonding configuration of such interconnects with the elastomer substrate is crucial to the resulting deformation modes, and therefore the stretchability of the entire system. In this study, both theoretical and experimental analyses are performed for postbuckling of fractal serpentine interconnects partially bonded to the substrate. The deformation behaviors and the elastic stretchability of such systems are systematically explored, and compared to counterparts that are not bonded at all to the substrate

A Stretchable Alternating Current Electroluminescent Fiber

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan Hu

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Flexible, stretchable electroluminescent fibers are of significance to meet the escalating requirements of increasing complexity and multifunctionality of smart electronics. We report a stretchable alternating current electroluminescent (ACEL fiber by a low-cost and all solution-processed scalable process. The ACEL fiber provides high stretchability, decent light-emitting performance, with excellent stability and nearly zero hysteresis. It can be stretched up to 80% strain. Our ACEL fiber device maintained a stable luminance for over 6000 stretch-release cycles at 50% strain. The mechanical stretchability and optical stability of our ACEL fiber device provides new possibilities towards next-generation stretchable displays, electronic textiles, advanced biomedical imaging and lighting, conformable visual readouts in arbitrary shapes, and novel health-monitoring devices.

Hybrid Integrated Platforms for Silicon Photonics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John E. Bowers

2010-03-01

Full Text Available A review of recent progress in hybrid integrated platforms for silicon photonics is presented. Integration of III-V semiconductors onto silicon-on-insulator substrates based on two different bonding techniques is compared, one comprising only inorganic materials, the other technique using an organic bonding agent. Issues such as bonding process and mechanism, bonding strength, uniformity, wafer surface requirement, and stress distribution are studied in detail. The application in silicon photonics to realize high-performance active and passive photonic devices on low-cost silicon wafers is discussed. Hybrid integration is believed to be a promising technology in a variety of applications of silicon photonics.

Enhanced piezoelectricity and stretchability in energy harvesting devices fabricated from buckled PZT ribbons.

Science.gov (United States)

Qi, Yi; Kim, Jihoon; Nguyen, Thanh D; Lisko, Bozhena; Purohit, Prashant K; McAlpine, Michael C

2011-03-09

The development of a method for integrating highly efficient energy conversion materials onto soft, biocompatible substrates could yield breakthroughs in implantable or wearable energy harvesting systems. Of particular interest are devices which can conform to irregular, curved surfaces, and operate in vital environments that may involve both flexing and stretching modes. Previous studies have shown significant advances in the integration of highly efficient piezoelectric nanocrystals on flexible and bendable substrates. Yet, such inorganic nanomaterials are mechanically incompatible with the extreme elasticity of elastomeric substrates. Here, we present a novel strategy for overcoming these limitations, by generating wavy piezoelectric ribbons on silicone rubber. Our results show that the amplitudes in the waves accommodate order-of-magnitude increases in maximum tensile strain without fracture. Further, local probing of the buckled ribbons reveals an enhancement in the piezoelectric effect of up to 70%, thus representing the highest reported piezoelectric response on a stretchable medium. These results allow for the integration of energy conversion devices which operate in stretching mode via reversible deformations in the wavy/buckled ribbons.

Highly stretchable carbon nanotube transistors enabled by buckled ion gel gate dielectrics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Meng-Yin; Chang, Tzu-Hsuan; Ma, Zhenqiang [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Zhao, Juan [School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054 (China); Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States); Xu, Feng; Jacobberger, Robert M.; Arnold, Michael S., E-mail: michael.arnold@wisc.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706 (United States)

2015-08-03

Deformable field-effect transistors (FETs) are expected to facilitate new technologies like stretchable displays, conformal devices, and electronic skins. We previously demonstrated stretchable FETs based on buckled thin films of polyfluorene-wrapped semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes as the channel, buckled metal films as electrodes, and unbuckled flexible ion gel films as the dielectric. The FETs were stretchable up to 50% without appreciable degradation in performance before failure of the ion gel film. Here, we show that by buckling the ion gel, the integrity and performance of the nanotube FETs are extended to nearly 90% elongation, limited by the stretchability of the elastomer substrate. The FETs maintain an on/off ratio of >10{sup 4} and a field-effect mobility of 5 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1} under elongation and demonstrate invariant performance over 1000 stretching cycles.

Progress and Prospects in Stretchable Electroluminescent Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wang Jiangxin

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Stretchable electroluminescent (EL devices are a new form of mechanically deformable electronics that are gaining increasing interests and believed to be one of the essential technologies for next generation lighting and display applications. Apart from the simple bending capability in flexible EL devices, the stretchable EL devices are required to withstand larger mechanical deformations and accommodate stretching strain beyond 10%. The excellent mechanical conformability in these devices enables their applications in rigorous mechanical conditions such as flexing, twisting, stretching, and folding.The stretchable EL devices can be conformably wrapped onto arbitrary curvilinear surface and respond seamlessly to the external or internal forces, leading to unprecedented applications that cannot be addressed with conventional technologies. For example, they are in demand for wide applications in biomedical-related devices or sensors and soft interactive display systems, including activating devices for photosensitive drug, imaging apparatus for internal tissues, electronic skins, interactive input and output devices, robotics, and volumetric displays. With increasingly stringent demand on the mechanical requirements, the fabrication of stretchable EL device is encountering many challenges that are difficult to resolve. In this review, recent progresses in the stretchable EL devices are covered with a focus on the approaches that are adopted to tackle materials and process challenges in stretchable EL devices and delineate the strategies in stretchable electronics. We first introduce the emission mechanisms that have been successfully demonstrated on stretchable EL devices. Limitations and advantages of the different mechanisms for stretchable EL devices are also discussed. Representative reports are reviewed based on different structural and material strategies. Unprecedented applications that have been enabled by the stretchable EL devices are

Mechanics of ultra-stretchable self-similar serpentine interconnects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yihui; Fu, Haoran; Su, Yewang; Xu, Sheng

2013-01-01

Graphical abstract: We developed analytical models of flexibility and elastic-stretchability for self-similar interconnect. The analytic solutions agree very well with the finite element analyses, both demonstrating that the elastic-stretchability more than doubles when the order of self-similar structure increases by one. Design optimization yields 90% and 50% elastic stretchability for systems with surface filling ratios of 50% and 70% of active devices, respectively. The analytic models are useful for the development of stretchable electronics that simultaneously demand large coverage of active devices, such as stretchable photovoltaics and electronic eye-ball cameras. -- Abstract: Electrical interconnects that adopt self-similar, serpentine layouts offer exceptional levels of stretchability in systems that consist of collections of small, non-stretchable active devices in the so-called island–bridge design. This paper develops analytical models of flexibility and elastic stretchability for such structures, and establishes recursive formulae at different orders of self-similarity. The analytic solutions agree well with finite element analysis, with both demonstrating that the elastic stretchability more than doubles when the order of the self-similar structure increases by one. Design optimization yields 90% and 50% elastic stretchability for systems with surface filling ratios of 50% and 70% of active devices, respectively

Mogul-Patterned Elastomeric Substrate for Stretchable Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Han-Byeol; Bae, Chan-Wool; Duy, Le Thai; Sohn, Il-Yung; Kim, Do-Il; Song, You-Joon; Kim, Youn-Jea; Lee, Nae-Eung

2016-04-01

A mogul-patterned stretchable substrate with multidirectional stretchability and minimal fracture of layers under high stretching is fabricated by double photolithography and soft lithography. Au layers and a reduced graphene oxide chemiresistor on a mogul-patterned poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate are stable and durable under various stretching conditions. The newly designed mogul-patterned stretchable substrate shows great promise for stretchable electronics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Emerging heterogeneous integrated photonic platforms on silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fathpour Sasan

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Silicon photonics has been established as a mature and promising technology for optoelectronic integrated circuits, mostly based on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI waveguide platform. However, not all optical functionalities can be satisfactorily achieved merely based on silicon, in general, and on the SOI platform, in particular. Long-known shortcomings of silicon-based integrated photonics are optical absorption (in the telecommunication wavelengths and feasibility of electrically-injected lasers (at least at room temperature. More recently, high two-photon and free-carrier absorptions required at high optical intensities for third-order optical nonlinear effects, inherent lack of second-order optical nonlinearity, low extinction ratio of modulators based on the free-carrier plasma effect, and the loss of the buried oxide layer of the SOI waveguides at mid-infrared wavelengths have been recognized as other shortcomings. Accordingly, several novel waveguide platforms have been developing to address these shortcomings of the SOI platform. Most of these emerging platforms are based on heterogeneous integration of other material systems on silicon substrates, and in some cases silicon is integrated on other substrates. Germanium and its binary alloys with silicon, III–V compound semiconductors, silicon nitride, tantalum pentoxide and other high-index dielectric or glass materials, as well as lithium niobate are some of the materials heterogeneously integrated on silicon substrates. The materials are typically integrated by a variety of epitaxial growth, bonding, ion implantation and slicing, etch back, spin-on-glass or other techniques. These wide range of efforts are reviewed here holistically to stress that there is no pure silicon or even group IV photonics per se. Rather, the future of the field of integrated photonics appears to be one of heterogenization, where a variety of different materials and waveguide platforms will be used for

Mouldable all-carbon integrated circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Dong-Ming; Timmermans, Marina Y; Kaskela, Antti; Nasibulin, Albert G; Kishimoto, Shigeru; Mizutani, Takashi; Kauppinen, Esko I; Ohno, Yutaka

2013-01-01

A variety of plastic products, ranging from those for daily necessities to electronics products and medical devices, are produced by moulding techniques. The incorporation of electronic circuits into various plastic products is limited by the brittle nature of silicon wafers. Here we report mouldable integrated circuits for the first time. The devices are composed entirely of carbon-based materials, that is, their active channels and passive elements are all fabricated from stretchable and thermostable assemblies of carbon nanotubes, with plastic polymer dielectric layers and substrates. The all-carbon thin-film transistors exhibit a mobility of 1,027 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) and an ON/OFF ratio of 10(5). The devices also exhibit extreme biaxial stretchability of up to 18% when subjected to thermopressure forming. We demonstrate functional integrated circuits that can be moulded into a three-dimensional dome. Such mouldable electronics open new possibilities by allowing for the addition of electronic/plastic-like functionalities to plastic/electronic products, improving their designability.

Stretchable antenna for wearable electronics

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa; Hussain, Aftab Mustansir; Shamim, Atif; Ghaffar, Farhan Abdul

2017-01-01

Various examples are provided for stretchable antennas that can be used for applications such as wearable electronics. In one example, a stretchable antenna includes a flexible support structure including a lateral spring section having a proximal

InP membrane on silicon integration technology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smit, M.K.

2013-01-01

Integration of light sources in silicon photonics is usually done with an active InP-based layer stack on a silicon-based photonic circuit-layer. InP Membrane On Silicon (IMOS) technology integrates all functionality in a single InP-based layer.

Origami-enabled deformable silicon solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tang, Rui; Huang, Hai; Liang, Hanshuang; Liang, Mengbing [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Tu, Hongen; Xu, Yong [Electrical and Computer Engineering, Wayne State University, 5050 Anthony Wayne Dr., Detroit, Michigan 48202 (United States); Song, Zeming; Jiang, Hanqing, E-mail: hanqing.jiang@asu.edu [School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); Yu, Hongyu, E-mail: hongyu.yu@asu.edu [School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States); School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287 (United States)

2014-02-24

Deformable electronics have found various applications and elastomeric materials have been widely used to reach flexibility and stretchability. In this Letter, we report an alternative approach to enable deformability through origami. In this approach, the deformability is achieved through folding and unfolding at the creases while the functional devices do not experience strain. We have demonstrated an example of origami-enabled silicon solar cells and showed that this solar cell can reach up to 644% areal compactness while maintaining reasonable good performance upon cyclic folding/unfolding. This approach opens an alternative direction of producing flexible, stretchable, and deformable electronics.

Origami-enabled deformable silicon solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang, Rui; Huang, Hai; Liang, Hanshuang; Liang, Mengbing; Tu, Hongen; Xu, Yong; Song, Zeming; Jiang, Hanqing; Yu, Hongyu

2014-01-01

Deformable electronics have found various applications and elastomeric materials have been widely used to reach flexibility and stretchability. In this Letter, we report an alternative approach to enable deformability through origami. In this approach, the deformability is achieved through folding and unfolding at the creases while the functional devices do not experience strain. We have demonstrated an example of origami-enabled silicon solar cells and showed that this solar cell can reach up to 644% areal compactness while maintaining reasonable good performance upon cyclic folding/unfolding. This approach opens an alternative direction of producing flexible, stretchable, and deformable electronics

Materials and noncoplanar mesh designs for integrated circuits with linear elastic responses to extreme mechanical deformations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dae-Hyeong; Song, Jizhou; Choi, Won Mook; Kim, Hoon-Sik; Kim, Rak-Hwan; Liu, Zhuangjian; Huang, Yonggang Y; Hwang, Keh-Chih; Zhang, Yong-wei; Rogers, John A

2008-12-02

Electronic systems that offer elastic mechanical responses to high-strain deformations are of growing interest because of their ability to enable new biomedical devices and other applications whose requirements are impossible to satisfy with conventional wafer-based technologies or even with those that offer simple bendability. This article introduces materials and mechanical design strategies for classes of electronic circuits that offer extremely high stretchability, enabling them to accommodate even demanding configurations such as corkscrew twists with tight pitch (e.g., 90 degrees in approximately 1 cm) and linear stretching to "rubber-band" levels of strain (e.g., up to approximately 140%). The use of single crystalline silicon nanomaterials for the semiconductor provides performance in stretchable complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits approaching that of conventional devices with comparable feature sizes formed on silicon wafers. Comprehensive theoretical studies of the mechanics reveal the way in which the structural designs enable these extreme mechanical properties without fracturing the intrinsically brittle active materials or even inducing significant changes in their electrical properties. The results, as demonstrated through electrical measurements of arrays of transistors, CMOS inverters, ring oscillators, and differential amplifiers, suggest a valuable route to high-performance stretchable electronics.

Stretchable and High-Performance Supercapacitors with Crumpled Graphene Papers

OpenAIRE

Zang, Jianfeng; Cao, Changyong; Feng, Yaying; Liu, Jie; Zhao, Xuanhe

2014-01-01

Fabrication of unconventional energy storage devices with high stretchability and performance is challenging, but critical to practical operations of fully power-independent stretchable electronics. While supercapacitors represent a promising candidate for unconventional energy-storage devices, existing stretchable supercapacitors are limited by their low stretchability, complicated fabrication process, and high cost. Here, we report a simple and low-cost method to fabricate extremely stretch...

Vertical integration of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators into silicon-on-insulator platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Qing; Eftekhar, Ali A; Sodagar, Majid; Xia, Zhixuan; Atabaki, Amir H; Adibi, Ali

2013-07-29

We demonstrate a vertical integration of high-Q silicon nitride microresonators into the silicon-on-insulator platform for applications at the telecommunication wavelengths. Low-loss silicon nitride films with a thickness of 400 nm are successfully grown, enabling compact silicon nitride microresonators with ultra-high intrinsic Qs (~ 6 × 10(6) for 60 μm radius and ~ 2 × 10(7) for 240 μm radius). The coupling between the silicon nitride microresonator and the underneath silicon waveguide is based on evanescent coupling with silicon dioxide as buffer. Selective coupling to a desired radial mode of the silicon nitride microresonator is also achievable using a pulley coupling scheme. In this work, a 60-μm-radius silicon nitride microresonator has been successfully integrated into the silicon-on-insulator platform, showing a single-mode operation with an intrinsic Q of 2 × 10(6).

Alkali-Resistant Quasi-Solid-State Electrolyte for Stretchable Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Qianqiu; Wang, Wenqiang; Wang, Gengchao

2016-10-05

Research on stretchable energy-storage devices has been motivated by elastic electronics, and considerable research efforts have been devoted to the development of stretchable electrodes. However, stretchable electrolytes, another critical component in stretchable devices, have earned quite little attention, especially the alkali-resistant ones. Here, we reported a novel stretchable alkali-resistant electrolyte made of a polyolefin elastomer porous membrane supported potassium hydroxide-potassium polyacrylate (POE@KOH-PAAK). The as-prepared electrolyte shows a negligible plastic deformation even after 1000 stretching cycles at a strain of 150% as well as a high conductivity of 0.14 S cm -1 . It also exhibits excellent alkali resistance, which shows no obvious degradation of the mechanical performance after immersion in 2 M KOH for up to 2 weeks. To demonstrate its good properties, a high-performance stretchable supercapacitor is assembled using a carbon-nanotube-film-supported NiCo 2 O 4 (CNT@NiCo 2 O 4 ) as the cathode and Fe 2 O 3 (CNT@Fe 2 O 3 ) as the anode, proving great application promise of the stretchable alkali-resistant electrolyte in stretchable energy-storage devices.

Elastically stretchable thin film conductors on an elastomeric substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Jones Harris, Joyelle Elizabeth

Imagine a large, flat screen television that can be rolled into a small cylinder after purchase in the store and then unrolled and mounted onto the wall of a home. The electronic devices within the television must be able to withstand large deformation and tensile strain. Consider a robot that is covered with an electronic skin that simulates human skin. The skin would enable the machine to lift an elderly person with care and sensitivity. The skin will endure repeated deformation with the highest tensile strains being experienced at the robot's joints. These applications and many others will benefit from stretchable electronic circuitry. While several different methods have been employed to create stretchable electronics, all methods use a common tool -- stretchable conductors. Therefore, the goal of this thesis work was to fabricate elastically stretchable conductors that can be used in stretchable electronics. We deposited Au thin films on an elastomeric substrate, and the resulting conductors remained electrically continuous when stretched by 30% and more. We developed photolithographic processes that can be used to pattern elastically stretchable conductors with a 10 mum resolution. We fabricated bi-level stretchable conductors that are separated by an elastomeric insulator and are electrically connected through via holes in the insulator. We applied our bi-level conductors to create a stretchable resistor-inductor-capacitor (RLC) circuit with a tunable resonant frequency. We also used stretchable conductors to measure action potentials in biological samples. This thesis describes the fabrication and application of our elastically stretchable conductors.

A facile prestrain-stick-release assembly of stretchable supercapacitors based on highly stretchable and sticky hydrogel electrolyte

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Qianqiu; Chen, Mingming; Wang, Gengchao; Bao, Hua; Saha, Petr

2015-06-01

A facile prestrain-stick-release assembly strategy for the stretchable supercapacitor device is developed based on a novel Na2SO4-aPUA/PAAM hydrogel electrolyte, saving the stretchable rubber base conventionally used. The Na2SO4-aPUA/PAAM hydrogel electrolyte exhibits high stretchability (>1000%), electrical conductivity (0.036 S cm-1) and stickiness. Due to the unique features of the hydrogel electrolyte, the carbon nanotube@MnO2 film electrodes can be firmly stuck to two sides of the prestrained hydrogel electrolyte. Then, by releasing the hydrogel electrolyte, homogenous buckles are formed for the film electrodes to get a full stretchable supercapacitor device. Besides, the high stickiness of the hydrogel electrolyte ensures its strong adhesion with the film electrodes, facilitating ion and electronic transfer of the supercapacitor. As a result, excellent electrochemical performance is achieved with the specific capacitance of 478.6 mF cm-2 at 0.5 mA cm-2 (corresponding to 201.1 F g-1) and capacitance retention of 91.5% after 3000 charging-discharging cycles under 150% strain, which is the best for the stretchable supercapacitors.

Tape transfer printing of a liquid metal alloy for stretchable RF electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Seung Hee; Hjort, Klas; Wu, Zhigang

2014-09-03

In order to make conductors with large cross sections for low impedance radio frequency (RF) electronics, while still retaining high stretchability, liquid-alloy-based microfluidic stretchable electronics offers stretchable electronic systems the unique opportunity to combine various sensors on our bodies or organs with high-quality wireless communication with the external world (devices/systems), without sacrificing enhanced user comfort. This microfluidic approach, based on printed circuit board technology, allows large area processing of large cross section conductors and robust contacts, which can handle a lot of stretching between the embedded rigid active components and the surrounding system. Although it provides such benefits, further development is needed to realize its potential as a high throughput, cost-effective process technology. In this paper, tape transfer printing is proposed to supply a rapid prototyping batch process at low cost, albeit at a low resolution of 150 μm. In particular, isolated patterns can be obtained in a simple one-step process. Finally, a stretchable radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is demonstrated. The measured results show the robustness of the hybrid integrated system when the tag is stretched at 50% for 3000 cycles.

Tape Transfer Printing of a Liquid Metal Alloy for Stretchable RF Electronics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seung Hee Jeong

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In order to make conductors with large cross sections for low impedance radio frequency (RF electronics, while still retaining high stretchability, liquid-alloy-based microfluidic stretchable electronics offers stretchable electronic systems the unique opportunity to combine various sensors on our bodies or organs with high-quality wireless communication with the external world (devices/systems, without sacrificing enhanced user comfort. This microfluidic approach, based on printed circuit board technology, allows large area processing of large cross section conductors and robust contacts, which can handle a lot of stretching between the embedded rigid active components and the surrounding system. Although it provides such benefits, further development is needed to realize its potential as a high throughput, cost-effective process technology. In this paper, tape transfer printing is proposed to supply a rapid prototyping batch process at low cost, albeit at a low resolution of 150 μm. In particular, isolated patterns can be obtained in a simple one-step process. Finally, a stretchable radio frequency identification (RFID tag is demonstrated. The measured results show the robustness of the hybrid integrated system when the tag is stretched at 50% for 3000 cycles.

Rugged and breathable forms of stretchable electronics with adherent composite substrates for transcutaneous monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Kyung-In; Han, Sang Youn; Xu, Sheng; Mathewson, Kyle E.; Zhang, Yihui; Jeong, Jae-Woong; Kim, Gwang-Tae; Webb, R. Chad; Lee, Jung Woo; Dawidczyk, Thomas J.; Kim, Rak Hwan; Song, Young Min; Yeo, Woon-Hong; Kim, Stanley; Cheng, Huanyu; Rhee, Sang Il; Chung, Jeahoon; Kim, Byunggik; Chung, Ha Uk; Lee, Dongjun; Yang, Yiyuan; Cho, Moongee; Gaspar, John G.; Carbonari, Ronald; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Huang, Yonggang; Rogers, John A.

2014-09-01

Research in stretchable electronics involves fundamental scientific topics relevant to applications with importance in human healthcare. Despite significant progress in active components, routes to mechanically robust construction are lacking. Here, we introduce materials and composite designs for thin, breathable, soft electronics that can adhere strongly to the skin, with the ability to be applied and removed hundreds of times without damaging the devices or the skin, even in regions with substantial topography and coverage of hair. The approach combines thin, ultralow modulus, cellular silicone materials with elastic, strain-limiting fabrics, to yield a compliant but rugged platform for stretchable electronics. Theoretical and experimental studies highlight the mechanics of adhesion and elastic deformation. Demonstrations include cutaneous optical, electrical and radio frequency sensors for measuring hydration state, electrophysiological activity, pulse and cerebral oximetry. Multipoint monitoring of a subject in an advanced driving simulator provides a practical example.

Rugged and breathable forms of stretchable electronics with adherent composite substrates for transcutaneous monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Kyung-In; Han, Sang Youn; Xu, Sheng; Mathewson, Kyle E; Zhang, Yihui; Jeong, Jae-Woong; Kim, Gwang-Tae; Webb, R Chad; Lee, Jung Woo; Dawidczyk, Thomas J; Kim, Rak Hwan; Song, Young Min; Yeo, Woon-Hong; Kim, Stanley; Cheng, Huanyu; Rhee, Sang Il; Chung, Jeahoon; Kim, Byunggik; Chung, Ha Uk; Lee, Dongjun; Yang, Yiyuan; Cho, Moongee; Gaspar, John G; Carbonari, Ronald; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Huang, Yonggang; Rogers, John A

2014-09-03

Research in stretchable electronics involves fundamental scientific topics relevant to applications with importance in human healthcare. Despite significant progress in active components, routes to mechanically robust construction are lacking. Here, we introduce materials and composite designs for thin, breathable, soft electronics that can adhere strongly to the skin, with the ability to be applied and removed hundreds of times without damaging the devices or the skin, even in regions with substantial topography and coverage of hair. The approach combines thin, ultralow modulus, cellular silicone materials with elastic, strain-limiting fabrics, to yield a compliant but rugged platform for stretchable electronics. Theoretical and experimental studies highlight the mechanics of adhesion and elastic deformation. Demonstrations include cutaneous optical, electrical and radio frequency sensors for measuring hydration state, electrophysiological activity, pulse and cerebral oximetry. Multipoint monitoring of a subject in an advanced driving simulator provides a practical example.

Highly-stretchable 3D-architected Mechanical Metamaterials

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Yanhui; Wang, Qiming

2016-09-01

Soft materials featuring both 3D free-form architectures and high stretchability are highly desirable for a number of engineering applications ranging from cushion modulators, soft robots to stretchable electronics; however, both the manufacturing and fundamental mechanics are largely elusive. Here, we overcome the manufacturing difficulties and report a class of mechanical metamaterials that not only features 3D free-form lattice architectures but also poses ultrahigh reversible stretchability (strain > 414%), 4 times higher than that of the existing counterparts with the similar complexity of 3D architectures. The microarchitected metamaterials, made of highly stretchable elastomers, are realized through an additive manufacturing technique, projection microstereolithography, and its postprocessing. With the fabricated metamaterials, we reveal their exotic mechanical behaviors: Under large-strain tension, their moduli follow a linear scaling relationship with their densities regardless of architecture types, in sharp contrast to the architecture-dependent modulus power-law of the existing engineering materials; under large-strain compression, they present tunable negative-stiffness that enables ultrahigh energy absorption efficiencies. To harness their extraordinary stretchability and microstructures, we demonstrate that the metamaterials open a number of application avenues in lightweight and flexible structure connectors, ultraefficient dampers, 3D meshed rehabilitation structures and stretchable electronics with designed 3D anisotropic conductivity.

Scalable Microfabrication Procedures for Adhesive-Integrated Flexible and Stretchable Electronic Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Dae Y.; Kim, Yun-Soung; Ornelas, Gladys; Sinha, Mridu; Naidu, Keerthiga; Coleman, Todd P.

2015-01-01

New classes of ultrathin flexible and stretchable devices have changed the way modern electronics are designed to interact with their target systems. Though more and more novel technologies surface and steer the way we think about future electronics, there exists an unmet need in regards to optimizing the fabrication procedures for these devices so that large-scale industrial translation is realistic. This article presents an unconventional approach for facile microfabrication and processing of adhesive-peeled (AP) flexible sensors. By assembling AP sensors on a weakly-adhering substrate in an inverted fashion, we demonstrate a procedure with 50% reduced end-to-end processing time that achieves greater levels of fabrication yield. The methodology is used to demonstrate the fabrication of electrical and mechanical flexible and stretchable AP sensors that are peeled-off their carrier substrates by consumer adhesives. In using this approach, we outline the manner by which adhesion is maintained and buckling is reduced for gold film processing on polydimethylsiloxane substrates. In addition, we demonstrate the compatibility of our methodology with large-scale post-processing using a roll-to-roll approach. PMID:26389915

Transfer printing and patterning of stretchable electrospun film

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Duan, Yongqing; Huang, YongAn, E-mail: yahuang@hust.edu.cn; Yin, Zhouping

2013-10-01

Electrospinning is an effective method for nanofiber production, but seldom used in the fabrication of patterned structures directly due to the whipping instability of the electrospinning jet. The whipping instability of electrospinning is adopted to fabricate stretchable patterned film by combination with an improved thermal transfer printing. The electrospun film is composed of small-scale wavy/coiled fibers, which make the patterned film highly stretchable. The optimal process parameters of whipping-based electrospinning are investigated to fabricate electrospun film with uniform and compact wavy/coiled fiber. Then the transfer printing and thermal detachment lithography are studied to generate patterned film, including the pressure, temperature, and peeling-off speed. Finally, the stretchability of the patterned electrospun film is studied through experiment and finite element analysis. It may open a cost-effective and high-throughput way for flexible/stretchable electronics fabrication. - Highlights: • Stretchable nonwoven film with small-scale wavy fibers is fabricated. • The film is transferred and patterned by thermal detachment lithography. • The patterned film is validated with high stretchability.

CMOS-Technology-Enabled Flexible and Stretchable Electronics for Internet of Everything Applications

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2015-01-01

Flexible and stretchable electronics can dramatically enhance the application of electronics for the emerging Internet of Everything applications where people, processes, data and devices will be integrated and connected, to augment quality of life

High-Density Stretchable Electrode Grids for Chronic Neural Recording.

Science.gov (United States)

Tybrandt, Klas; Khodagholy, Dion; Dielacher, Bernd; Stauffer, Flurin; Renz, Aline F; Buzsáki, György; Vörös, János

2018-04-01

Electrical interfacing with neural tissue is key to advancing diagnosis and therapies for neurological disorders, as well as providing detailed information about neural signals. A challenge for creating long-term stable interfaces between electronics and neural tissue is the huge mechanical mismatch between the systems. So far, materials and fabrication processes have restricted the development of soft electrode grids able to combine high performance, long-term stability, and high electrode density, aspects all essential for neural interfacing. Here, this challenge is addressed by developing a soft, high-density, stretchable electrode grid based on an inert, high-performance composite material comprising gold-coated titanium dioxide nanowires embedded in a silicone matrix. The developed grid can resolve high spatiotemporal neural signals from the surface of the cortex in freely moving rats with stable neural recording quality and preserved electrode signal coherence during 3 months of implantation. Due to its flexible and stretchable nature, it is possible to minimize the size of the craniotomy required for placement, further reducing the level of invasiveness. The material and device technology presented herein have potential for a wide range of emerging biomedical applications. © 2018 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Scalable Manufacturing of Solderable and Stretchable Physiologic Sensing Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Yun-Soung; Lu, Jesse; Shih, Benjamin; Gharibans, Armen; Zou, Zhanan; Matsuno, Kristen; Aguilera, Roman; Han, Yoonjae; Meek, Ann; Xiao, Jianliang; Tolley, Michael T; Coleman, Todd P

2017-10-01

Methods for microfabrication of solderable and stretchable sensing systems (S4s) and a scaled production of adhesive-integrated active S4s for health monitoring are presented. S4s' excellent solderability is achieved by the sputter-deposited nickel-vanadium and gold pad metal layers and copper interconnection. The donor substrate, which is modified with "PI islands" to become selectively adhesive for the S4s, allows the heterogeneous devices to be integrated with large-area adhesives for packaging. The feasibility for S4-based health monitoring is demonstrated by developing an S4 integrated with a strain gauge and an onboard optical indication circuit. Owing to S4s' compatibility with the standard printed circuit board assembly processes, a variety of commercially available surface mount chip components, such as the wafer level chip scale packages, chip resistors, and light-emitting diodes, can be reflow-soldered onto S4s without modifications, demonstrating the versatile and modular nature of S4s. Tegaderm-integrated S4 respiration sensors are tested for robustness for cyclic deformation, maximum stretchability, durability, and biocompatibility for multiday wear time. The results of the tests and demonstration of the respiration sensing indicate that the adhesive-integrated S4s can provide end users a way for unobtrusive health monitoring. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Stretchable Random Lasers with Tunable Coherent Loops.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Tzu-Min; Wang, Cih-Su; Liao, Chi-Shiun; Lin, Shih-Yao; Perumal, Packiyaraj; Chiang, Chia-Wei; Chen, Yang-Fang

2015-12-22

Stretchability represents a key feature for the emerging world of realistic applications in areas, including wearable gadgets, health monitors, and robotic skins. Many optical and electronic technologies that can respond to large strain deformations have been developed. Laser plays a very important role in our daily life since it was discovered, which is highly desirable for the development of stretchable devices. Herein, stretchable random lasers with tunable coherent loops are designed, fabricated, and demonstrated. To illustrate our working principle, the stretchable random laser is made possible by transferring unique ZnO nanobrushes on top of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer substrate. Apart from the traditional gain material of ZnO nanorods, ZnO nanobrushes were used as optical gain materials so they can serve as scattering centers and provide the Fabry-Perot cavity to enhance laser action. The stretchable PDMS substrate gives the degree of freedom to mechanically tune the coherent loops of the random laser action by changing the density of ZnO nanobrushes. It is found that the number of laser modes increases with increasing external strain applied on the PDMS substrate due to the enhanced possibility for the formation of coherent loops. The device can be stretched by up to 30% strain and subjected to more than 100 cycles without loss in laser action. The result shows a major advance for the further development of man-made smart stretchable devices.

Photonic integration and photonics-electronics convergence on silicon platform

CERN Document Server

Liu, Jifeng; Baba, Toshihiko; Vivien, Laurent; Xu, Dan-Xia

2015-01-01

Silicon photonics technology, which has the DNA of silicon electronics technology, promises to provide a compact photonic integration platform with high integration density, mass-producibility, and excellent cost performance. This technology has been used to develop and to integrate various photonic functions on silicon substrate. Moreover, photonics-electronics convergence based on silicon substrate is now being pursued. Thanks to these features, silicon photonics will have the potential to be a superior technology used in the construction of energy-efficient cost-effective apparatuses for various applications, such as communications, information processing, and sensing. Considering the material characteristics of silicon and difficulties in microfabrication technology, however, silicon by itself is not necessarily an ideal material. For example, silicon is not suitable for light emitting devices because it is an indirect transition material. The resolution and dynamic range of silicon-based interference de...

Intrinsically stretchable supercapacitors composed of polypyrrole electrodes and highly stretchable gel electrolyte.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Chen; Wang, Caiyun; Yue, Zhilian; Shu, Kewei; Wallace, Gordon G

2013-09-25

There has been an emerging interest in stretchable power sources compatible with flexible/wearable electronics. Such power sources must be able to withstand large mechanical strains and still maintain function. Here we report a highly stretchable H3PO4-poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer electrolyte obtained by optimizing the polymer molecular weight and its weight ratio to H3PO4 in terms of conductivity and mechanical properties. The electrolyte demonstrates a high conductivity of 3.4 × 10(-3) S cm(-1), and a high fracture strain at 410% elongation. It is mechanically robust with a tensile strength of 2 MPa and a Young's modulus of 1 MPa, and displays a small plastic deformation (5%) after 1000 stretching cycles at 100% strain. A stretchable supercapacitor device has been developed based on buckled polypyrrole electrodes and the polymer electrolyte. The device shows only a small capacitance loss of 5.6% at 30% strain, and can retain 81% of the initial capacitance after 1000 cycles of such stretching.

Stretchable bioelectronics for medical devices and systems

CERN Document Server

Ghaffari, Roozbeh; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2016-01-01

This book highlights recent advances in soft and stretchable biointegrated electronics. A renowned group of authors address key ideas in the materials, processes, mechanics, and devices of soft and stretchable electronics; the wearable electronics systems; and bioinspired and implantable biomedical electronics. Among the topics discussed are liquid metals, stretchable and flexible energy sources, skin-like devices, in vitro neural recording, and more. Special focus is given to recent advances in extremely soft and stretchable bio-inspired electronics with real-world clinical studies that validate the technology. Foundational theoretical and experimental aspects are also covered in relation to the design and application of these biointegrated electronics systems. This is an ideal book for researchers, engineers, and industry professionals involved in developing healthcare devices, medical tools and related instruments relevant to various clinical practices.

Spirally Structured Conductive Composites for Highly Stretchable, Robust Conductors and Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xiaodong; Han, Yangyang; Zhang, Xinxing; Lu, Canhui

2017-07-12

Flexible and stretchable electronics are highly desirable for next generation devices. However, stretchability and conductivity are fundamentally difficult to combine for conventional conductive composites, which restricts their widespread applications especially as stretchable electronics. Here, we innovatively develop a new class of highly stretchable and robust conductive composites via a simple and scalable structural approach. Briefly, carbon nanotubes are spray-coated onto a self-adhesive rubber film, followed by rolling up the film completely to create a spirally layered structure within the composites. This unique spirally layered structure breaks the typical trade-off between stretchability and conductivity of traditional conductive composites and, more importantly, restrains the generation and propagation of mechanical microcracks in the conductive layer under strain. Benefiting from such structure-induced advantages, the spirally layered composites exhibit high stretchability and flexibility, good conductive stability, and excellent robustness, enabling the composites to serve as highly stretchable conductors (up to 300% strain), versatile sensors for monitoring both subtle and large human activities, and functional threads for wearable electronics. This novel and efficient methodology provides a new design philosophy for manufacturing not only stretchable conductors and sensors but also other stretchable electronics, such as transistors, generators, artificial muscles, etc.

Highly Stretchable and Conductive Superhydrophobic Coating for Flexible Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Xiaojing; Li, Hongqiang; Lai, Xuejun; Chen, Zhonghua; Zeng, Xingrong

2018-03-28

Superhydrophobic materials integrating stretchability with conductivity have huge potential in the emerging application horizons such as wearable electronic sensors, flexible power storage apparatus, and corrosion-resistant circuits. Herein, a facile spraying method is reported to fabricate a durable superhydrophobic coating with excellent stretchable and electrical performance by combing 1-octadecanethiol-modified silver nanoparticles (M-AgNPs) with polystyrene- b-poly(ethylene- co-butylene)- b-polystyrene (SEBS) on a prestretched natural rubber (NR) substrate. The embedding of M-AgNPs in elastic SEBS matrix and relaxation of prestretched NR substrate construct hierarchical rough architecture and endow the coating with dense charge-transport pathways. The fabricated coating exhibits superhydrophobicity with water contact angle larger than 160° and a high conductivity with resistance of about 10 Ω. The coating not only maintains superhydrophobicity at low/high stretch ratio for the newly generated small/large protuberances but also responds to stretching and bending with good sensitivity, broad sensing range, and stable response cycles. Moreover, the coating exhibits excellent durability to heat and strong acid/alkali and mechanical forces including droplet impact, kneading, torsion, and repetitive stretching-relaxation. The findings conceivably stand out as a new tool to fabricate multifunctional superhydrophobic materials with excellent stretchability and conductivity for flexible electronics under wet or corrosive environments.

Mid-infrared integrated photonics on silicon: a perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Hongtao

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The emergence of silicon photonics over the past two decades has established silicon as a preferred substrate platform for photonic integration. While most silicon-based photonic components have so far been realized in the near-infrared (near-IR telecommunication bands, the mid-infrared (mid-IR, 2–20-μm wavelength band presents a significant growth opportunity for integrated photonics. In this review, we offer our perspective on the burgeoning field of mid-IR integrated photonics on silicon. A comprehensive survey on the state-of-the-art of key photonic devices such as waveguides, light sources, modulators, and detectors is presented. Furthermore, on-chip spectroscopic chemical sensing is quantitatively analyzed as an example of mid-IR photonic system integration based on these basic building blocks, and the constituent component choices are discussed and contrasted in the context of system performance and integration technologies.

Stretchable Optomechanical Fiber Sensors for Pressure Determination in Compressive Medical Textiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Sandt, Joseph D; Moudio, Marie; Clark, J Kenji; Hardin, James; Argenti, Christian; Carty, Matthew; Lewis, Jennifer A; Kolle, Mathias

2018-05-29

Medical textiles are widely used to exert pressure on human tissues during treatment of post-surgical hematoma, burn-related wounds, chronic venous ulceration, and other maladies. However, the inability to dynamically sense and adjust the applied pressure often leads to suboptimal pressure application, prolonging treatment or resulting in poor patient outcomes. Here, a simple strategy for measuring sub-bandage pressure by integrating stretchable optomechanical fibers into elastic bandages is demonstrated. Specifically, these fibers possess an elastomeric photonic multilayer cladding that surrounds an extruded stretchable core filament. They can sustain repetitive strains of over 100%, and respond to deformation with a predictable and reversible color variation. Integrated into elastic textiles, which apply pressure as a function of their strain, these fibers can provide instantaneous and localized pressure feedback. These colorimetric fiber sensors are well suited for medical textiles, athletic apparel, and other smart wearable technologies, especially when repetitive, large deformations are required. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mechanical and Electrical Ageing Effects on the Long-Term Stretching of Silicone Dielectric Elastomers with Soft Fillers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Madsen, Frederikke Bahrt; Zakaria, Shamsul Bin; Yu, Liyun

2016-01-01

Dielectric elastomer materials for actuators need to be soft and stretchable while possessing high dielectric permittivity. Soft silicone elastomers can be obtained through the use of silicone oils, while enhanced permittivity can be obtained through the use of dipolar groups on the polymer backb...

Graphene-based stretchable and transparent moisture barrier

Science.gov (United States)

Won, Sejeong; Van Lam, Do; Lee, Jin Young; Jung, Hyun-June; Hur, Min; Kim, Kwang-Seop; Lee, Hak-Joo; Kim, Jae-Hyun

2018-03-01

We propose an alumina-deposited double-layer graphene (2LG) as a transparent, scalable, and stretchable barrier against moisture; this barrier is indispensable for foldable or stretchable organic displays and electronics. Both the barrier property and stretchability were significantly enhanced through the introduction of 2LG between alumina and a polymeric substrate. 2LG with negligible polymeric residues was coated on the polymeric substrate via a scalable dry transfer method in a roll-to-roll manner; an alumina layer was deposited on the graphene via atomic layer deposition. The effect of the graphene layer on crack generation in the alumina layer was systematically studied under external strain using an in situ micro-tensile tester, and correlations between the deformation-induced defects and water vapor transmission rate were quantitatively analyzed. The enhanced stretchability of alumina-deposited 2LG originated from the interlayer sliding between the graphene layers, which resulted in the crack density of the alumina layer being reduced under external strain.

Plastic Deformation as a Means to Achieve Stretchable Polymer Semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Brendan

Developing intrinsically stretchable semiconductors will seamlessly transition traditional devices into a stretchable platform. Polymer semiconductors are inherently soft materials due to the weak van der Waal intermolecular bonding allowing for flexible devices. However, these materials are not typically stretchable and when large strains are applied they either crack or plastically deform. Here, we study the use of repeated plastic deformation as a means of achieving stretchable films. In this talk, critical aspects of polymer semiconductor material selection, morphology and interface properties will be discussed that enable this approach of achieving stretchable films. We show that one can employ high performance donor-acceptor polymer semiconductors that are typically brittle through proper polymer blending to significantly increase ductility to achieve stretchable films. We demonstrate a polymer blend film that can be repeatedly deformed over 65%, while maintaining charge mobility consistently above 0.15 cm2/Vs. During the stretching process we show that the films follow a well-controlled repeated deformation pattern for over 100 stretching cycles.

Controlled buckling structures in semiconductor interconnects and nanomembranes for stretchable electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, John A; Meitl, Matthew; Sun, Yugang; Ko, Heung Cho; Carlson, Andrew; Choi, Won Mook; Stoykovich, Mark; Jiang, Hanqing; Huang, Yonggang; Nuzzo, Ralph G; Zhu, Zhengtao; Menard, Etienne; Khang, Dahl-Young

2014-05-20

In an aspect, the present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, components such as semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed, and related methods of making or tuning such stretchable components. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention are adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Reconfigurable SDM Switching Using Novel Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yunhong; Kamchevska, Valerija; Dalgaard, Kjeld

2016-01-01

-division multiplexing switching using silicon photonic integrated circuit, which is fabricated on a novel silicon-oninsulator platform with buried Al mirror. The silicon photonic integrated circuit is composed of a 7x7 switch and low loss grating coupler array based multicore fiber couplers. Thanks to the Al mirror......, grating couplers with ultra-low coupling loss with optical multicore fibers is achieved. The lowest total insertion loss of the silicon integrated circuit is as low as 4.5 dB, with low crosstalk lower than -30 dB. Excellent performances in terms of low insertion loss and low crosstalk are obtained...

Thermally-isolated silicon-based integrated circuits and related methods

Science.gov (United States)

Wojciechowski, Kenneth; Olsson, Roy H.; Clews, Peggy J.; Bauer, Todd

2017-05-09

Thermally isolated devices may be formed by performing a series of etches on a silicon-based substrate. As a result of the series of etches, silicon material may be removed from underneath a region of an integrated circuit (IC). The removal of the silicon material from underneath the IC forms a gap between remaining substrate and the integrated circuit, though the integrated circuit remains connected to the substrate via a support bar arrangement that suspends the integrated circuit over the substrate. The creation of this gap functions to release the device from the substrate and create a thermally-isolated integrated circuit.

Method of making thermally-isolated silicon-based integrated circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Wojciechowski, Kenneth; Olsson, Roy; Clews, Peggy J.; Bauer, Todd

2017-11-21

Thermally isolated devices may be formed by performing a series of etches on a silicon-based substrate. As a result of the series of etches, silicon material may be removed from underneath a region of an integrated circuit (IC). The removal of the silicon material from underneath the IC forms a gap between remaining substrate and the integrated circuit, though the integrated circuit remains connected to the substrate via a support bar arrangement that suspends the integrated circuit over the substrate. The creation of this gap functions to release the device from the substrate and create a thermally-isolated integrated circuit.

Miniaturized Stretchable and High-Rate Linear Supercapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Wenjun; Zhang, Yang; Zhou, Xiaoshuang; Xu, Jiang; Liu, Zunfeng; Yuan, Ningyi; Ding, Jianning

2017-07-01

Linear stretchable supercapacitors have attracted much attention because they are well suited to applications in the rapidly expanding field of wearable electronics. However, poor conductivity of the electrode material, which limits the transfer of electrons in the axial direction of the linear supercapacitors, leads to a serious loss of capacity at high rates. To solve this problem, we use gold nanoparticles to decorate aligned multiwall carbon nanotube to fabricate stretchable linear electrodes. Furthermore, we have developed fine stretchable linear supercapacitors, which exhibited an extremely high elasticity up to 400% strain with a high capacitance of about 8.7 F g-1 at the discharge current of 1 A g-1.

Silicon wafers for integrated circuit process

OpenAIRE

Leroy , B.

1986-01-01

Silicon as a substrate material will continue to dominate the market of integrated circuits for many years. We first review how crystal pulling procedures impact the quality of silicon. We then investigate how thermal treatments affect the behaviour of oxygen and carbon, and how, as a result, the quality of silicon wafers evolves. Gettering techniques are then presented. We conclude by detailing the requirements that wafers must satisfy at the incoming inspection.

Long-wavelength III-V/silicon photonic integrated circuits

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roelkens, G.C.; Kuyken, B.; Leo, F.; Hattasan, N.; Ryckeboer, E.M.P.; Muneeb, M.; Hu, C.L.; Malik, A.; Hens, Z.; Baets, R.G.F.; Shimura, Y.; Gencarelli, F.; Vincent, B.; Loo, van de R.; Verheyen, P.A.; Lepage, G.; Campenhout, van J.; Cerutti, L.; Rodriquez, J.B.; Tournie, E.; Chen, X; Nedeljkovic, G.; Mashanovich, G.; Liu, X.; Green, W.S.

2013-01-01

We review our work in the field of short-wave infrared and mid-infrared photonic integrated circuits for applications in spectroscopic sensing systems. Passive silicon waveguide circuits, GeSn photodetectors, the integration of III-V and IV-VI semiconductors on these circuits, and silicon nonlinear

Single-Thread-Based Wearable and Highly Stretchable Triboelectric Nanogenerators and Their Applications in Cloth-Based Self-Powered Human-Interactive and Biomedical Sensing

KAUST Repository

Lai, Ying-Chih

2016-11-03

The development of wearable and large-area fabric energy harvester and sensor has received great attention due to their promising applications in next-generation autonomous and wearable healthcare technologies. Here, a new type of “single” thread-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and its uses in elastically textile-based energy harvesting and sensing have been demonstrated. The energy-harvesting thread composed by one silicone-rubber-coated stainless-steel thread can extract energy during contact with skin. With sewing the energy-harvesting thread into a serpentine shape on an elastic textile, a highly stretchable and scalable TENG textile is realized to scavenge various kinds of human-motion energy. The collected energy is capable to sustainably power a commercial smart watch. Moreover, the simplified single triboelectric thread can be applied in a wide range of thread-based self-powered and active sensing uses, including gesture sensing, human-interactive interfaces, and human physiological signal monitoring. After integration with microcontrollers, more complicated systems, such as wireless wearable keyboards and smart beds, are demonstrated. These results show that the newly designed single-thread-based TENG, with the advantage of interactive, responsive, sewable, and conformal features, can meet application needs of a vast variety of fields, ranging from wearable and stretchable energy harvesters to smart cloth-based articles.

Single-Thread-Based Wearable and Highly Stretchable Triboelectric Nanogenerators and Their Applications in Cloth-Based Self-Powered Human-Interactive and Biomedical Sensing

KAUST Repository

Lai, Ying-Chih; Deng, Jianan; Zhang, Steven L.; Niu, Simiao; Guo, Hengyu; Wang, Zhong Lin

2016-01-01

The development of wearable and large-area fabric energy harvester and sensor has received great attention due to their promising applications in next-generation autonomous and wearable healthcare technologies. Here, a new type of “single” thread-based triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and its uses in elastically textile-based energy harvesting and sensing have been demonstrated. The energy-harvesting thread composed by one silicone-rubber-coated stainless-steel thread can extract energy during contact with skin. With sewing the energy-harvesting thread into a serpentine shape on an elastic textile, a highly stretchable and scalable TENG textile is realized to scavenge various kinds of human-motion energy. The collected energy is capable to sustainably power a commercial smart watch. Moreover, the simplified single triboelectric thread can be applied in a wide range of thread-based self-powered and active sensing uses, including gesture sensing, human-interactive interfaces, and human physiological signal monitoring. After integration with microcontrollers, more complicated systems, such as wireless wearable keyboards and smart beds, are demonstrated. These results show that the newly designed single-thread-based TENG, with the advantage of interactive, responsive, sewable, and conformal features, can meet application needs of a vast variety of fields, ranging from wearable and stretchable energy harvesters to smart cloth-based articles.

Silicon integrated circuits part A : supplement 2

CERN Document Server

Kahng, Dawon

1981-01-01

Applied Solid State Science, Supplement 2: Silicon Integrated Circuits, Part A focuses on MOS device physics. This book is divided into three chapters-physics of the MOS transistor; nonvolatile memories; and properties of silicon-on-sapphire substrates devices, and integrated circuits. The topics covered include the short channel effects, MOSFET structures, floating gate devices, technology for nonvolatile semiconductor memories, sapphire substrates, and SOS integrated circuits and systems. The MOS capacitor, MIOS devices, and SOS process and device technology are also deliberated. This public

Intrinsically stretchable and healable semiconducting polymer for organic transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Jin Young; Rondeau-Gagné, Simon; Chiu, Yu-Cheng; Chortos, Alex; Lissel, Franziska; Wang, Ging-Ji Nathan; Schroeder, Bob C; Kurosawa, Tadanori; Lopez, Jeffrey; Katsumata, Toru; Xu, Jie; Zhu, Chenxin; Gu, Xiaodan; Bae, Won-Gyu; Kim, Yeongin; Jin, Lihua; Chung, Jong Won; Tok, Jeffrey B-H; Bao, Zhenan

2016-11-17

Thin-film field-effect transistors are essential elements of stretchable electronic devices for wearable electronics. All of the materials and components of such transistors need to be stretchable and mechanically robust. Although there has been recent progress towards stretchable conductors, the realization of stretchable semiconductors has focused mainly on strain-accommodating engineering of materials, or blending of nanofibres or nanowires into elastomers. An alternative approach relies on using semiconductors that are intrinsically stretchable, so that they can be fabricated using standard processing methods. Molecular stretchability can be enhanced when conjugated polymers, containing modified side-chains and segmented backbones, are infused with more flexible molecular building blocks. Here we present a design concept for stretchable semiconducting polymers, which involves introducing chemical moieties to promote dynamic non-covalent crosslinking of the conjugated polymers. These non-covalent crosslinking moieties are able to undergo an energy dissipation mechanism through breakage of bonds when strain is applied, while retaining high charge transport abilities. As a result, our polymer is able to recover its high field-effect mobility performance (more than 1 square centimetre per volt per second) even after a hundred cycles at 100 per cent applied strain. Organic thin-film field-effect transistors fabricated from these materials exhibited mobility as high as 1.3 square centimetres per volt per second and a high on/off current ratio exceeding a million. The field-effect mobility remained as high as 1.12 square centimetres per volt per second at 100 per cent strain along the direction perpendicular to the strain. The field-effect mobility of damaged devices can be almost fully recovered after a solvent and thermal healing treatment. Finally, we successfully fabricated a skin-inspired stretchable organic transistor operating under deformations that might be

Stretchable and High-Performance Supercapacitors with Crumpled Graphene Papers

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, Jianfeng; Cao, Changyong; Feng, Yaying; Liu, Jie; Zhao, Xuanhe

2014-01-01

Fabrication of unconventional energy storage devices with high stretchability and performance is challenging, but critical to practical operations of fully power-independent stretchable electronics. While supercapacitors represent a promising candidate for unconventional energy-storage devices, existing stretchable supercapacitors are limited by their low stretchability, complicated fabrication process, and high cost. Here, we report a simple and low-cost method to fabricate extremely stretchable and high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors based on new crumpled-graphene papers. Electrolyte-mediated-graphene paper bonded on a compliant substrate can be crumpled into self-organized patterns by harnessing mechanical instabilities in the graphene paper. As the substrate is stretched, the crumpled patterns unfold, maintaining high reliability of the graphene paper under multiple cycles of large deformation. Supercapacitor electrodes based on the crumpled graphene papers exhibit a unique combination of high stretchability (e.g., linear strain ~300%, areal strain ~800%), high electrochemical performance (e.g., specific capacitance ~196 F g−1), and high reliability (e.g., over 1000 stretch/relax cycles). An all-solid-state supercapacitor capable of large deformation is further fabricated to demonstrate practical applications of the crumpled-graphene-paper electrodes. Our method and design open a wide range of opportunities for manufacturing future energy-storage devices with desired deformability together with high performance. PMID:25270673

Stretchable and High-Performance Supercapacitors with Crumpled Graphene Papers

Science.gov (United States)

Zang, Jianfeng; Cao, Changyong; Feng, Yaying; Liu, Jie; Zhao, Xuanhe

2014-10-01

Fabrication of unconventional energy storage devices with high stretchability and performance is challenging, but critical to practical operations of fully power-independent stretchable electronics. While supercapacitors represent a promising candidate for unconventional energy-storage devices, existing stretchable supercapacitors are limited by their low stretchability, complicated fabrication process, and high cost. Here, we report a simple and low-cost method to fabricate extremely stretchable and high-performance electrodes for supercapacitors based on new crumpled-graphene papers. Electrolyte-mediated-graphene paper bonded on a compliant substrate can be crumpled into self-organized patterns by harnessing mechanical instabilities in the graphene paper. As the substrate is stretched, the crumpled patterns unfold, maintaining high reliability of the graphene paper under multiple cycles of large deformation. Supercapacitor electrodes based on the crumpled graphene papers exhibit a unique combination of high stretchability (e.g., linear strain ~300%, areal strain ~800%), high electrochemical performance (e.g., specific capacitance ~196 F g-1), and high reliability (e.g., over 1000 stretch/relax cycles). An all-solid-state supercapacitor capable of large deformation is further fabricated to demonstrate practical applications of the crumpled-graphene-paper electrodes. Our method and design open a wide range of opportunities for manufacturing future energy-storage devices with desired deformability together with high performance.

Miniaturized Stretchable and High-Rate Linear Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Wenjun; Zhang, Yang; Zhou, Xiaoshuang; Xu, Jiang; Liu, Zunfeng; Yuan, Ningyi; Ding, Jianning

2017-12-01

Linear stretchable supercapacitors have attracted much attention because they are well suited to applications in the rapidly expanding field of wearable electronics. However, poor conductivity of the electrode material, which limits the transfer of electrons in the axial direction of the linear supercapacitors, leads to a serious loss of capacity at high rates. To solve this problem, we use gold nanoparticles to decorate aligned multiwall carbon nanotube to fabricate stretchable linear electrodes. Furthermore, we have developed fine stretchable linear supercapacitors, which exhibited an extremely high elasticity up to 400% strain with a high capacitance of about 8.7 F g -1 at the discharge current of 1 A g -1 .

Amorphous silicon rich silicon nitride optical waveguides for high density integrated optics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Philipp, Hugh T.; Andersen, Karin Nordström; Svendsen, Winnie Edith

2004-01-01

Amorphous silicon rich silicon nitride optical waveguides clad in silica are presented as a high-index contrast platform for high density integrated optics. Performance of different cross-sectional geometries have been measured and are presented with regards to bending loss and insertion loss...

Strain Multiplexed Metasurface Holograms on a Stretchable Substrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Malek, Stephanie C; Ee, Ho-Seok; Agarwal, Ritesh

2017-06-14

We demonstrate reconfigurable phase-only computer-generated metasurface holograms with up to three image planes operating in the visible regime fabricated with gold nanorods on a stretchable polydimethylsiloxane substrate. Stretching the substrate enlarges the hologram image and changes the location of the image plane. Upon stretching, these devices can switch the displayed holographic image between multiple distinct images. This work opens up the possibilities for stretchable metasurface holograms as flat devices for dynamically reconfigurable optical communication and display. It also confirms that metasurfaces on stretchable substrates can serve as platform for a variety of reconfigurable optical devices.

A washable, stretchable, and self-powered human-machine interfacing Triboelectric nanogenerator for wireless communications and soft robotics pressure sensor arrays

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Abdelsalam

2017-01-20

Flexible and stretchable human-machine Interfacing devices have attracted great attention due to the need for portable, ergonomic, and geometrically compatible devices in the new era of computer technology. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) have shown promising potential for self-powered human–machine interacting devices. In this paper, a flexible, stretchable and self-powered keyboard is developed based on vertical contact-separation mode TENG. The keyboard is fabricated using urethane, silicone rubbers and Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) electrodes. The structure shows a highly flexible, stretchable, and mechanically durable behavior, which can be conformal on different surfaces. The keyboard is capable of converting mechanical energy of finger tapping to electrical energy based on contact electrification, which can eliminate the need of external power source. The device can be utilized for wireless communication with computers owing to the self-powering mechanism. The keyboards also demonstrate consistent behavior in generating voltage signals regardless of touching objects’ materials and environmental effects like humidity. In addition, the proposed system can be used for keystroke dynamic-based authentication. Therefore, highly secured accessibility to the computers can be achieved owing to the keyboard’s high sensitivity and accurate selectivity of different users.

A washable, stretchable, and self-powered human-machine interfacing Triboelectric nanogenerator for wireless communications and soft robotics pressure sensor arrays

KAUST Repository

Ahmed, Abdelsalam; Zhang, Steven L.; Hassan, Islam; Saadatnia, Zia; Zi, Yunlong; Zu, Jean; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-01-01

Flexible and stretchable human-machine Interfacing devices have attracted great attention due to the need for portable, ergonomic, and geometrically compatible devices in the new era of computer technology. Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENG) have shown promising potential for self-powered human–machine interacting devices. In this paper, a flexible, stretchable and self-powered keyboard is developed based on vertical contact-separation mode TENG. The keyboard is fabricated using urethane, silicone rubbers and Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) electrodes. The structure shows a highly flexible, stretchable, and mechanically durable behavior, which can be conformal on different surfaces. The keyboard is capable of converting mechanical energy of finger tapping to electrical energy based on contact electrification, which can eliminate the need of external power source. The device can be utilized for wireless communication with computers owing to the self-powering mechanism. The keyboards also demonstrate consistent behavior in generating voltage signals regardless of touching objects’ materials and environmental effects like humidity. In addition, the proposed system can be used for keystroke dynamic-based authentication. Therefore, highly secured accessibility to the computers can be achieved owing to the keyboard’s high sensitivity and accurate selectivity of different users.

Flexible integration of free-standing nanowires into silicon photonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Bigeng; Wu, Hao; Xin, Chenguang; Dai, Daoxin; Tong, Limin

2017-06-14

Silicon photonics has been developed successfully with a top-down fabrication technique to enable large-scale photonic integrated circuits with high reproducibility, but is limited intrinsically by the material capability for active or nonlinear applications. On the other hand, free-standing nanowires synthesized via a bottom-up growth present great material diversity and structural uniformity, but precisely assembling free-standing nanowires for on-demand photonic functionality remains a great challenge. Here we report hybrid integration of free-standing nanowires into silicon photonics with high flexibility by coupling free-standing nanowires onto target silicon waveguides that are simultaneously used for precise positioning. Coupling efficiency between a free-standing nanowire and a silicon waveguide is up to ~97% in the telecommunication band. A hybrid nonlinear-free-standing nanowires-silicon waveguides Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a racetrack resonator for significantly enhanced optical modulation are experimentally demonstrated, as well as hybrid active-free-standing nanowires-silicon waveguides circuits for light generation. These results suggest an alternative approach to flexible multifunctional on-chip nanophotonic devices.Precisely assembling free-standing nanowires for on-demand photonic functionality remains a challenge. Here, Chen et al. integrate free-standing nanowires into silicon waveguides and show all-optical modulation and light generation on silicon photonic chips.

Flexible and Stretchable Microneedle Patches with Integrated Rigid Stainless Steel Microneedles for Transdermal Biointerfacing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajabi, Mina; Roxhed, Niclas; Shafagh, Reza Zandi; Haraldson, Tommy; Fischer, Andreas Christin; Wijngaart, Wouter van der; Stemme, Göran; Niklaus, Frank

2016-01-01

This paper demonstrates flexible and stretchable microneedle patches that combine soft and flexible base substrates with hard and sharp stainless steel microneedles. An elastomeric polymer base enables conformal contact between the microneedle patch and the complex topography and texture of the underlying skin, while robust and sharp stainless steel microneedles reliably pierce the outer layers of the skin. The flexible microneedle patches have been realized by magnetically assembling short stainless steel microneedles into a flexible polymer supporting base. In our experimental investigation, the microneedle patches were applied to human skin and an excellent adaptation of the patch to the wrinkles and deformations of the skin was verified, while at the same time the microneedles reliably penetrate the surface of the skin. The unobtrusive flexible and stretchable microneedle patches have great potential for transdermal biointerfacing in a variety of emerging applications such as transdermal drug delivery, bioelectric treatments and wearable bio-electronics for health and fitness monitoring.

Integrated double-sided silicon microstrip detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Perevertailo V. L.

2011-11-01

Full Text Available The problems of design, technology and manufacturing double-sided silicon microstrip detectors using standard equipment production line in mass production of silicon integrated circuits are considered. The design of prototype high-energy particles detector for experiment ALICE (CERN is presented. The parameters of fabricated detectors are comparable with those of similar foreign detectors, but they are distinguished by lesser cost.

Materials issues in silicon integrated circuit processing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wittmer, M.; Stimmell, J.; Strathman, M.

1986-01-01

The symposium on ''Materials Issues in Integrated Circuit Processing'' sought to bring together all of the materials issued pertinent to modern integrated circuit processing. The inherent properties of the materials are becoming an important concern in integrated circuit manufacturing and accordingly research in materials science is vital for the successful implementation of modern integrated circuit technology. The session on Silicon Materials Science revealed the advanced stage of knowledge which topics such as point defects, intrinsic and extrinsic gettering and diffusion kinetics have achieved. Adaption of this knowledge to specific integrated circuit processing technologies is beginning to be addressed. The session on Epitaxy included invited papers on epitaxial insulators and IR detectors. Heteroepitaxy on silicon is receiving great attention and the results presented in this session suggest that 3-d integrated structures are an increasingly realistic possibility. Progress in low temperature silicon epitaxy and epitaxy of thin films with abrupt interfaces was also reported. Diffusion and Ion Implantation were well presented. Regrowth of implant-damaged layers and the nature of the defects which remain after regrowth were discussed in no less than seven papers. Substantial progress was also reported in the understanding of amorphising boron implants and the use of gallium implants for the formation of shallow p/sup +/ -layers

Graphene-based flexible and stretchable thin film transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Chao; Cho, Jeong Ho; Ahn, Jong-Hyun

2012-08-21

Graphene has been attracting wide attention owing to its superb electronic, thermal and mechanical properties. These properties allow great applications in the next generation of optoelectronics, where flexibility and stretchability are essential. In this context, the recent development of graphene growth/transfer and its applications in field-effect transistors are involved. In particular, we provide a detailed review on the state-of-the-art of graphene-based flexible and stretchable thin film transistors. We address the principles of fabricating high-speed graphene analog transistors and the key issues of producing an array of graphene-based transistors on flexible and stretchable substrates. It provides a platform for future work to focus on understanding and realizing high-performance graphene-based transistors.

Parallel Microcracks-based Ultrasensitive and Highly Stretchable Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Amjadi, Morteza; Turan, Mehmet; Clementson, Cameron P; Sitti, Metin

2016-03-02

There is an increasing demand for flexible, skin-attachable, and wearable strain sensors due to their various potential applications. However, achieving strain sensors with both high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a grand challenge. Here, we propose highly sensitive and stretchable strain sensors based on the reversible microcrack formation in composite thin films. Controllable parallel microcracks are generated in graphite thin films coated on elastomer films. Sensors made of graphite thin films with short microcracks possess high gauge factors (maximum value of 522.6) and stretchability (ε ≥ 50%), whereas sensors with long microcracks show ultrahigh sensitivity (maximum value of 11,344) with limited stretchability (ε ≤ 50%). We demonstrate the high performance strain sensing of our sensors in both small and large strain sensing applications such as human physiological activity recognition, human body large motion capturing, vibration detection, pressure sensing, and soft robotics.

Stretchable and Tunable Microtectonic ZnO-Based Sensors and Photonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Gutruf, Philipp; Zeller, Eike; Walia, Sumeet; Nili, Hussein; Sriram, Sharath; Bhaskaran, Madhu

2015-09-16

The concept of realizing electronic applications on elastically stretchable "skins" that conform to irregularly shaped surfaces is revolutionizing fundamental research into mechanics and materials that can enable high performance stretchable devices. The ability to operate electronic devices under various mechanically stressed states can provide a set of unique functionalities that are beyond the capabilities of conventional rigid electronics. Here, a distinctive microtectonic effect enabled oxygen-deficient, nanopatterned zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films on an elastomeric substrate are introduced to realize large area, stretchable, transparent, and ultraportable sensors. The unique surface structures are exploited to create stretchable gas and ultraviolet light sensors, where the functional oxide itself is stretchable, both of which outperform their rigid counterparts under room temperature conditions. Nanoscale ZnO features are embedded in an elastomeric matrix function as tunable diffraction gratings, capable of sensing displacements with nanometre accuracy. These devices and the microtectonic oxide thin film approach show promise in enabling functional, transparent, and wearable electronics. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Miniaturized Stretchable and High-Rate Linear Supercapacitors

OpenAIRE

Zhu, Wenjun; Zhang, Yang; Zhou, Xiaoshuang; Xu, Jiang; Liu, Zunfeng; Yuan, Ningyi; Ding, Jianning

2017-01-01

Linear stretchable supercapacitors have attracted much attention because they are well suited to applications in the rapidly expanding field of wearable electronics. However, poor conductivity of the electrode material, which limits the transfer of electrons in the axial direction of the linear supercapacitors, leads to a serious loss of capacity at high rates. To solve this problem, we use gold nanoparticles to decorate aligned multiwall carbon nanotube to fabricate stretchable linear electr...

A sewing-enabled stitch-and-transfer method for robust, ultra-stretchable, conductive interconnects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahimi, Rahim; Ochoa, Manuel; Yu, Wuyang; Ziaie, Babak

2014-01-01

Fabricating highly stretchable and robust electrical interconnects at low-cost remains an unmet challenge in stretchable electronics. Previously reported stretchable interconnects require complicated fabrication processes with resulting devices exhibiting limited stretchability, poor reliability, and large gauge factors. Here, we demonstrate a novel sew-and-transfer method for rapid fabrication of low-cost, highly stretchable interconnects. Using a commercial sewing machine and double-thread stitch with one of the threads being water soluble polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), thin zigzag-pattern metallic wires are sewn into a polymeric film and are subsequently transferred onto a stretchable elastomeric substrate by dissolving PVA in warm water. The resulting structures exhibit extreme stretchability (exceeding 500% strain for a zigzag angle of 18 °) and robustness (capable of withstanding repeated stretch-and-release cycles of 15000 at 110% strain, 50000 at 55% strain, and  > 120000 at 30% strain without any noticeable change in resistance even at maximum strain levels). Using this technique, we demonstrate a stretchable inductive strain sensor for monitoring balloon expansion in a Foley urinary catheter capable of detecting the balloon diameter change from 9 mm to 38 mm with an average sensitivity of 4 nH/mm. (paper)

Soft, stretchable, epidermal sensor with integrated electronics and photochemistry for measuring personal UV exposures.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yunzhou; Manco, Megan; Moyal, Dominique; Huppert, Gil; Araki, Hitoshi; Banks, Anthony; Joshi, Hemant; McKenzie, Richard; Seewald, Alex; Griffin, Guy; Sen-Gupta, Ellora; Wright, Donald; Bastien, Philippe; Valceschini, Florent; Seité, Sophie; Wright, John A; Ghaffari, Roozbeh; Rogers, John; Balooch, Guive; Pielak, Rafal M

2018-01-01

Excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces acute and chronic effects on the skin, eye and immune system. Personalized monitoring of UV radiation is thus paramount to measure the extent of personal sun exposure, which could vary with environment, lifestyle, and sunscreen use. Here, we demonstrate an ultralow modulus, stretchable, skin-mounted UV patch that measures personal UV doses. The patch contains functional layers of ultrathin stretchable electronics and a photosensitive patterned dye that reacts to UV radiation. Color changes in the photosensitive dyes correspond to UV radiation intensity and are analyzed with a smartphone camera. A software application has feature recognition, lighting condition correction, and quantification algorithms that detect and quantify changes in color. These color changes are then correlated with corresponding shifts in UV dose, and compared to existing UV dose risk levels. The soft mechanics of the UV patch allow for multi-day wear in the presence of sunscreen and water. Two evaluation studies serve to demonstrate the utility of the UV patch during daily activities with and without sunscreen application.

Soft, stretchable, epidermal sensor with integrated electronics and photochemistry for measuring personal UV exposures

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Yunzhou; Manco, Megan; Moyal, Dominique; Huppert, Gil; Araki, Hitoshi; Banks, Anthony; Joshi, Hemant; McKenzie, Richard; Seewald, Alex; Griffin, Guy; Sen-Gupta, Ellora; Wright, Donald; Bastien, Philippe; Valceschini, Florent; Seité, Sophie; Wright, John A.; Ghaffari, Roozbeh; Rogers, John; Balooch, Guive

2018-01-01

Excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation induces acute and chronic effects on the skin, eye and immune system. Personalized monitoring of UV radiation is thus paramount to measure the extent of personal sun exposure, which could vary with environment, lifestyle, and sunscreen use. Here, we demonstrate an ultralow modulus, stretchable, skin-mounted UV patch that measures personal UV doses. The patch contains functional layers of ultrathin stretchable electronics and a photosensitive patterned dye that reacts to UV radiation. Color changes in the photosensitive dyes correspond to UV radiation intensity and are analyzed with a smartphone camera. A software application has feature recognition, lighting condition correction, and quantification algorithms that detect and quantify changes in color. These color changes are then correlated with corresponding shifts in UV dose, and compared to existing UV dose risk levels. The soft mechanics of the UV patch allow for multi-day wear in the presence of sunscreen and water. Two evaluation studies serve to demonstrate the utility of the UV patch during daily activities with and without sunscreen application. PMID:29293664

Soft, stretchable, epidermal sensor with integrated electronics and photochemistry for measuring personal UV exposures.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunzhou Shi

Full Text Available Excessive ultraviolet (UV radiation induces acute and chronic effects on the skin, eye and immune system. Personalized monitoring of UV radiation is thus paramount to measure the extent of personal sun exposure, which could vary with environment, lifestyle, and sunscreen use. Here, we demonstrate an ultralow modulus, stretchable, skin-mounted UV patch that measures personal UV doses. The patch contains functional layers of ultrathin stretchable electronics and a photosensitive patterned dye that reacts to UV radiation. Color changes in the photosensitive dyes correspond to UV radiation intensity and are analyzed with a smartphone camera. A software application has feature recognition, lighting condition correction, and quantification algorithms that detect and quantify changes in color. These color changes are then correlated with corresponding shifts in UV dose, and compared to existing UV dose risk levels. The soft mechanics of the UV patch allow for multi-day wear in the presence of sunscreen and water. Two evaluation studies serve to demonstrate the utility of the UV patch during daily activities with and without sunscreen application.

Stretchable Tattoo-Like Heater with On-Site Temperature Feedback Control

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Stier

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Wearable tissue heaters can play many important roles in the medical field. They may be used for heat therapy, perioperative warming and controlled transdermal drug delivery, among other applications. State-of-the-art heaters are too bulky, rigid, or difficult to control to be able to maintain long-term wearability and safety. Recently, there has been progress in the development of stretchable heaters that may be attached directly to the skin surface, but they often use expensive materials or processes and take significant time to fabricate. Moreover, they lack continuously active, on-site, unobstructive temperature feedback control, which is critical for accommodating the dynamic temperatures required for most medical applications. We have developed, fabricated and tested a cost-effective, large area, ultra-thin and ultra-soft tattoo-like heater that has autonomous proportional-integral-derivative (PID temperature control. The device comprises a stretchable aluminum heater and a stretchable gold resistance temperature detector (RTD on a soft medical tape as fabricated using the cost and time effective “cut-and-paste” method. It can be noninvasively laminated onto human skin and can follow skin deformation during flexure without imposing any constraint. We demonstrate the device’s ability to maintain a target temperature typical of medical uses over extended durations of time and to accurately adjust to a new set point in process. The cost of the device is low enough to justify disposable use.

Carbon Nanofiber versus Graphene-Based Stretchable Capacitive Touch Sensors for Artificial Electronic Skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Cataldi, Pietro; Dussoni, Simeone; Ceseracciu, Luca; Maggiali, Marco; Natale, Lorenzo; Metta, Giorgio; Athanassiou, Athanassia; Bayer, Ilker S

2018-02-01

Stretchable capacitive devices are instrumental for new-generation multifunctional haptic technologies particularly suited for soft robotics and electronic skin applications. A majority of elongating soft electronics still rely on silicone for building devices or sensors by multiple-step replication. In this study, fabrication of a reliable elongating parallel-plate capacitive touch sensor, using nitrile rubber gloves as templates, is demonstrated. Spray coating both sides of a rubber piece cut out of a glove with a conductive polymer suspension carrying dispersed carbon nanofibers (CnFs) or graphene nanoplatelets (GnPs) is sufficient for making electrodes with low sheet resistance values (≈10 Ω sq -1 ). The electrodes based on CnFs maintain their conductivity up to 100% elongation whereas the GnPs-based ones form cracks before 60% elongation. However, both electrodes are reliable under elongation levels associated with human joints motility (≈20%). Strikingly, structural damages due to repeated elongation/recovery cycles could be healed through annealing. Haptic sensing characteristics of a stretchable capacitive device by wrapping it around the fingertip of a robotic hand (ICub) are demonstrated. Tactile forces as low as 0.03 N and as high as 5 N can be easily sensed by the device under elongation or over curvilinear surfaces.

Stretchable Kirigami Polyvinylidene Difluoride Thin Films for Energy Harvesting: Design, Analysis, and Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Nan; Chen, Dajing; Wang, Dong; Huang, Shicheng; Trase, Ian; Grover, Hannah M.; Yu, Xiaojiao; Zhang, John X. J.; Chen, Zi

2018-02-01

Kirigami, a modified form of origami which includes cutting, has been used to improve material stretchability and compliance. However, this technique is, so far, underexplored in patterning piezoelectric materials towards developing efficient and mechanically flexible thin-film energy generators. Motivated by existing kirigami-based applications, we introduce interdigitated cuts to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films to evaluate the effect on voltage generation and stretchability. Our results from theoretical analysis, numerical simulations, and experimental tests show that kirigami PVDF films exhibit an extended strain range while still maintaining significant voltage generation compared to films without cuts. Various cutting patterns are studied, and it is found that films with denser cuts have a larger voltage output. This kirigami design can enhance the properties of existing piezoelectric materials and help to integrate tunable PVDF generators into biomedical devices.

Highly Manufacturable Deep (Sub-Millimeter) Etching Enabled High Aspect Ratio Complex Geometry Lego-Like Silicon Electronics

KAUST Repository

Ghoneim, Mohamed T.

2017-02-01

A highly manufacturable deep reactive ion etching based process involving a hybrid soft/hard mask process technology shows high aspect ratio complex geometry Lego-like silicon electronics formation enabling free-form (physically flexible, stretchable, and reconfigurable) electronic systems.

Stretchable Active Matrix Temperature Sensor Array of Polyaniline Nanofibers for Electronic Skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Soo Yeong; Lee, Yong Hui; Park, Heun; Jin, Sang Woo; Jeong, Yu Ra; Yun, Junyeong; You, Ilhwan; Zi, Goangseup; Ha, Jeong Sook

2016-02-03

A stretchable polyaniline nanofiber temperature sensor array with an active matrix consisting of single-walled carbon nanotube thin-film transistors is demonstrated. The integrated temperature sensor array gives mechanical stability under biaxial stretching of 30%, and the resultant spatial temperature mapping does not show any mechanical or electrical degradation. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Screen-Printing Fabrication and Characterization of Stretchable Electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Suikkola, Jari; Björninen, Toni; Mosallaei, Mahmoud; Kankkunen, Timo; Iso-Ketola, Pekka; Ukkonen, Leena; Vanhala, Jukka; Mäntysalo, Matti

2016-01-01

This article focuses on the fabrication and characterization of stretchable interconnects for wearable electronics applications. Interconnects were screen-printed with a stretchable silver-polymer composite ink on 50-μm thick thermoplastic polyurethane. The initial sheet resistances of the manufactured interconnects were an average of 36.2 mΩ/◽, and half the manufactured samples withstood single strains of up to 74%. The strain proportionality of resistance is discussed, and a regression model is introduced. Cycling strain increased resistance. However, the resistances here were almost fully reversible, and this recovery was time-dependent. Normalized resistances to 10%, 15%, and 20% cyclic strains stabilized at 1.3, 1.4, and 1.7. We also tested the validity of our model for radio-frequency applications through characterization of a stretchable radio-frequency identification tag. PMID:27173424

Screen-Printing Fabrication and Characterization of Stretchable Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Suikkola, Jari; Björninen, Toni; Mosallaei, Mahmoud; Kankkunen, Timo; Iso-Ketola, Pekka; Ukkonen, Leena; Vanhala, Jukka; Mäntysalo, Matti

2016-05-13

This article focuses on the fabrication and characterization of stretchable interconnects for wearable electronics applications. Interconnects were screen-printed with a stretchable silver-polymer composite ink on 50-μm thick thermoplastic polyurethane. The initial sheet resistances of the manufactured interconnects were an average of 36.2 mΩ/◽, and half the manufactured samples withstood single strains of up to 74%. The strain proportionality of resistance is discussed, and a regression model is introduced. Cycling strain increased resistance. However, the resistances here were almost fully reversible, and this recovery was time-dependent. Normalized resistances to 10%, 15%, and 20% cyclic strains stabilized at 1.3, 1.4, and 1.7. We also tested the validity of our model for radio-frequency applications through characterization of a stretchable radio-frequency identification tag.

Silicon Photonics II Components and Integration

CERN Document Server

Lockwood, David J

2011-01-01

This book is volume II of a series of books on silicon photonics. It gives a fascinating picture of the state-of-the-art in silicon photonics from a component perspective. It presents a perspective on what can be expected in the near future. It is formed from a selected number of reviews authored by world leaders in the field, and is written from both academic and industrial viewpoints. An in-depth discussion of the route towards fully integrated silicon photonics is presented. This book will be useful not only to physicists, chemists, materials scientists, and engineers but also to graduate students who are interested in the fields of micro- and nanophotonics and optoelectronics.

Hybrid integrated single-wavelength laser with silicon micro-ring reflector

Science.gov (United States)

Ren, Min; Pu, Jing; Krishnamurthy, Vivek; Xu, Zhengji; Lee, Chee-Wei; Li, Dongdong; Gonzaga, Leonard; Toh, Yeow T.; Tjiptoharsono, Febi; Wang, Qian

2018-02-01

A hybrid integrated single-wavelength laser with silicon micro-ring reflector is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally. It consists of a heterogeneously integrated III-V section for optical gain, an adiabatic taper for light coupling, and a silicon micro-ring reflector for both wavelength selection and light reflection. Heterogeneous integration processes for multiple III-V chips bonded to an 8-inch Si wafer have been developed, which is promising for massive production of hybrid lasers on Si. The III-V layer is introduced on top of a 220-nm thick SOI layer through low-temperature wafer-boning technology. The optical coupling efficiency of >85% between III-V and Si waveguide has been achieved. The silicon micro-ring reflector, as the key element of the hybrid laser, is studied, with its maximized reflectivity of 85.6% demonstrated experimentally. The compact single-wavelength laser enables fully monolithic integration on silicon wafer for optical communication and optical sensing application.

System-level integration of active silicon photonic biosensors

Science.gov (United States)

Laplatine, L.; Al'Mrayat, O.; Luan, E.; Fang, C.; Rezaiezadeh, S.; Ratner, D. M.; Cheung, K.; Dattner, Y.; Chrostowski, L.

2017-02-01

Biosensors based on silicon photonic integrated circuits have attracted a growing interest in recent years. The use of sub-micron silicon waveguides to propagate near-infrared light allows for the drastic reduction of the optical system size, while increasing its complexity and sensitivity. Using silicon as the propagating medium also leverages the fabrication capabilities of CMOS foundries, which offer low-cost mass production. Researchers have deeply investigated photonic sensor devices, such as ring resonators, interferometers and photonic crystals, but the practical integration of silicon photonic biochips as part of a complete system has received less attention. Herein, we present a practical system-level architecture which can be employed to integrate the aforementioned photonic biosensors. We describe a system based on 1 mm2 dies that integrate germanium photodetectors and a single light coupling device. The die are embedded into a 16x16 mm2 epoxy package to enable microfluidic and electrical integration. First, we demonstrate a simple process to mimic Fan-Out Wafer-level-Packaging, which enables low-cost mass production. We then characterize the photodetectors in the photovoltaic mode, which exhibit high sensitivity at low optical power. Finally, we present a new grating coupler concept to relax the lateral alignment tolerance down to +/- 50 μm at 1-dB (80%) power penalty, which should permit non-experts to use the biochips in a"plug-and-play" style. The system-level integration demonstrated in this study paves the way towards the mass production of low-cost and highly sensitive biosensors, and can facilitate their wide adoption for biomedical and agro-environmental applications.

Auxetic Mechanical Metamaterials to Enhance Sensitivity of Stretchable Strain Sensors.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Ying; Liu, Zhiyuan; Matsuhisa, Naoji; Qi, Dianpeng; Leow, Wan Ru; Yang, Hui; Yu, Jiancan; Chen, Geng; Liu, Yaqing; Wan, Changjin; Liu, Zhuangjian; Chen, Xiaodong

2018-03-01

Stretchable strain sensors play a pivotal role in wearable devices, soft robotics, and Internet-of-Things, yet these viable applications, which require subtle strain detection under various strain, are often limited by low sensitivity. This inadequate sensitivity stems from the Poisson effect in conventional strain sensors, where stretched elastomer substrates expand in the longitudinal direction but compress transversely. In stretchable strain sensors, expansion separates the active materials and contributes to the sensitivity, while Poisson compression squeezes active materials together, and thus intrinsically limits the sensitivity. Alternatively, auxetic mechanical metamaterials undergo 2D expansion in both directions, due to their negative structural Poisson's ratio. Herein, it is demonstrated that such auxetic metamaterials can be incorporated into stretchable strain sensors to significantly enhance the sensitivity. Compared to conventional sensors, the sensitivity is greatly elevated with a 24-fold improvement. This sensitivity enhancement is due to the synergistic effect of reduced structural Poisson's ratio and strain concentration. Furthermore, microcracks are elongated as an underlying mechanism, verified by both experiments and numerical simulations. This strategy of employing auxetic metamaterials can be further applied to other stretchable strain sensors with different constituent materials. Moreover, it paves the way for utilizing mechanical metamaterials into a broader library of stretchable electronics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Stretchable Triboelectric-Photonic Smart Skin for Tactile and Gesture Sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Bu, Tianzhao; Xiao, Tianxiao; Yang, Zhiwei; Liu, Guoxu; Fu, Xianpeng; Nie, Jinhui; Guo, Tong; Pang, Yaokun; Zhao, Junqing; Xi, Fengben; Zhang, Chi; Wang, Zhong Lin

2018-04-01

Smart skin is expected to be stretchable and tactile for bionic robots as the medium with the ambient environment. Here, a stretchable triboelectric-photonic smart skin (STPS) is reported that enables multidimensional tactile and gesture sensing for a robotic hand. With a grating-structured metal film as the bioinspired skin stripe, the STPS exhibits a tunable aggregation-induced emission in a lateral tensile range of 0-160%. Moreover, the STPS can be used as a triboelectric nanogenerator for vertical pressure sensing with a maximum sensitivity of 34 mV Pa -1 . The pressure sensing characteristics can remain stable in different stretching conditions, which demonstrates a synchronous and independent sensing property for external stimuli with great durability. By integrating on a robotic hand as a conformal covering, the STPS shows multidimensional mechanical sensing abilities for external touch and different gestures with joints bending. This work has first demonstrated a triboelectric-photonic coupled multifunctional sensing terminal, which may have great applications in human-machine interaction, soft robots, and artificial intelligence. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Transparent and Stretchable High-Performance Supercapacitors Based on Wrinkled Graphene Electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

2013-12-18

2, 870–875. 38. Chen, T.; Dai, L. Carbon Nanomaterials for High- Performance Supercapacitors . Mater. Today 2013, 16, 272–280. 39. Stoller, M. D...High-Performance Supercapacitors Based onWrinkledGraphene Electrodes Tao Chen,† Yuhua Xue,† Ajit K. Roy,‡ and Liming Dai†,* †Center of Advanced Science...electrodes and the associated supercapacitor cells cannot be both trans- parent and stretchable.1318 It is highly desirable to integrate the

Stretchable, Twisted Conductive Microtubules for Wearable Computing, Robotics, Electronics, and Healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Thanh Nho; Visell, Yon

2017-05-11

Stretchable and flexible multifunctional electronic components, including sensors and actuators, have received increasing attention in robotics, electronics, wearable, and healthcare applications. Despite advances, it has remained challenging to design analogs of many electronic components to be highly stretchable, to be efficient to fabricate, and to provide control over electronic performance. Here, we describe highly elastic sensors and interconnects formed from thin, twisted conductive microtubules. These devices consist of twisted assemblies of thin, highly stretchable (>400%) elastomer tubules filled with liquid conductor (eutectic gallium indium, EGaIn), and fabricated using a simple roller coating process. As we demonstrate, these devices can operate as multimodal sensors for strain, rotation, contact force, or contact location. We also show that, through twisting, it is possible to control their mechanical performance and electronic sensitivity. In extensive experiments, we have evaluated the capabilities of these devices, and have prototyped an array of applications in several domains of stretchable and wearable electronics. These devices provide a novel, low cost solution for high performance stretchable electronics with broad applications in industry, healthcare, and consumer electronics, to emerging product categories of high potential economic and societal significance.

Highly Stretchable Supercapacitors Based on Aligned Carbon Nanotube/Molybdenum Disulfide Composites.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Tian; Yao, Yao; Li, Ning; Chen, Tao

2016-08-01

Stretchable supercapacitors that can sustain their performance under unpredictable tensile force are important elements for practical applications of various portable and wearable electronics. However, the stretchability of most reported supercapacitors was often lower than 100 % because of the limitation of the electrodes used. Herein we developed all-solid-state supercapacitors with a stretchability as high as 240 % by using aligned carbon nanotube composites with compact structure as electrodes. By combined with pseudocapacitive molybdenum disulfide nanosheets, the newly developed supercapacitor showed a specific capacitance of 13.16 F cm(-3) , and also showed excellent cycling retention (98 %) after 10 000 charge-discharge cycles. This work also presents a general and effective approach in developing high-performance electrodes for flexible and stretchable electronics. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Integration of mask and silicon metrology in DFM

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuoka, Ryoichi; Mito, Hiroaki; Sugiyama, Akiyuki; Toyoda, Yasutaka

2009-03-01

We have developed a highly integrated method of mask and silicon metrology. The method adopts a metrology management system based on DBM (Design Based Metrology). This is the high accurate contouring created by an edge detection algorithm used in mask CD-SEM and silicon CD-SEM. We have inspected the high accuracy, stability and reproducibility in the experiments of integration. The accuracy is comparable with that of the mask and silicon CD-SEM metrology. In this report, we introduce the experimental results and the application. As shrinkage of design rule for semiconductor device advances, OPC (Optical Proximity Correction) goes aggressively dense in RET (Resolution Enhancement Technology). However, from the view point of DFM (Design for Manufacturability), the cost of data process for advanced MDP (Mask Data Preparation) and mask producing is a problem. Such trade-off between RET and mask producing is a big issue in semiconductor market especially in mask business. Seeing silicon device production process, information sharing is not completely organized between design section and production section. Design data created with OPC and MDP should be linked to process control on production. But design data and process control data are optimized independently. Thus, we provided a solution of DFM: advanced integration of mask metrology and silicon metrology. The system we propose here is composed of followings. 1) Design based recipe creation: Specify patterns on the design data for metrology. This step is fully automated since they are interfaced with hot spot coordinate information detected by various verification methods. 2) Design based image acquisition: Acquire the images of mask and silicon automatically by a recipe based on the pattern design of CD-SEM.It is a robust automated step because a wide range of design data is used for the image acquisition. 3) Contour profiling and GDS data generation: An image profiling process is applied to the acquired image based

Heterogeneously integrated silicon photonics for the mid-infrared and spectroscopic sensing.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yu; Lin, Hongtao; Hu, Juejun; Li, Mo

2014-07-22

Besides being the foundational material for microelectronics, crystalline silicon has long been used for the production of infrared lenses and mirrors. More recently, silicon has become the key material to achieve large-scale integration of photonic devices for on-chip optical interconnect and signal processing. For optics, silicon has significant advantages: it offers a very high refractive index and is highly transparent in the spectral range from 1.2 to 8 μm. To fully exploit silicon’s superior performance in a remarkably broad range and to enable new optoelectronic functionalities, here we describe a general method to integrate silicon photonic devices on arbitrary foreign substrates. In particular, we apply the technique to integrate silicon microring resonators on mid-infrared compatible substrates for operation in the mid-infrared. These high-performance mid-infrared optical resonators are utilized to demonstrate, for the first time, on-chip cavity-enhanced mid-infrared spectroscopic analysis of organic chemicals with a limit of detection of less than 0.1 ng.

Skin-Attachable, Stretchable Electrochemical Sweat Sensor for Glucose and pH Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Oh, Seung Yun; Hong, Soo Yeong; Jeong, Yu Ra; Yun, Junyeong; Park, Heun; Jin, Sang Woo; Lee, Geumbee; Oh, Ju Hyun; Lee, Hanchan; Lee, Sang-Soo; Ha, Jeong Sook

2018-04-25

As part of increased efforts to develop wearable healthcare devices for monitoring and managing physiological and metabolic information, stretchable electrochemical sweat sensors have been investigated. In this study, we report on the fabrication of a stretchable and skin-attachable electrochemical sensor for detecting glucose and pH in sweat. A patterned stretchable electrode was fabricated via layer-by-layer deposition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on top of patterned Au nanosheets (AuNS) prepared by filtration onto stretchable substrate. For the detection of glucose and pH, CoWO 4 /CNT and polyaniline/CNT nanocomposites were coated onto the CNT-AuNS electrodes, respectively. A reference electrode was prepared via chlorination of silver nanowires. Encapsulation of the stretchable sensor with sticky silbione led to a skin-attachable sweat sensor. Our sensor showed high performance with sensitivities of 10.89 μA mM -1 cm -2 and 71.44 mV pH -1 for glucose and pH, respectively, with mechanical stability up to 30% stretching and air stability for 10 days. The sensor also showed good adhesion even to wet skin, allowing the detection of glucose and pH in sweat from running while being attached onto the skin. This work suggests the application of our stretchable and skin-attachable electrochemical sensor to health management as a high-performance healthcare wearable device.

Stretchable electronics

CERN Document Server

Someya, Takao

2012-01-01

With its comprehensive coverage this handbook and ready reference brings together some of the most outstanding scientists in the field to lay down the undisputed knowledge on how to make electronics stretchable.As such, it focuses on gathering and evaluating the materials, designs, models and technologies that enable the fabrication of fully elastic electronic devices which can sustain high strain. Furthermore, it provides a review of those specific applications that directly benefit from highly compliant electronics, including transistors, photonic devices and sensors. In addition to stre

Stretchable surfaces with programmable 3D texture morphing for synthetic camouflaging skins

Science.gov (United States)

Pikul, J. H.; Li, S.; Bai, H.; Hanlon, R. T.; Cohen, I.; Shepherd, R. F.

2017-10-01

Technologies that use stretchable materials are increasingly important, yet we are unable to control how they stretch with much more sophistication than inflating balloons. Nature, however, demonstrates remarkable control of stretchable surfaces; for example, cephalopods can project hierarchical structures from their skin in milliseconds for a wide range of textural camouflage. Inspired by cephalopod muscular morphology, we developed synthetic tissue groupings that allowed programmable transformation of two-dimensional (2D) stretchable surfaces into target 3D shapes. The synthetic tissue groupings consisted of elastomeric membranes embedded with inextensible textile mesh that inflated to within 10% of their target shapes by using a simple fabrication method and modeling approach. These stretchable surfaces transform from flat sheets to 3D textures that imitate natural stone and plant shapes and camouflage into their background environments.

Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuit Mode Multiplexer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yunhong; Ou, Haiyan; Xu, Jing

2013-01-01

We propose and demonstrate a novel silicon photonic integrated circuit enabling multiplexing of orthogonal modes in a few-mode fiber (FMF). By selectively launching light to four vertical grating couplers, all six orthogonal spatial and polarization modes supported by the FMF are successfully...

Wearable Intrinsically Soft, Stretchable, Flexible Devices for Memories and Computing.

Science.gov (United States)

Rajan, Krishna; Garofalo, Erik; Chiolerio, Alessandro

2018-01-27

A recent trend in the development of high mass consumption electron devices is towards electronic textiles (e-textiles), smart wearable devices, smart clothes, and flexible or printable electronics. Intrinsically soft, stretchable, flexible, Wearable Memories and Computing devices (WMCs) bring us closer to sci-fi scenarios, where future electronic systems are totally integrated in our everyday outfits and help us in achieving a higher comfort level, interacting for us with other digital devices such as smartphones and domotics, or with analog devices, such as our brain/peripheral nervous system. WMC will enable each of us to contribute to open and big data systems as individual nodes, providing real-time information about physical and environmental parameters (including air pollution monitoring, sound and light pollution, chemical or radioactive fallout alert, network availability, and so on). Furthermore, WMC could be directly connected to human brain and enable extremely fast operation and unprecedented interface complexity, directly mapping the continuous states available to biological systems. This review focuses on recent advances in nanotechnology and materials science and pays particular attention to any result and promising technology to enable intrinsically soft, stretchable, flexible WMC.

Hybrid Integration of Solid-State Quantum Emitters on a Silicon Photonic Chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Je-Hyung; Aghaeimeibodi, Shahriar; Richardson, Christopher J K; Leavitt, Richard P; Englund, Dirk; Waks, Edo

2017-12-13

Scalable quantum photonic systems require efficient single photon sources coupled to integrated photonic devices. Solid-state quantum emitters can generate single photons with high efficiency, while silicon photonic circuits can manipulate them in an integrated device structure. Combining these two material platforms could, therefore, significantly increase the complexity of integrated quantum photonic devices. Here, we demonstrate hybrid integration of solid-state quantum emitters to a silicon photonic device. We develop a pick-and-place technique that can position epitaxially grown InAs/InP quantum dots emitting at telecom wavelengths on a silicon photonic chip deterministically with nanoscale precision. We employ an adiabatic tapering approach to transfer the emission from the quantum dots to the waveguide with high efficiency. We also incorporate an on-chip silicon-photonic beamsplitter to perform a Hanbury-Brown and Twiss measurement. Our approach could enable integration of precharacterized III-V quantum photonic devices into large-scale photonic structures to enable complex devices composed of many emitters and photons.

Stretchable antenna for wearable electronics

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2017-04-13

Various examples are provided for stretchable antennas that can be used for applications such as wearable electronics. In one example, a stretchable antenna includes a flexible support structure including a lateral spring section having a proximal end and at a distal end; a metallic antenna disposed on at least a portion of the lateral spring section, the metallic antenna extending along the lateral spring section from the proximal end; and a metallic feed coupled to the metallic antenna at the proximal end of the lateral spring section. In another example, a method includes patterning a polymer layer disposed on a substrate to define a lateral spring section; disposing a metal layer on at least a portion of the lateral spring section, the metal layer forming an antenna extending along the portion of the lateral spring section; and releasing the polymer layer and the metal layer from the substrate.

Heterogeneous integration of lithium niobate and silicon nitride waveguides for wafer-scale photonic integrated circuits on silicon.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Lin; Pfeiffer, Martin H P; Volet, Nicolas; Zervas, Michael; Peters, Jon D; Manganelli, Costanza L; Stanton, Eric J; Li, Yifei; Kippenberg, Tobias J; Bowers, John E

2017-02-15

An ideal photonic integrated circuit for nonlinear photonic applications requires high optical nonlinearities and low loss. This work demonstrates a heterogeneous platform by bonding lithium niobate (LN) thin films onto a silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguide layer on silicon. It not only provides large second- and third-order nonlinear coefficients, but also shows low propagation loss in both the Si3N4 and the LN-Si3N4 waveguides. The tapers enable low-loss-mode transitions between these two waveguides. This platform is essential for various on-chip applications, e.g., modulators, frequency conversions, and quantum communications.

Ultra-Stretchable Piezoelectric Nanogenerators via Large-Scale Aligned Fractal Inspired Micro/Nanofibers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongqing Duan

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Stretchable nanogenerators that directly generate electricity are promising for a wide range of applications in wearable electronics. However, the stretchability of the devices has been a long-standing challenge. Here we present a newly-designed ultra-stretchable nanogenerator based on fractal-inspired piezoelectric nanofibers and liquid metal electrodes that can withstand strain as large as 200%. The large-scale fractal poly(vinylidene fluoride (PVDF micro/nanofibers are fabricated by combination of helix electrohydrodynamic printing (HE-Printing and buckling-driven self-assembly. HE-Printing exploits “whipping/buckling” instability of electrospinning to deposit serpentine fibers with diverse geometries in a programmable, accurately positioned, and individually-controlled manner. Self-organized buckling utilizes the driven force from the prestrained elastomer to assemble serpentine fibers into ultra-stretchable fractal inspired architecture. The nanogenerator with embedded fractal PVDF fibers and liquid-metal microelectrodes demonstrates high stretchability (>200% and electricity (currents >200 nA, it can harvest energy from all directions by arbitrary mechanical motion, and the rectified output has been applied to charge the commercial capacitor and drive LEDs, which enables wearable electronics applications in sensing and energy harvesting.

3D-Structured Stretchable Strain Sensors for Out-of-Plane Force Detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zhiyuan; Qi, Dianpeng; Leow, Wan Ru; Yu, Jiancan; Xiloyannnis, Michele; Cappello, Leonardo; Liu, Yaqing; Zhu, Bowen; Jiang, Ying; Chen, Geng; Masia, Lorenzo; Liedberg, Bo; Chen, Xiaodong

2018-05-17

Stretchable strain sensors, as the soft mechanical interface, provide the key mechanical information of the systems for healthcare monitoring, rehabilitation assistance, soft exoskeletal devices, and soft robotics. Stretchable strain sensors based on 2D flat film have been widely developed to monitor the in-plane force applied within the plane where the sensor is placed. However, to comprehensively obtain the mechanical feedback, the capability to detect the out-of-plane force, caused by the interaction outside of the plane where the senor is located, is needed. Herein, a 3D-structured stretchable strain sensor is reported to monitor the out-of-plane force by employing 3D printing in conjunction with out-of-plane capillary force-assisted self-pinning of carbon nanotubes. The 3D-structured sensor possesses large stretchability, multistrain detection, and strain-direction recognition by one single sensor. It is demonstrated that out-of-plane forces induced by the air/fluid flow are reliably monitored and intricate flow details are clearly recorded. The development opens up for the exploration of next-generation 3D stretchable sensors for electronic skin and soft robotics. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Materials, Mechanics, and Patterning Techniques for Elastomer-Based Stretchable Conductors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaowei Yu

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Stretchable electronics represent a new generation of electronics that utilize soft, deformable elastomers as the substrate or matrix instead of the traditional rigid printed circuit boards. As the most essential component of stretchable electronics, the conductors should meet the requirements for both high conductivity and the capability to maintain conductive under large deformations such as bending, twisting, stretching, and compressing. This review summarizes recent progresses in various aspects of this fascinating and challenging area, including materials for supporting elastomers and electrical conductors, unique designs and stretching mechanics, and the subtractive and additive patterning techniques. The applications are discussed along with functional devices based on these conductors. Finally, the review is concluded with the current limitations, challenges, and future directions of stretchable conductors.

Silicon integrated circuits advances in materials and device research

CERN Document Server

Kahng, Dawon

1981-01-01

Silicon Integrated Circuits, Part B covers the special considerations needed to achieve high-power Si-integrated circuits. The book presents articles about the most important operations needed for the high-power circuitry, namely impurity diffusion and oxidation; crystal defects under thermal equilibrium in silicon and the development of high-power device physics; and associated technology. The text also describes the ever-evolving processing technology and the most promising approaches, along with the understanding of processing-related areas of physics and chemistry. Physicists, chemists, an

Highly Manufacturable Deep (Sub-Millimeter) Etching Enabled High Aspect Ratio Complex Geometry Lego-Like Silicon Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghoneim, Mohamed Tarek; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2017-04-01

A highly manufacturable deep reactive ion etching based process involving a hybrid soft/hard mask process technology shows high aspect ratio complex geometry Lego-like silicon electronics formation enabling free-form (physically flexible, stretchable, and reconfigurable) electronic systems. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Biaxially stretchable supercapacitors based on the buckled hybrid fiber electrode array

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Nan; Zhou, Weiya; Zhang, Qiang; Luan, Pingshan; Cai, Le; Yang, Feng; Zhang, Xiao; Fan, Qingxia; Zhou, Wenbin; Xiao, Zhuojian; Gu, Xiaogang; Chen, Huiliang; Li, Kewei; Xiao, Shiqi; Wang, Yanchun; Liu, Huaping; Xie, Sishen

2015-07-01

In order to meet the growing need for smart bionic devices and epidermal electronic systems, biaxial stretchability is essential for energy storage units. Based on porous single-walled carbon nanotube/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (SWCNT/PEDOT) hybrid fiber, we designed and fabricated a biaxially stretchable supercapacitor, which possesses a unique configuration of the parallel buckled hybrid fiber array. Owing to the reticulate SWCNT film and the improved fabrication technique, the hybrid fiber retained its porous architecture both outwardly and inwardly, manifesting a superior capacity of 215 F g-1. H3PO4-polyvinyl alcohol gel with an optimized component ratio was introduced as both binder and stretchable electrolyte, which contributed to the regularity and stability of the buckled fiber array. The buckled structure and the quasi one-dimensional character of the fibers endow the supercapacitor with 100% stretchability along all directions. In addition, the supercapacitor exhibited good transparency, as well as excellent electrochemical properties and stability after being stretched 5000 times.In order to meet the growing need for smart bionic devices and epidermal electronic systems, biaxial stretchability is essential for energy storage units. Based on porous single-walled carbon nanotube/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (SWCNT/PEDOT) hybrid fiber, we designed and fabricated a biaxially stretchable supercapacitor, which possesses a unique configuration of the parallel buckled hybrid fiber array. Owing to the reticulate SWCNT film and the improved fabrication technique, the hybrid fiber retained its porous architecture both outwardly and inwardly, manifesting a superior capacity of 215 F g-1. H3PO4-polyvinyl alcohol gel with an optimized component ratio was introduced as both binder and stretchable electrolyte, which contributed to the regularity and stability of the buckled fiber array. The buckled structure and the quasi one-dimensional character of the

Porous silicon technology for integrated microsystems

Science.gov (United States)

Wallner, Jin Zheng

With the development of micro systems, there is an increasing demand for integrable porous materials. In addition to those conventional applications, such as filtration, wicking, and insulating, many new micro devices, including micro reactors, sensors, actuators, and optical components, can benefit from porous materials. Conventional porous materials, such as ceramics and polymers, however, cannot meet the challenges posed by micro systems, due to their incompatibility with standard micro-fabrication processes. In an effort to produce porous materials that can be used in micro systems, porous silicon (PS) generated by anodization of single crystalline silicon has been investigated. In this work, the PS formation process has been extensively studied and characterized as a function of substrate type, crystal orientation, doping concentration, current density and surfactant concentration and type. Anodization conditions have been optimized for producing very thick porous silicon layers with uniform pore size, and for obtaining ideal pore morphologies. Three different types of porous silicon materials: meso porous silicon, macro porous silicon with straight pores, and macro porous silicon with tortuous pores, have been successfully produced. Regular pore arrays with controllable pore size in the range of 2mum to 6mum have been demonstrated as well. Localized PS formation has been achieved by using oxide/nitride/polysilicon stack as masking materials, which can withstand anodization in hydrofluoric acid up to twenty hours. A special etching cell with electrolytic liquid backside contact along with two process flows has been developed to enable the fabrication of thick macro porous silicon membranes with though wafer pores. For device assembly, Si-Au and In-Au bonding technologies have been developed. Very low bonding temperature (˜200°C) and thick/soft bonding layers (˜6mum) have been achieved by In-Au bonding technology, which is able to compensate the potentially

Ferrofluid-based Stretchable Magnetic Core Inductors

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarus, N.; Meyer, C. D.

2015-12-01

Magnetic materials are commonly used in inductor and transformer cores to increase inductance density. The emerging field of stretchable electronics poses a new challenge since typical magnetic cores are bulky, rigid and often brittle. This paper presents, for the first time, stretchable inductors incorporating ferrofluid as a liquid magnetic core. Ferrofluids, suspensions of nanoscale magnetic particles in a carrier liquid, provide enhanced magnetic permeability without changing the mechanical properties of the surrounding elastomer. The inductor tested in this work consisted of a liquid metal solenoid wrapped around a ferrofluid core in separate channels. The low frequency inductance was found to increase from 255 nH before fill to 390 nH after fill with ferrofluid, an increase of 52%. The inductor was also shown to survive uniaxial strains of up to 100%.

Integration of lateral porous silicon membranes into planar microfluidics.

Science.gov (United States)

Leïchlé, Thierry; Bourrier, David

2015-02-07

In this work, we present a novel fabrication process that enables the monolithic integration of lateral porous silicon membranes into single-layer planar microchannels. This fabrication technique relies on the patterning of local electrodes to guide pore formation horizontally within the membrane and on the use of silicon-on-insulator substrates to spatially localize porous silicon within the channel depth. The feasibility of our approach is studied by current flow analysis using the finite element method and supported by creating 10 μm long mesoporous membranes within 20 μm deep microchannels. The fabricated membranes are demonstrated to be potentially useful for dead-end microfiltration by adequately retaining 300 nm diameter beads while macromolecules such as single-stranded DNA and immunoglobulin G permeate the membrane. The experimentally determined fluidic resistance is in accordance with the theoretical value expected from the estimated pore size and porosity. The work presented here is expected to greatly simplify the integration of membranes capable of size exclusion based separation into fluidic devices and opens doors to the use of porous silicon in planar lab on a chip devices.

Stretchable microelectrode array using room-temperature liquid alloy interconnects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, P; Ziaie, B; Taylor, R; Chung, C; Higgs, G; Pruitt, B L; Ding, Z; Abilez, O J

2011-01-01

In this paper, we present a stretchable microelectrode array for studying cell behavior under mechanical strain. The electrode array consists of gold-plated nail-head pins (250 µm tip diameter) or tungsten micro-wires (25.4 µm in diameter) inserted into a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) platform (25.4 × 25.4 mm 2 ). Stretchable interconnects to the outside were provided by fusible indium-alloy-filled microchannels. The alloy is liquid at room temperature, thus providing the necessary stretchability and electrical conductivity. The electrode platform can withstand strains of up to 40% and repeated (100 times) strains of up to 35% did not cause any failure in the electrodes or the PDMS substrate. We confirmed biocompatibility of short-term culture, and using the gold pin device, we demonstrated electric field pacing of adult murine heart cells. Further, using the tungsten microelectrode device, we successfully measured depolarizations of differentiated murine heart cells from embryoid body clusters

Extraordinarily Stretchable All-Carbon Collaborative Nanoarchitectures for Epidermal Sensors

KAUST Repository

Cai, Yichen

2017-06-16

Multifunctional microelectronic components featuring large stretchability, high sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and broad sensing range have attracted a huge surge of interest with the fast developing epidermal electronic systems. Here, the epidermal sensors based on all-carbon collaborative percolation network are demonstrated, which consist 3D graphene foam and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) obtained by two-step chemical vapor deposition processes. The nanoscaled CNT networks largely enhance the stretchability and SNR of the 3D microarchitectural graphene foams, endowing the strain sensor with a gauge factor as high as 35, a wide reliable sensing range up to 85%, and excellent cyclic stability (>5000 cycles). The flexible and reversible strain sensor can be easily mounted on human skin as a wearable electronic device for real-time and high accuracy detecting of electrophysiological stimuli and even for acoustic vibration recognition. The rationally designed all-carbon nanoarchitectures are scalable, low cost, and promising in practical applications requiring extraordinary stretchability and ultrahigh SNRs.

Extraordinarily Stretchable All-Carbon Collaborative Nanoarchitectures for Epidermal Sensors

KAUST Repository

Cai, Yichen; Shen, Jie; Dai, Ziyang; Zang, Xiaoxian; Dong, Qiuchun; Guan, Guofeng; Li, Lain-Jong; Huang, Wei; Dong, Xiaochen

2017-01-01

Multifunctional microelectronic components featuring large stretchability, high sensitivity, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and broad sensing range have attracted a huge surge of interest with the fast developing epidermal electronic systems. Here, the epidermal sensors based on all-carbon collaborative percolation network are demonstrated, which consist 3D graphene foam and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) obtained by two-step chemical vapor deposition processes. The nanoscaled CNT networks largely enhance the stretchability and SNR of the 3D microarchitectural graphene foams, endowing the strain sensor with a gauge factor as high as 35, a wide reliable sensing range up to 85%, and excellent cyclic stability (>5000 cycles). The flexible and reversible strain sensor can be easily mounted on human skin as a wearable electronic device for real-time and high accuracy detecting of electrophysiological stimuli and even for acoustic vibration recognition. The rationally designed all-carbon nanoarchitectures are scalable, low cost, and promising in practical applications requiring extraordinary stretchability and ultrahigh SNRs.

Mechanical Designs for Inorganic Stretchable Circuits in Soft Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Shuodao; Huang, Yonggang; Rogers, John A

2015-09-01

Mechanical concepts and designs in inorganic circuits for different levels of stretchability are reviewed in this paper, through discussions of the underlying mechanics and material theories, fabrication procedures for the constituent microscale/nanoscale devices, and experimental characterization. All of the designs reported here adopt heterogeneous structures of rigid and brittle inorganic materials on soft and elastic elastomeric substrates, with mechanical design layouts that isolate large deformations to the elastomer, thereby avoiding potentially destructive plastic strains in the brittle materials. The overall stiffnesses of the electronics, their stretchability, and curvilinear shapes can be designed to match the mechanical properties of biological tissues. The result is a class of soft stretchable electronic systems that are compatible with traditional high-performance inorganic semiconductor technologies. These systems afford promising options for applications in portable biomedical and health-monitoring devices. Mechanics theories and modeling play a key role in understanding the underlining physics and optimization of these systems.

Stretchable piezoelectric nanocomposite generator.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Kwi-Il; Jeong, Chang Kyu; Kim, Na Kyung; Lee, Keon Jae

2016-01-01

Piezoelectric energy conversion that generate electric energy from ambient mechanical and vibrational movements is promising energy harvesting technology because it can use more accessible energy resources than other renewable natural energy. In particular, flexible and stretchable piezoelectric energy harvesters which can harvest the tiny biomechanical motions inside human body into electricity properly facilitate not only the self-powered energy system for flexible and wearable electronics but also sensitive piezoelectric sensors for motion detectors and in vivo diagnosis kits. Since the piezoelectric ZnO nanowires (NWs)-based energy harvesters (nanogenerators) were proposed in 2006, many researchers have attempted the nanogenerator by using the various fabrication process such as nanowire growth, electrospinning, and transfer techniques with piezoelectric materials including polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) polymer and perovskite ceramics. In 2012, the composite-based nanogenerators were developed using simple, low-cost, and scalable methods to overcome the significant issues with previously-reported energy harvester, such as insufficient output performance and size limitation. This review paper provides a brief overview of flexible and stretchable piezoelectric nanocomposite generator for realizing the self-powered energy system with development history, power performance, and applications.

Fabrication Approaches to Interconnect Based Devices for Stretchable Electronics: A Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagels, Steven; Deferme, Wim

2018-03-03

Stretchable electronics promise to naturalize the way that we are surrounded by and interact with our devices. Sensors that can stretch and bend furthermore have become increasingly relevant as the technology behind them matures rapidly from lab-based workflows to industrially applicable production principles. Regardless of the specific materials used, creating stretchable conductors involves either the implementation of strain reliefs through insightful geometric patterning, the dispersion of stiff conductive filler in an elastomeric matrix, or the employment of intrinsically stretchable conductive materials. These basic principles however have spawned a myriad of materials systems wherein future application engineers need to find their way. This paper reports a literature study on the spectrum of different approaches towards stretchable electronics, discusses standardization of characteristic tests together with their reports and estimates matureness for industry. Patterned copper foils that are embedded in elastomeric sheets, which are closest to conventional electronic circuits processing, make up one end of the spectrum. Furthest from industry are the more recent circuits based on intrinsically stretchable liquid metals. These show extremely promising results, however, as a technology, liquid metal is not mature enough to be adapted. Printing makes up the transition between both ends, and is also well established on an industrial level, but traditionally not linked to creating electronics. Even though a certain level of maturity was found amongst the approaches that are reviewed herein, industrial adaptation for consumer electronics remains unpredictable without a designated break-through commercial application.

Fabrication Approaches to Interconnect Based Devices for Stretchable Electronics: A Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steven Nagels

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Stretchable electronics promise to naturalize the way that we are surrounded by and interact with our devices. Sensors that can stretch and bend furthermore have become increasingly relevant as the technology behind them matures rapidly from lab-based workflows to industrially applicable production principles. Regardless of the specific materials used, creating stretchable conductors involves either the implementation of strain reliefs through insightful geometric patterning, the dispersion of stiff conductive filler in an elastomeric matrix, or the employment of intrinsically stretchable conductive materials. These basic principles however have spawned a myriad of materials systems wherein future application engineers need to find their way. This paper reports a literature study on the spectrum of different approaches towards stretchable electronics, discusses standardization of characteristic tests together with their reports and estimates matureness for industry. Patterned copper foils that are embedded in elastomeric sheets, which are closest to conventional electronic circuits processing, make up one end of the spectrum. Furthest from industry are the more recent circuits based on intrinsically stretchable liquid metals. These show extremely promising results, however, as a technology, liquid metal is not mature enough to be adapted. Printing makes up the transition between both ends, and is also well established on an industrial level, but traditionally not linked to creating electronics. Even though a certain level of maturity was found amongst the approaches that are reviewed herein, industrial adaptation for consumer electronics remains unpredictable without a designated break-through commercial application.

Enhanced tolerance to stretch-induced performance degradation of stretchable MnO2-based supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yan; Huang, Yang; Meng, Wenjun; Zhu, Minshen; Xue, Hongtao; Lee, Chun-Sing; Zhi, Chunyi

2015-02-04

The performance of many stretchable electronics, such as energy storage devices and strain sensors, is highly limited by the structural breakdown arising from the stretch imposed. In this article, we focus on a detailed study on materials matching between functional materials and their conductive substrate, as well as enhancement of the tolerance to stretch-induced performance degradation of stretchable supercapacitors, which are essential for the design of a stretchable device. It is revealed that, being widely utilized as the electrode material of the stretchable supercapacitor, metal oxides such as MnO2 nanosheets have serious strain-induced performance degradation due to their rigid structure. In comparison, with conducting polymers like a polypyrrole (PPy) film as the electrochemically active material, the performance of stretchable supercapacitors can be well preserved under strain. Therefore, a smart design is to combine PPy with MnO2 nanosheets to achieve enhanced tolerance to strain-induced performance degradation of MnO2-based supercapacitors, which is realized by fabricating an electrode of PPy-penetrated MnO2 nanosheets. The composite electrodes exhibit a remarkable enhanced tolerance to strain-induced performance degradation with well-preserved performance over 93% under strain. The detailed morphology and electrochemical impedance variations are investigated for the mechanism analyses. Our work presents a systematic investigation on the selection and matching of electrode materials for stretchable supercapacitors to achieve high performance and great tolerance to strain, which may guide the selection of functional materials and their substrate materials for the next-generation of stretchable electronics.

A self-healable and highly stretchable supercapacitor based on a dual crosslinked polyelectrolyte

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yan; Zhong, Ming; Huang, Yang; Zhu, Minshen; Pei, Zengxia; Wang, Zifeng; Xue, Qi; Xie, Xuming; Zhi, Chunyi

2015-12-01

Superior self-healability and stretchability are critical elements for the practical wide-scale adoption of personalized electronics such as portable and wearable energy storage devices. However, the low healing efficiency of self-healable supercapacitors and the small strain of stretchable supercapacitors are fundamentally limited by conventional polyvinyl alcohol-based acidic electrolytes, which are intrinsically neither self-healable nor highly stretchable. Here we report an electrolyte comprising polyacrylic acid dual crosslinked by hydrogen bonding and vinyl hybrid silica nanoparticles, which displays all superior functions and provides a solution to the intrinsic self-healability and high stretchability problems of a supercapacitor. Supercapacitors with this electrolyte are non-autonomic self-healable, retaining the capacitance completely even after 20 cycles of breaking/healing. These supercapacitors are stretched up to 600% strain with enhanced performance using a designed facile electrode fabrication procedure.

Stretchable, Transparent, and Stretch-Unresponsive Capacitive Touch Sensor Array with Selectively Patterned Silver Nanowires/Reduced Graphene Oxide Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Tae Young; Hwang, Byeong-Ung; Kim, Bo-Yeong; Trung, Tran Quang; Nam, Yun Hyoung; Kim, Do-Nyun; Eom, Kilho; Lee, Nae-Eung

2017-05-31

Stretchable and transparent touch sensors are essential input devices for future stretchable transparent electronics. Capacitive touch sensors with a simple structure of only two electrodes and one dielectric are an established technology in current rigid electronics. However, the development of stretchable and transparent capacitive touch sensors has been limited due to changes in capacitance resulting from dimensional changes in elastomeric dielectrics and difficulty in obtaining stretchable transparent electrodes that are stable under large strains. Herein, a stretch-unresponsive stretchable and transparent capacitive touch sensor array was demonstrated by employing stretchable and transparent electrodes with a simple selective-patterning process and by carefully selecting dielectric and substrate materials with low strain responsivity. A selective-patterning process was used to embed a stretchable and transparent silver nanowires/reduced graphene oxide (AgNWs/rGO) electrode line into a polyurethane (PU) dielectric layer on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate using oxygen plasma treatment. This method provides the ability to directly fabricate thin film electrode lines on elastomeric substrates and can be used in conventional processes employed in stretchable electronics. We used a dielectric (PU) with a Poisson's ratio smaller than that of the substrate (PDMS), which prevented changes in the capacitance resulting from stretching of the sensor. The stretch-unresponsive touch sensing capability of our transparent and stretchable capacitive touch sensor has great potential in wearable electronics and human-machine interfaces.

Stretchable Helical Architecture Inorganic-Organic Hetero Thermoelectric Generator

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Singh, Devendra; Conchouso Gonzalez, David; Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Foulds, Ian G.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2016-01-01

To achieve higher power output from a thermoelectric generator (TEG), one needs to maintain a larger temperature difference between hot and cold end. In that regard, a stretchable TEG can be interesting to adaptively control the temperature difference. Here we show, the development of simple yet versatile and highly stretchable thermoelectric generators (TEGs), by combining well-known inorganic thermoelectric materials Bismuth Telluride and Antimony Telluride (Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3) with organic substrates (Off-Stoichiometry Thiol-Enes polymer platform – OSTE, polyimide or paper) and novel helical architecture (double-arm spirals) to achieve over 100% stretchability. First, an OSTE-based TEG design demonstrates higher open circuit voltage generation at 100% strain than at rest, although it exhibits high internal resistance and a relatively complex fabrication process. The second, simpler TEG design, achieves a significant resistance reduction and two different structural substrates (PI and paper) are compared. The paper-based TEG generates 17 nW (ΔT = 75 °C) at 60% strain, which represents more than twice the power generation while at rest (zero strain). On the other hand, polyimide produces more conductive TE films and higher power (~35 nW at ΔT = 75 °C) but due to its higher thermal conductivity, power does not increase at stretch. In conclusion, highly stretchable TEGs can lead to higher temperature gradients (thus higher power generation), given that thermal conductivity of the structural material is low enough. Furthermore, either horizontal or vertical displacement can be achieved with double-arm helical architecture, hence allowing to extend the device to any nearby and mobile heat sink for continuous, effectively higher power generation.

Stretchable Helical Architecture Inorganic-Organic Hetero Thermoelectric Generator

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

2016-10-26

To achieve higher power output from a thermoelectric generator (TEG), one needs to maintain a larger temperature difference between hot and cold end. In that regard, a stretchable TEG can be interesting to adaptively control the temperature difference. Here we show, the development of simple yet versatile and highly stretchable thermoelectric generators (TEGs), by combining well-known inorganic thermoelectric materials Bismuth Telluride and Antimony Telluride (Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3) with organic substrates (Off-Stoichiometry Thiol-Enes polymer platform – OSTE, polyimide or paper) and novel helical architecture (double-arm spirals) to achieve over 100% stretchability. First, an OSTE-based TEG design demonstrates higher open circuit voltage generation at 100% strain than at rest, although it exhibits high internal resistance and a relatively complex fabrication process. The second, simpler TEG design, achieves a significant resistance reduction and two different structural substrates (PI and paper) are compared. The paper-based TEG generates 17 nW (ΔT = 75 °C) at 60% strain, which represents more than twice the power generation while at rest (zero strain). On the other hand, polyimide produces more conductive TE films and higher power (~35 nW at ΔT = 75 °C) but due to its higher thermal conductivity, power does not increase at stretch. In conclusion, highly stretchable TEGs can lead to higher temperature gradients (thus higher power generation), given that thermal conductivity of the structural material is low enough. Furthermore, either horizontal or vertical displacement can be achieved with double-arm helical architecture, hence allowing to extend the device to any nearby and mobile heat sink for continuous, effectively higher power generation.

Integration of the End Cap TEC+ of the CMS Silicon Strip Tracker

CERN Document Server

Adler, Volker; Ageron, Michel; Agram, Jean-Laurent; Atz, Bernd; Barvich, Tobias; Baulieu, Guillaume; Beaumont, Willem; Beissel, Franz; Bergauer, Thomas; Berst, Jean-Daniel; Blüm, Peter; Bock, E; Bogelsbacher, F; de Boer, Wim; Bonnet, Jean-Luc; Bonnevaux, Alain; Boudoul, Gaelle; Bouhali, Othmane; Braunschweig, Wolfgang; Bremer, R; Brom, Jean-Marie; Butz, Erik; Chabanat, Eric; Chabert, Eric Christian; Clerbaux, Barbara; Contardo, Didier; De Callatay, Bernard; Dehm, Philip; Delaere, Christophe; Della Negra, Rodolphe; Dewulf, Jean-Paul; D'Hondt, Jorgen; Didierjean, Francois; Dierlamm, Alexander; Dirkes, Guido; Dragicevic, Marko; Drouhin, Frédéric; Ernenwein, Jean-Pierre; Esser, Hans; Estre, Nicolas; Fahrer, Manuel; Feld, Lutz; Fernández, J; Florins, Benoit; Flossdorf, Alexander; Flucke, Gero; Flügge, Günter; Fontaine, Jean-Charles; Freudenreich, Klaus; Frey, Martin; Friedl, Markus; Furgeri, Alexander; Giraud, Noël; Goerlach, Ulrich; Goorens, Robert; Graehling, Philippe; Grégoire, Ghislain; Gregoriev, E; Gross, Laurent; Hansel, S; Haroutunian, Roger; Hartmann, Frank; Heier, Stefan; Hermanns, Thomas; Heydhausen, Dirk; Heyninck, Jan; Hosselet, J; Hrubec, Josef; Jahn, Dieter; Juillot, Pierre; Kaminski, Jochen; Karpinski, Waclaw; Kaussen, Gordon; Keutgen, Thomas; Klanner, Robert; Klein, Katja; König, Stefan; Kosbow, M; Krammer, Manfred; Ledermann, Bernhard; Lemaître, Vincent; De Lentdecker, Gilles; Linn, Alexander; Lounis, Abdenour; Lübelsmeyer, Klaus; Lumb, Nicholas; Maazouzi, Chaker; Mahmoud, Tariq; Michotte, Daniel; Militaru, Otilia; Mirabito, Laurent; Müller, Thomas; Neukermans, Lionel; Ollivetto, C; Olzem, Jan; Ostapchuk, Andrey; Pandoulas, Demetrios; Pein, Uwe; Pernicka, Manfred; Perriès, Stephane; Piaseki, C; Pierschel, Gerhard; Piotrzkowski, Krzysztof; Poettgens, Michael; Pooth, Oliver; Rouby, Xavier; Sabellek, Andreas; Schael, Stefan; Schirm, Norbert; Schleper, Peter; Schmitz, Stefan Antonius; Schultz von Dratzig, Arndt; Siedling, Rolf; Simonis, Hans-Jürgen; Stahl, Achim; Steck, Pia; Steinbruck, G; Stoye, Markus; Strub, Roger; Tavernier, Stefaan; Teyssier, Daniel; Theel, Andreas; Trocmé, Benjamin; Udo, Fred; Van der Donckt, M; Van der Velde, C; Van Hove, Pierre; Vanlaer, Pascal; Van Lancker, Luc; Van Staa, Rolf; Vanzetto, Sylvain; Weber, Markus; Weiler, Thomas; Weseler, Siegfried; Wickens, John; Wittmer, Bruno; Wlochal, Michael; De Wolf, Eddi A; Zhukov, Valery; Zoeller, Marc Henning

2009-01-01

The silicon strip tracker of the CMS experiment has been completed and inserted into the CMS detector in late 2007. The largest sub-system of the tracker is its end cap system, comprising two large end caps (TEC) each containing 3200 silicon strip modules. To ease construction, the end caps feature a modular design: groups of about 20 silicon modules are placed on sub-assemblies called petals and these self-contained elements are then mounted into the TEC support structures. Each end cap consists of 144 petals, and the insertion of these petals into the end cap structure is referred to as TEC integration. The two end caps were integrated independently in Aachen (TEC+) and at CERN (TEC--). This note deals with the integration of TEC+, describing procedures for end cap integration and for quality control during testing of integrated sections of the end cap and presenting results from the testing.

Stretchable, Twisted Conductive Microtubules for Wearable Computing, Robotics, Electronics, and Healthcare

OpenAIRE

Thanh Nho Do; Yon Visell

2017-01-01

Stretchable and flexible multifunctional electronic components, including sensors and actuators, have received increasing attention in robotics, electronics, wearable, and healthcare applications. Despite advances, it has remained challenging to design analogs of many electronic components to be highly stretchable, to be efficient to fabricate, and to provide control over electronic performance. Here, we describe highly elastic sensors and interconnects formed from thin, twisted conductive mi...

Stretchable and Soft Electronics using Liquid Metals.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickey, Michael D

2017-07-01

The use of liquid metals based on gallium for soft and stretchable electronics is discussed. This emerging class of electronics is motivated, in part, by the new opportunities that arise from devices that have mechanical properties similar to those encountered in the human experience, such as skin, tissue, textiles, and clothing. These types of electronics (e.g., wearable or implantable electronics, sensors for soft robotics, e-skin) must operate during deformation. Liquid metals are compelling materials for these applications because, in principle, they are infinitely deformable while retaining metallic conductivity. Liquid metals have been used for stretchable wires and interconnects, reconfigurable antennas, soft sensors, self-healing circuits, and conformal electrodes. In contrast to Hg, liquid metals based on gallium have low toxicity and essentially no vapor pressure and are therefore considered safe to handle. Whereas most liquids bead up to minimize surface energy, the presence of a surface oxide on these metals makes it possible to pattern them into useful shapes using a variety of techniques, including fluidic injection and 3D printing. In addition to forming excellent conductors, these metals can be used actively to form memory devices, sensors, and diodes that are completely built from soft materials. The properties of these materials, their applications within soft and stretchable electronics, and future opportunities and challenges are considered. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Design of Novel Wearable, Stretchable, and Waterproof Cable-Type Supercapacitors Based on High-Performance Nickel Cobalt Sulfide-Coated Etching-Annealed Yarn Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuejiao; Xu, Bingang; Wen, Jianfeng; Gong, Jianliang; Hua, Tao; Kan, Chi-Wai; Deng, Jiwei

2018-04-19

Rapid advances in functional electronics bring tremendous demands on innovation toward effective designs of device structures. Yarn supercapacitors (SCs) show advantages of flexibility, knittability, and small size, and can be integrated into various electronic devices with low cost and high efficiency for energy storage. In this work, functionalized stainless steel yarns are developed to support active materials of positive and negative electrodes, which not only enhance capacitance of both electrodes but can also be designed into stretchable configurations. The as-made asymmetric yarn SCs show a high energy density of 0.0487 mWh cm -2 (10.19 mWh cm -3 ) at a power density of 0.553 mW cm -2 (129.1 mW cm -3 ) and a specific capacitance of 127.2 mF cm -2 under an operating voltage window of 1.7 V. The fabricated SC is then made into a stretchable configuration by a prestraining-then-releasing approach using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) tube, and its electrochemical performance can be well maintained when stretching up to a high strain of 100%. Moreover, the stretchable cable-type SCs are stably workable under water-immersed condition. The method opens up new ways for fabricating flexible, stretchable, and waterproof devices. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electrically Conductive TPU Nanofibrous Composite with High Stretchability for Flexible Strain Sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Tong, Lu; Wang, Xiao-Xiong; He, Xiao-Xiao; Nie, Guang-Di; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Bin; Guo, Wen-Zhe; Long, Yun-Ze

2018-03-01

Highly stretchable and electrically conductive thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofibrous composite based on electrospinning for flexible strain sensor and stretchable conductor has been fabricated via in situ polymerization of polyaniline (PANI) on TPU nanofibrous membrane. The PANI/TPU membrane-based sensor could detect a strain from 0 to 160% with fast response and excellent stability. Meanwhile, the TPU composite has good stability and durability. Besides, the composite could be adapted to various non-flat working environments and could maintain opportune conductivity at different operating temperatures. This work provides an easy operating and low-cost method to fabricate highly stretchable and electrically conductive nanofibrous membrane, which could be applied to detect quick and tiny human actions.

A 40-GBd QPSK/16-QAM integrated silicon coherent receiver

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verbist, J.; Zhang, J.; Moeneclaey, B.; Soenen, W.; Van Weerdenburg, J.J.A.; Van Uden, R.; Okonkwo, C.M.; Bauwelinck, J.; Roelkens, G.; Yin, X.

2016-01-01

Through co-design of a dual SiGe transimpedance amplifier and an integrated silicon photonic circuit, we realized for the first time an ultra-compact and low-power silicon single-polarization coherent receiver operating at 40 GBd. A bit-error rate of <3.8× 10-3 was obtained for an optical

Metal/Polymer Based Stretchable Antenna for Constant Frequency Far-Field Communication in Wearable Electronics

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.; Ghaffar, Farhan A.; Park, Sung I.; Rogers, John A.; Shamim, Atif; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2015-01-01

electronics which can physically stretch to absorb the strain associated with body movements. While research in stretchable electronics has started to gain momentum, a stretchable antenna which can perform far-field communications and can operate at constant

Hybrid integration of carbon nanotubes in silicon photonic structures

Science.gov (United States)

Durán-Valdeiglesias, E.; Zhang, W.; Alonso-Ramos, C.; Le Roux, X.; Serna, S.; Hoang, H. C.; Marris-Morini, D.; Cassan, E.; Intonti, F.; Sarti, F.; Caselli, N.; La China, F.; Gurioli, M.; Balestrieri, M.; Vivien, L.; Filoramo, A.

2017-02-01

Silicon photonics, due to its compatibility with the CMOS platform and unprecedented integration capability, has become the preferred solution for the implementation of next generation optical interconnects to accomplish high efficiency, low energy consumption, low cost and device miniaturization in one single chip. However, it is restricted by silicon itself. Silicon does not have efficient light emission or detection in the telecommunication wavelength range (1.3 μm-1.5 μm) or any electro-optic effect (i.e. Pockels effect). Hence, silicon photonic needs to be complemented with other materials for the realization of optically-active devices, including III-V for lasing and Ge for detection. The very different requirement of these materials results in complex fabrication processes that offset the cost-effectiveness of the Si photonics approach. For this purpose, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently been proposed as an attractive one-dimensional light emitting material. Interestingly, semiconducting single walled CNTs (SWNTs) exhibit room-temperature photo- and electro-luminescence in the near-IR that could be exploited for the implementation of integrated nano-sources. They can also be considered for the realization of photo-detectors and optical modulators, since they rely on intrinsically fast non-linear effects, such as Stark and Kerr effect. All these properties make SWNTs ideal candidates in order to fabricate a large variety of optoelectronic devices, including near-IR sources, modulators and photodetectors on Si photonic platforms. In addition, solution processed SWNTs can be integrated on Si using spin-coating or drop-casting techniques, obviating the need of complex epitaxial growth or chip bonding approaches. Here, we report on our recent progress in the coupling of SWNTs light emission into optical resonators implemented on the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) platform. .

A Stretchable Radio-Frequency Strain Sensor Using Screen Printing Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Heijun; Lim, Sungjoon

2016-11-02

In this paper, we propose a stretchable radio-frequency (RF) strain sensor fabricated with screen printing technology. The RF sensor is designed using a half-wavelength patch that resonates at 3.7 GHz. The resonant frequency is determined by the length of the patch, and it therefore changes when the patch is stretched. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is used to create the substrate, because of its stretchable and screen-printable surface. In addition, Dupont PE872 (Dupont, NC, American) silver conductive ink is used to create the stretchable conductive patterns. The sensor performance is demonstrated both with full-wave simulations and with measurements carried out on a fabricated sample. When the length of the patch sensor is increased by a 7.8% stretch, the resonant frequency decreases from 3.7 GHz to 3.43 GHz, evidencing a sensitivity of 3.43 × 10⁷ Hz/%. Stretching the patch along its width does not change the resonant frequency.

Electrohydrodynamic printing of silver nanowires for flexible and stretchable electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Cui, Zheng; Han, Yiwei; Huang, Qijin; Dong, Jingyan; Zhu, Yong

2018-04-19

A silver nanowire (AgNW) based conductor is a promising component for flexible and stretchable electronics. A wide range of flexible/stretchable devices using AgNW conductors has been demonstrated recently. High-resolution, high-throughput printing of AgNWs remains a critical challenge. Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) printing has been developed as a promising technique to print different materials on a variety of substrates with high resolution. Here, AgNW ink was developed for EHD printing. The printed features can be controlled by several parameters including AgNW concentration, ink viscosity, printing speed, stand-off distance, etc. With this method, AgNW patterns can be printed on a range of substrates, e.g. paper, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), glass, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), etc. First, AgNW samples on PDMS were characterized under bending and stretching. Then AgNW heaters and electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes were fabricated to demonstrate the potential of this printing technique for AgNW-based flexible and stretchable devices.

Stretchable and semitransparent conductive hybrid hydrogels for flexible supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Guang-Ping; Hippauf, Felix; Oschatz, Martin; Wisser, Florian M; Leifert, Annika; Nickel, Winfried; Mohamed-Noriega, Nasser; Zheng, Zhikun; Kaskel, Stefan

2014-07-22

Conductive polymers showing stretchable and transparent properties have received extensive attention due to their enormous potential in flexible electronic devices. Here, we demonstrate a facile and smart strategy for the preparation of structurally stretchable, electrically conductive, and optically semitransparent polyaniline-containing hybrid hydrogel networks as electrode, which show high-performances in supercapacitor application. Remarkably, the stability can extend up to 35,000 cycles at a high current density of 8 A/g, because of the combined structural advantages in terms of flexible polymer chains, highly interconnected pores, and excellent contact between the host and guest functional polymer phase.

2D reentrant auxetic structures of graphene/CNT networks for omnidirectionally stretchable supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Byoung Soo; Lee, Kangsuk; Kang, Seulki; Lee, Soyeon; Pyo, Jun Beom; Choi, In Suk; Char, Kookheon; Park, Jong Hyuk; Lee, Sang-Soo; Lee, Jonghwi; Son, Jeong Gon

2017-09-14

Stretchable energy storage systems are essential for the realization of implantable and epidermal electronics. However, high-performance stretchable supercapacitors have received less attention because currently available processing techniques and material structures are too limited to overcome the trade-off relationship among electrical conductivity, ion-accessible surface area, and stretchability of electrodes. Herein, we introduce novel 2D reentrant cellular structures of porous graphene/CNT networks for omnidirectionally stretchable supercapacitor electrodes. Reentrant structures, with inwardly protruded frameworks in porous networks, were fabricated by the radial compression of vertically aligned honeycomb-like rGO/CNT networks, which were prepared by a directional crystallization method. Unlike typical porous graphene structures, the reentrant structure provided structure-assisted stretchability, such as accordion and origami structures, to otherwise unstretchable materials. The 2D reentrant structures of graphene/CNT networks maintained excellent electrical conductivities under biaxial stretching conditions and showed a slightly negative or near-zero Poisson's ratio over a wide strain range because of their structural uniqueness. For practical applications, we fabricated all-solid-state supercapacitors based on 2D auxetic structures. A radial compression process up to 1/10 th densified the electrode, significantly increasing the areal and volumetric capacitances of the electrodes. Additionally, vertically aligned graphene/CNT networks provided a plentiful surface area and induced sufficient ion transport pathways for the electrodes. Therefore, they exhibited high gravimetric and areal capacitance values of 152.4 F g -1 and 2.9 F cm -2 , respectively, and had an excellent retention ratio of 88% under a biaxial strain of 100%. Auxetic cellular and vertically aligned structures provide a new strategy for the preparation of robust platforms for stretchable

Meltability and Stretchability of White Brined Cheese: Effect of Emulsifier Salts

OpenAIRE

Khaled Abu-Alruz; Ayman S. Mazahreh; Ali F. Al-Shawabkeh; Amer A. Omari; Jihad M. Quasem

2009-01-01

Problem statement: This study was based on the hypothesis that by adding low concentrations of emulsifier salts, may specifically act on the cross linking bonds of the protein matrix, to the original brine (storage medium) it would be possible to induce meltability and stretchability in white brined cheese. Approach: A new apparatus for measuring the actual stretchability was designed and constructed; measurements on different cheese samples proved its validity and reliability to measure stre...

Fast and stable redox reactions of MnO2/CNT hybrid electrodes for dynamically stretchable pseudocapacitors

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Taoli; Wei, Bingqing

2015-07-01

Pseudocapacitors, which are energy storage devices that take advantage of redox reactions to store electricity, have a different charge storage mechanism compared to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), and they could realize further gains if they were used as stretchable power sources. The realization of dynamically stretchable pseudocapacitors and understanding of the underlying fundamentals of their mechanical-electrochemical relationship have become indispensable. We report herein the electrochemical performance of dynamically stretchable pseudocapacitors using buckled MnO2/CNT hybrid electrodes. The extremely small relaxation time constant of less than 0.15 s indicates a fast redox reaction at the MnO2/CNT hybrid electrodes, securing a stable electrochemical performance for the dynamically stretchable pseudocapacitors. This finding and the fundamental understanding gained from the pseudo-capacitive behavior coupled with mechanical deformation under a dynamic stretching mode would provide guidance to further improve their overall performance including a higher power density than LIBs, a higher energy density than EDLCs, and a long-life cycling stability. Most importantly, these results will potentially accelerate the applications of stretchable pseudocapacitors for flexible and biomedical electronics.Pseudocapacitors, which are energy storage devices that take advantage of redox reactions to store electricity, have a different charge storage mechanism compared to lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs), and they could realize further gains if they were used as stretchable power sources. The realization of dynamically stretchable pseudocapacitors and understanding of the underlying fundamentals of their mechanical-electrochemical relationship have become indispensable. We report herein the electrochemical performance of dynamically stretchable pseudocapacitors using buckled MnO2/CNT hybrid

A Stretchable Electromagnetic Absorber Fabricated Using Screen Printing Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Heijun; Lim, Sungjoon

2017-05-21

A stretchable electromagnetic absorber fabricated using screen printing technology is proposed in this paper. We used a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrate to fabricate the stretchable absorber since PDMS exhibits good dielectric properties, flexibility, and restoring capabilities. DuPont PE872 (DuPont, Wilmington, CT, USA), a stretchable silver conductive ink, was used for the screen printing technique. The reflection coefficient of the absorber was measured using a vector network analyzer and a waveguide. The proposed absorber was designed as a rectangular patch unit cell, wherein the top of the unit cell acted as the patch and the bottom formed the ground. The size of the patch was 8 mm × 7 mm. The prototype of the absorber consisted of two unit cells such that it fits into the WR-90 waveguide (dimensions: 22.86 mm × 10.16 mm) for experimental measurement. Before stretching the absorber, the resonant frequency was 11 GHz. When stretched along the x -direction, the resonant frequency shifted by 0.1 GHz, from 11 to 10.9 GHz, demonstrating 99% absorption. Furthermore, when stretched along the y -direction, the resonant frequency shifted by 0.6 GHz, from 11 to 10.4 GHz, demonstrating 99% absorption.

3D Porous Sponge-Inspired Electrode for Stretchable Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wei; Chen, Zheng; Zhou, Guangmin; Sun, Yongming; Lee, Hye Ryoung; Liu, Chong; Yao, Hongbin; Bao, Zhenan; Cui, Yi

2016-05-01

A stretchable Li4 Ti5 O12 anode and a LiFePO4 cathode with 80% stretchability are prepared using a 3D interconnected porous polydimethylsiloxane sponge based on sugar cubes. 82% and 91% capacity retention for anode and cathode are achieved after 500 stretch-release cycles. Slight capacity decay of 6% in the battery using the electrode in stretched state is observed. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Wearable, wireless gas sensors using highly stretchable and transparent structures of nanowires and graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jihun; Kim, Joohee; Kim, Kukjoo; Kim, So-Yun; Cheong, Woon Hyung; Park, Kyeongmin; Song, Joo Hyeb; Namgoong, Gyeongho; Kim, Jae Joon; Heo, Jaeyeong; Bien, Franklin; Park, Jang-Ung

2016-05-01

Herein, we report the fabrication of a highly stretchable, transparent gas sensor based on silver nanowire-graphene hybrid nanostructures. Due to its superb mechanical and optical characteristics, the fabricated sensor demonstrates outstanding and stable performances even under extreme mechanical deformation (stable until 20% of strain). The integration of a Bluetooth system or an inductive antenna enables the wireless operation of the sensor. In addition, the mechanical robustness of the materials allows the device to be transferred onto various nonplanar substrates, including a watch, a bicycle light, and the leaves of live plants, thereby achieving next-generation sensing electronics for the `Internet of Things' area.Herein, we report the fabrication of a highly stretchable, transparent gas sensor based on silver nanowire-graphene hybrid nanostructures. Due to its superb mechanical and optical characteristics, the fabricated sensor demonstrates outstanding and stable performances even under extreme mechanical deformation (stable until 20% of strain). The integration of a Bluetooth system or an inductive antenna enables the wireless operation of the sensor. In addition, the mechanical robustness of the materials allows the device to be transferred onto various nonplanar substrates, including a watch, a bicycle light, and the leaves of live plants, thereby achieving next-generation sensing electronics for the `Internet of Things' area. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01468b

High-contrast gratings for long-wavelength laser integration on silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Sciancalepore, Corrado; Descos, Antoine; Bordel, Damien; Duprez, Hélène; Letartre, Xavier; Menezo, Sylvie; Ben Bakir, Badhise

2014-02-01

Silicon photonics is increasingly considered as the most promising way-out to the relentless growth of data traffic in today's telecommunications infrastructures, driving an increase in transmission rates and computing capabilities. This is in fact challenging the intrinsic limit of copper-based, short-reach interconnects and microelectronic circuits in data centers and server architectures to offer enough modulation bandwidth at reasonable power dissipation. In the context of the heterogeneous integration of III-V direct-bandgap materials on silicon, optics with high-contrast metastructures enables the efficient implementation of optical functions such as laser feedback, input/output (I/O) to active/passive components, and optical filtering, while heterogeneous integration of III-V layers provides sufficient optical gain, resulting in silicon-integrated laser sources. The latest ensure reduced packaging costs and reduced footprint for the optical transceivers, a key point for the short reach communications. The invited talk will introduce the audience to the latest breakthroughs concerning the use of high-contrast gratings (HCGs) for the integration of III-V-on-Si verticalcavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) as well as Fabry-Perot edge-emitters (EELs) in the main telecom band around 1.55 μm. The strong near-field mode overlap within HCG mirrors can be exploited to implement unique optical functions such as dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM): a 16-λ100-GHz-spaced channels VCSEL array is demonstrated. On the other hand, high fabrication yields obtained via molecular wafer bonding of III-V alloys on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) conjugate excellent device performances with cost-effective high-throughput production, supporting industrial needs for a rapid research-to-market transfer.

Stretchable GaAs photovoltaics with designs that enable high areal coverage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Jongho; Yoon, Jongseung; Park, Sang-Il [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States); Wu, Jian [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States); Shi, Mingxing; Liu, Zhuangjian [Institute of High Performance Computing, Singapore (Singapore); Li, Ming [Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States); Department of Engineering Mechanics, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian (China); Huang, Yonggang [Departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL (United States); Rogers, John A. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)

2011-02-22

Strategies are presented for achieving, simultaneously, both large areal coverage and high stretchability by using elastomeric substrates with surface relief in geometries that confine strains at the locations of the interconnections, and away from the devices. The studies involve a combination of theory and experiment to reveal the essential mechanics, and include demonstrations of the ideas in stretchable solar modules that use ultrathin, single junction GaAs solar cells. (Copyright copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

Cobalt micro-magnet integration on silicon MOS quantum dots

Science.gov (United States)

Camirand Lemyre, Julien; Rochette, Sophie; Anderson, John; Manginell, Ronald P.; Pluym, Tammy; Ward, Dan; Carroll, Malcom S.; Pioro-Ladrière, Michel

Integration of cobalt micro-magnets on silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) quantum dot devices has been investigated. The micro-magnets are fabricated in a lift-off process with e-beam lithography and deposited directly on top of an etched poly-silicon gate stack. Among the five resist stacks tested, one is found to be compatible with our MOS specific materials (Si and SiO2) . Moreover, devices with and without additional Al2O3 insulating layer show no additional gate leakage after processing. Preliminary transport data indicates electrostatic stability of our devices with integrated magnets. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory operated by Sandia Corporation, a Lockheed-Martin Company, for the U. S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Al transmon qubits on silicon-on-insulator for quantum device integration

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Andrew J.; Dieterle, Paul B.; Fang, Michael; Berger, Brett; Fink, Johannes M.; Painter, Oskar

2017-07-01

We present the fabrication and characterization of an aluminum transmon qubit on a silicon-on-insulator substrate. Key to the qubit fabrication is the use of an anhydrous hydrofluoric vapor process which selectively removes the lossy silicon oxide buried underneath the silicon device layer. For a 5.6 GHz qubit measured dispersively by a 7.1 GHz resonator, we find T1 = 3.5 μs and T2* = 2.2 μs. This process in principle permits the co-fabrication of silicon photonic and mechanical elements, providing a route towards chip-scale integration of electro-opto-mechanical transducers for quantum networking of superconducting microwave quantum circuits. The additional processing steps are compatible with established fabrication techniques for aluminum transmon qubits on silicon.

Monolithic nanoscale photonics-electronics integration in silicon and other group IV elements

CERN Document Server

Radamson, Henry

2014-01-01

Silicon technology is evolving rapidly, particularly in board-to-board or chip-to chip applications. Increasingly, the electronic parts of silicon technology will carry out the data processing, while the photonic parts take care of the data communication. For the first time, this book describes the merging of photonics and electronics in silicon and other group IV elements. It presents the challenges, the limitations, and the upcoming possibilities of these developments. The book describes the evolution of CMOS integrated electronics, status and development, and the fundamentals of silicon p

The integration of InGaP LEDs with CMOS on 200 mm silicon wafers

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bing; Lee, Kwang Hong; Wang, Cong; Wang, Yue; Made, Riko I.; Sasangka, Wardhana Aji; Nguyen, Viet Cuong; Lee, Kenneth Eng Kian; Tan, Chuan Seng; Yoon, Soon Fatt; Fitzgerald, Eugene A.; Michel, Jurgen

2017-02-01

The integration of photonics and electronics on a converged silicon CMOS platform is a long pursuit goal for both academe and industry. We have been developing technologies that can integrate III-V compound semiconductors and CMOS circuits on 200 mm silicon wafers. As an example we present our work on the integration of InGaP light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with CMOS. The InGaP LEDs were epitaxially grown on high-quality GaAs and Ge buffers on 200 mm (100) silicon wafers in a MOCVD reactor. Strain engineering was applied to control the wafer bow that is induced by the mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion between III-V films and silicon substrate. Wafer bonding was used to transfer the foundry-made silicon CMOS wafers to the InGaP LED wafers. Process trenches were opened on the CMOS layer to expose the underneath III-V device layers for LED processing. We show the issues encountered in the 200 mm processing and the methods we have been developing to overcome the problems.

Integration of functional complex oxide nanomaterials on silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jose Manuel eVila-Fungueiriño

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The combination of standard wafer-scale semiconductor processing with the properties of functional oxides opens up to innovative and more efficient devices with high value applications that can be produced at large scale. This review uncovers the main strategies that are successfully used to monolithically integrate functional complex oxide thin films and nanostructures on silicon: the chemical solution deposition approach (CSD and the advanced physical vapor deposition techniques such as oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE. Special emphasis will be placed on complex oxide nanostructures epitaxially grown on silicon using the combination of CSD and MBE. Several examples will be exposed, with a particular stress on the control of interfaces and crystallization mechanisms on epitaxial perovskite oxide thin films, nanostructured quartz thin films, and octahedral molecular sieve nanowires. This review enlightens on the potential of complex oxide nanostructures and the combination of both chemical and physical elaboration techniques for novel oxide-based integrated devices.

Roadmap for integration of InP based photonics and silicon electronics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Williams, K.A.

2015-01-01

We identify the synergies and a roadmap for the intimate integration of InP photonic integrated circuits and Silicon electronic ICs using wafer-scale processes. Advantages are foreseen in terms of bandwidth, energy savings and package simplification.

A Novel Silicon Micromachined Integrated MCM Thermal Management System

Science.gov (United States)

Kazmierczak, M. J.; Henderson, H. T.; Gerner, F. M.

1997-01-01

"Micromachining" is a chemical means of etching three-dimensional structures, typically in single- crystalline silicon. These techniques are leading toward what is coming to be referred to as MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), where in addition to the ordinary two-dimensional (planar) microelectronics, it is possible to build three-dimensional n-ticromotors, electrically- actuated raicrovalves, hydraulic systems and much more on the same microchip. These techniques become possible because of differential etching rates of various crystallographic planes and materials used for semiconductor n-ticrofabfication. The University of Cincinnati group in collaboration with Karl Baker at NASA Lewis were the first to form micro heat pipes in silicon by the above techniques. Current work now in progress using MEMS technology is now directed towards the development of the next generation in MCM (Multi Chip Module) packaging. Here we propose to develop a complete electronic thermal management system which will allow densifica6on in chip stacking by perhaps two orders of magnitude. Furthermore the proposed technique will allow ordinary conu-nercial integrated chips to be utilized. Basically, the new technique involves etching square holes into a silicon substrate and then inserting and bonding commercially available integrated chips into these holes. For example, over a 100 1/4 in. by 1 /4 in. integrated chips can be placed on a 4 in. by 4 in. silicon substrate to form a Multi-Chip Module (MCM). Placing these MCM's in-line within an integrated rack then allows for three-diniensional stacking. Increased miniaturization of microelectronic circuits will lead to very high local heat fluxes. A high performance thermal management system will be specifically designed to remove the generated energy. More specifically, a compact heat exchanger with milli / microchannels will be developed and tested to remove the heat through the back side of this MCM assembly for moderate and high

Comparison of compression properties of stretchable knitted fabrics and bi-stretch woven fabrics for compression garments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Maqsood, Muhammad

2017-01-01

Stretchable fabrics have diverse applications ranging from casual apparel to performance sportswear and compression therapy. Compression therapy is the universally accepted treatment for the management of hypertrophic scarring after severe burns. Mostly stretchable knitted fabrics are used in

An innovative large scale integration of silicon nanowire-based field effect transistors

Science.gov (United States)

Legallais, M.; Nguyen, T. T. T.; Mouis, M.; Salem, B.; Robin, E.; Chenevier, P.; Ternon, C.

2018-05-01

Since the early 2000s, silicon nanowire field effect transistors are emerging as ultrasensitive biosensors while offering label-free, portable and rapid detection. Nevertheless, their large scale production remains an ongoing challenge due to time consuming, complex and costly technology. In order to bypass these issues, we report here on the first integration of silicon nanowire networks, called nanonet, into long channel field effect transistors using standard microelectronic process. A special attention is paid to the silicidation of the contacts which involved a large number of SiNWs. The electrical characteristics of these FETs constituted by randomly oriented silicon nanowires are also studied. Compatible integration on the back-end of CMOS readout and promising electrical performances open new opportunities for sensing applications.

Multichannel noninvasive human-machine interface via stretchable µm thick sEMG patches for robot manipulation

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Ying; Wang, Youhua; Liu, Runfeng; Xiao, Lin; Zhang, Qin; Huang, YongAn

2018-01-01

Epidermal electronics (e-skin) emerging in recent years offer the opportunity to noninvasively and wearably extract biosignals from human bodies. The conventional processes of e-skin based on standard microelectronic fabrication processes and a variety of transfer printing methods, nevertheless, unquestionably constrains the size of the devices, posing a serious challenge to collecting signals via skin, the largest organ in the human body. Herein we propose a multichannel noninvasive human-machine interface (HMI) using stretchable surface electromyography (sEMG) patches to realize a robot hand mimicking human gestures. Time-efficient processes are first developed to manufacture µm thick large-scale stretchable devices. With micron thickness, the stretchable µm thick sEMG patches show excellent conformability with human skin and consequently comparable electrical performance with conventional gel electrodes. Combined with the large-scale size, the multichannel noninvasive HMI via stretchable µm thick sEMG patches successfully manipulates the robot hand with eight different gestures, whose precision is as high as conventional gel electrodes array.

A MoTe2-based light-emitting diode and photodetector for silicon photonic integrated circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Bie, Ya-Qing; Grosso, Gabriele; Heuck, Mikkel; Furchi, Marco M; Cao, Yuan; Zheng, Jiabao; Bunandar, Darius; Navarro-Moratalla, Efren; Zhou, Lin; Efetov, Dmitri K; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Kong, Jing; Englund, Dirk; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo

2017-12-01

One of the current challenges in photonics is developing high-speed, power-efficient, chip-integrated optical communications devices to address the interconnects bottleneck in high-speed computing systems. Silicon photonics has emerged as a leading architecture, in part because of the promise that many components, such as waveguides, couplers, interferometers and modulators, could be directly integrated on silicon-based processors. However, light sources and photodetectors present ongoing challenges. Common approaches for light sources include one or few off-chip or wafer-bonded lasers based on III-V materials, but recent system architecture studies show advantages for the use of many directly modulated light sources positioned at the transmitter location. The most advanced photodetectors in the silicon photonic process are based on germanium, but this requires additional germanium growth, which increases the system cost. The emerging two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer a path for optical interconnect components that can be integrated with silicon photonics and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) processing by back-end-of-the-line steps. Here, we demonstrate a silicon waveguide-integrated light source and photodetector based on a p-n junction of bilayer MoTe 2 , a TMD semiconductor with an infrared bandgap. This state-of-the-art fabrication technology provides new opportunities for integrated optoelectronic systems.

A MoTe2-based light-emitting diode and photodetector for silicon photonic integrated circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Bie, Ya-Qing; Grosso, Gabriele; Heuck, Mikkel; Furchi, Marco M.; Cao, Yuan; Zheng, Jiabao; Bunandar, Darius; Navarro-Moratalla, Efren; Zhou, Lin; Efetov, Dmitri K.; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Kong, Jing; Englund, Dirk; Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo

2017-12-01

One of the current challenges in photonics is developing high-speed, power-efficient, chip-integrated optical communications devices to address the interconnects bottleneck in high-speed computing systems. Silicon photonics has emerged as a leading architecture, in part because of the promise that many components, such as waveguides, couplers, interferometers and modulators, could be directly integrated on silicon-based processors. However, light sources and photodetectors present ongoing challenges. Common approaches for light sources include one or few off-chip or wafer-bonded lasers based on III-V materials, but recent system architecture studies show advantages for the use of many directly modulated light sources positioned at the transmitter location. The most advanced photodetectors in the silicon photonic process are based on germanium, but this requires additional germanium growth, which increases the system cost. The emerging two-dimensional transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer a path for optical interconnect components that can be integrated with silicon photonics and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductors (CMOS) processing by back-end-of-the-line steps. Here, we demonstrate a silicon waveguide-integrated light source and photodetector based on a p-n junction of bilayer MoTe2, a TMD semiconductor with an infrared bandgap. This state-of-the-art fabrication technology provides new opportunities for integrated optoelectronic systems.

Effect of stiffness modulation on mechanical stability of stretchable a-IGZO TFTs

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hyungjin; Cho, Kyoungah; Oh, Hyungon; Kim, Sangsig

2018-05-01

In this study, we fabricate the amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) on a stretchable substrate with a buffer stage and investigate the mechanical stability and electrical characteristics when the length of the substrate is stretched by 1.7 times. The buffer stage is responsible for the stiffness modulation of the stretchable substrate. The mobility, the threshold voltage and the on/off ratio of the stretchable a-IGZO TFT are measured to be 18.1 cm2/V·s, 1 V, and 3 × 107, respectively. Our simulation conducted by a three dimensional finite elements method reveals that the stiffness modulation reduces the stress experienced by the substrate in the stretched state by about one-tenth. In addition, the mechanical stability and electrical characteristics of the a-IGZO TFT are maintained even when the substrate is stretched by 1.7 times.

Thermally controlled coupling of a rolled-up microtube integrated with a waveguide on a silicon electronic-photonic integrated circuit.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhong, Qiuhang; Tian, Zhaobing; Veerasubramanian, Venkat; Dastjerdi, M Hadi Tavakoli; Mi, Zetian; Plant, David V

2014-05-01

We report on the first experimental demonstration of the thermal control of coupling strength between a rolled-up microtube and a waveguide on a silicon electronic-photonic integrated circuit. The microtubes are fabricated by selectively releasing a coherently strained GaAs/InGaAs heterostructure bilayer. The fabricated microtubes are then integrated with silicon waveguides using an abruptly tapered fiber probe. By tuning the gap between the microtube and the waveguide using localized heaters, the microtube-waveguide evanescent coupling is effectively controlled. With heating, the extinction ratio of a microtube whispering-gallery mode changes over an 18 dB range, while the resonant wavelength remains approximately unchanged. Utilizing this dynamic thermal tuning effect, we realize coupling modulation of the microtube integrated with the silicon waveguide at 2 kHz with a heater voltage swing of 0-6 V.

Electrochemically synthesized stretchable polypyrrole/fabric electrodes for supercapacitor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue, Binbin; Wang, Caiyun; Ding, Xin; Wallace, Gordon G.

2013-01-01

Wearable electronics offer the combined advantages of both electronics and fabrics. Being an indispensable part of these electronics, lightweight, stretchable and wearable power sources are strongly demanded. Here we describe a daily-used cotton fabric coated with polypyrrole as electrode for stretchable supercapacitors. Polypyrrole was synthesized on the Au coated fabric via an electrochemical polymerization process with p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TS) as dopant from acetonitrile solution. This material was characterized with FESEM, tensile stress, and studied as a supercapacitor electrode in 1.0 M NaCl. This conductive textile electrode can sustain up to 140% strain without electric failure. It delivers a high specific capacitance of 254.9 F g −1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s −1 , and keeps almost unchanged at an applied strain (i.e. 30% and 50%) but with an improved cycling stability

Electrical properties of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs in stretchable geometries

Science.gov (United States)

Tompkins, R. P.; Mahaboob, I.; Shahedipour-Sandvik, F.; Lazarus, N.

2017-10-01

Many biological materials are naturally soft and stretchable, far more so than crystalline semiconductors. Creating systems that can be placed directly on a surface such as human skin has required new approaches in electronic device design and materials, a field known as stretchable electronics. One common method for fabricating a highly brittle semiconductor device able to survive tens of percent strain is to incorporate stress relief structures ('waves'). Although the mechanical advantages of this approach are well known, the effects on the electrical behavior of a device such as a transistor compared to a more traditional geometry have not been studied. Here, AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown on rigid sapphire substrates were fabricated in a common wavy geometry, a sinusoid, with dimensions similar to those used in stretchable electronics. The study analyzes control parameters available to the designer including gate location along the sinusoid, angle the source-drain contacts make with the gate, as well as variation of the gate length at the peak of the sinusoid. Common electrical parameters such as saturation current density, threshold voltage, and transconductance were compared between the sinusoidal and conventional straight geometries and results found to fall to within experimental uncertainty, suggesting shifting to a stretchable geometry is possible without appreciably degrading semiconductor device performance.

Stretchable, Porous, and Conductive Energy Textiles

KAUST Repository

Hu, Liangbing; Pasta, Mauro; Mantia, Fabio La; Cui, LiFeng; Jeong, Sangmoo; Deshazer, Heather Dawn; Choi, Jang Wook; Han, Seung Min; Cui, Yi

2010-01-01

Recently there is strong interest in lightweight, flexible, and wearable electronics to meet the technological demands of modern society. Integrated energy storage devices of this type are a key area that is still significantly underdeveloped. Here, we describe wearable power devices using everyday textiles as the platform. With an extremely simple "dipping and drying" process using single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) ink, we produced highly conductive textiles with conductivity of 125 S cm-1 and sheet resistance less than 1 Ω/sq. Such conductive textiles show outstanding flexibility and stretchability and demonstrate strong adhesion between the SWNTs and the textiles of interest. Supercapacitors made from these conductive textiles show high areal capacitance, up to 0.48F/cm2, and high specific energy. We demonstrate the loading of pseudocapacitor materials into these conductive textiles that leads to a 24-fold increase of the areal capacitance of the device. These highly conductive textiles can provide new design opportunities for wearable electronics and energy storage applications. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Stretchable, Porous, and Conductive Energy Textiles

KAUST Repository

Hu, Liangbing

2010-02-10

Recently there is strong interest in lightweight, flexible, and wearable electronics to meet the technological demands of modern society. Integrated energy storage devices of this type are a key area that is still significantly underdeveloped. Here, we describe wearable power devices using everyday textiles as the platform. With an extremely simple "dipping and drying" process using single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) ink, we produced highly conductive textiles with conductivity of 125 S cm-1 and sheet resistance less than 1 Ω/sq. Such conductive textiles show outstanding flexibility and stretchability and demonstrate strong adhesion between the SWNTs and the textiles of interest. Supercapacitors made from these conductive textiles show high areal capacitance, up to 0.48F/cm2, and high specific energy. We demonstrate the loading of pseudocapacitor materials into these conductive textiles that leads to a 24-fold increase of the areal capacitance of the device. These highly conductive textiles can provide new design opportunities for wearable electronics and energy storage applications. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

A Platform for Manufacturable Stretchable Micro-electrode Arrays

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Khoshfetrat Pakazad, S.; Savov, A.; Braam, S.R.; Dekker, R.

2012-01-01

A platform for the batch fabrication of pneumatically actuated Stretchable Micro-Electrode Arrays (SMEAs) by using state-of-the-art micro-fabrication techniques and materials is demonstrated. The proposed fabrication process avoids the problems normally associated with processing of thin film

Realization of Intrinsically Stretchable Organic Solar Cells Enabled by Charge-Extraction Layer and Photoactive Material Engineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Yun-Ting; Chen, Jung-Yao; Fukuta, Seijiro; Lin, Po-Chen; Higashihara, Tomoya; Chueh, Chu-Chen; Chen, Wen-Chang

2018-06-12

The rapid development of wearable electronic devices has prompted a strong demand to develop stretchable organic solar cells (OSCs) to serve as the advanced powering systems. However, to realize an intrinsically stretchable OSC is challenging because it requires all the constituent layers to possess certain elastic properties. It thus necessitates a combined engineering of charge-transporting layers and photoactive materials. Herein, we first describe a stretchable electron-extraction layer using a blend of poly[(9,9-bis(3'-( N, N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)- alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene)] (PFN) and nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR, Nipol 1072). This hybrid PFN/NBR layer exhibits a much lower Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov modulus (0.45 GPa) than the value (1.25 GPa) of the pristine PFN and could withstand a high strain (60% strain) without showing any cracks. Moreover, besides enriching the stretchability of PFN, the terminal carboxyl groups of NBR can ionize PFN to promote its solution-processability in polar solvents and to ensure the interfacial dipole formation at the corresponding interface in the device, as evidenced by the Fourier transform infrared and ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy analyses. By further coupling the replacement of [6,6]-phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) with nonfullerene acceptors owing to better mechanical stretchability in the photoactive layer, OSCs with improved intrinsically stretchability and performance were demonstrated. An all-polymer OSC can exhibit a power conversion efficiency of 2.82% after 10% stretching, surpassing the PCBM-based device that can only withstand 5% strain.

Silicon photonics integrated circuits: a manufacturing platform for high density, low power optical I/O's.

Science.gov (United States)

Absil, Philippe P; Verheyen, Peter; De Heyn, Peter; Pantouvaki, Marianna; Lepage, Guy; De Coster, Jeroen; Van Campenhout, Joris

2015-04-06

Silicon photonics integrated circuits are considered to enable future computing systems with optical input-outputs co-packaged with CMOS chips to circumvent the limitations of electrical interfaces. In this paper we present the recent progress made to enable dense multiplexing by exploiting the integration advantage of silicon photonics integrated circuits. We also discuss the manufacturability of such circuits, a key factor for a wide adoption of this technology.

Integrated Amorphous Silicon p-i-n Temperature Sensor for CMOS Photonics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sandro Rao

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H shows interesting optoelectronic and technological properties that make it suitable for the fabrication of passive and active micro-photonic devices, compatible moreover with standard microelectronic devices on a microchip. A temperature sensor based on a hydrogenated amorphous silicon p-i-n diode integrated in an optical waveguide for silicon photonics applications is presented here. The linear dependence of the voltage drop across the forward-biased diode on temperature, in a range from 30 °C up to 170 °C, has been used for thermal sensing. A high sensitivity of 11.9 mV/°C in the bias current range of 34–40 nA has been measured. The proposed device is particularly suitable for the continuous temperature monitoring of CMOS-compatible photonic integrated circuits, where the behavior of the on-chip active and passive devices are strongly dependent on their operating temperature.

III-V-on-Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits for Spectroscopic Sensing in the 2-4 μm Wavelength Range.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruijun; Vasiliev, Anton; Muneeb, Muhammad; Malik, Aditya; Sprengel, Stephan; Boehm, Gerhard; Amann, Markus-Christian; Šimonytė, Ieva; Vizbaras, Augustinas; Vizbaras, Kristijonas; Baets, Roel; Roelkens, Gunther

2017-08-04

The availability of silicon photonic integrated circuits (ICs) in the 2-4 μm wavelength range enables miniature optical sensors for trace gas and bio-molecule detection. In this paper, we review our recent work on III-V-on-silicon waveguide circuits for spectroscopic sensing in this wavelength range. We first present results on the heterogeneous integration of 2.3 μm wavelength III-V laser sources and photodetectors on silicon photonic ICs for fully integrated optical sensors. Then a compact 2 μm wavelength widely tunable external cavity laser using a silicon photonic IC for the wavelength selective feedback is shown. High-performance silicon arrayed waveguide grating spectrometers are also presented. Further we show an on-chip photothermal transducer using a suspended silicon-on-insulator microring resonator used for mid-infrared photothermal spectroscopy.

Stretchable Fiber Supercapacitors with High Volumetric Performance Based on Buckled MnO2 /Oxidized Carbon Nanotube Fiber Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingyang; Zu, Mei; Yu, Jinshan; Cheng, Haifeng; Li, Qingwen

2017-03-01

A stretchable fiber supercapacitor (SC) based on buckled MnO 2 /oxidized carbon nanotube (CNT) fiber electrode is fabricated by a simple prestraining-then-buckling method. The prepared stretchable fiber SC has a specific volumetric capacitance up to 409.4 F cm -3 , which is 33 times that of the pristine CNT fiber based SC, and shows the outstanding stability and repeatability in performance as a stretchable SC. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Localized synthesis, assembly and integration of silicon nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Englander, Ongi

Localized synthesis, assembly and integration of one-dimensional silicon nanowires with MEMS structures is demonstrated and characterized in terms of local synthesis processes, electric-field assisted self-assembly, and a proof-of-concept nanoelectromechanical system (HEMS) demonstration. Emphasis is placed on the ease of integration, process control strategies, characterization techniques and the pursuit of integrated devices. A top-down followed by a bottom-up integration approach is utilized. Simple MEMS heater structures are utilized as the microscale platforms for the localized, bottom-up synthesis of one-dimensional nanostructures. Localized heating confines the high temperature region permitting only localized nanostructure synthesis and allowing the surroundings to remain at room temperature thus enabling CMOS compatible post-processing. The vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) process in the presence of a catalytic nanoparticle, a vapor phase reactant, and a specific temperature environment is successfully employed locally. Experimentally, a 5nm thick gold-palladium layer is used as the catalyst while silane is the vapor phase reactant. The current-voltage behavior of the MEMS structures can be correlated to the approximate temperature range required for the VLS reaction to take place. Silicon nanowires averaging 45nm in diameter and up to 29mum in length synthesized at growth rates of up to 1.5mum/min result. By placing two MEMS structures in close proximity, 4--10mum apart, localized silicon nanowire growth can be used to link together MEMS structures to yield a two-terminal, self-assembled micro-to-nano system. Here, one MEMS structure is designated as the hot growth structure while a nearby structure is designated as the cold secondary structure, whose role is to provide a natural stopping point for the VLS reaction. The application of a localized electric-field, 5 to 13V/mum in strength, during the synthesis process, has been shown to improve nanowire

Silicon photonic integration in telecommunications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Richard Doerr

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Silicon photonics is the guiding of light in a planar arrangement of silicon-based materials to perform various functions. We focus here on the use of silicon photonics to create transmitters and receivers for fiber-optic telecommunications. As the need to squeeze more transmission into a given bandwidth, a given footprint, and a given cost increases, silicon photonics makes more and more economic sense.

A highly stretchable autonomous self-healing elastomer

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Cheng-Hui; Wang, Chao; Keplinger, Christoph; Zuo, Jing-Lin; Jin, Lihua; Sun, Yang; Zheng, Peng; Cao, Yi; Lissel, Franziska; Linder, Christian; You, Xiao-Zeng; Bao, Zhenan

2016-06-01

It is a challenge to synthesize materials that possess the properties of biological muscles—strong, elastic and capable of self-healing. Herein we report a network of poly(dimethylsiloxane) polymer chains crosslinked by coordination complexes that combines high stretchability, high dielectric strength, autonomous self-healing and mechanical actuation. The healing process can take place at a temperature as low as -20 °C and is not significantly affected by surface ageing and moisture. The crosslinking complexes used consist of 2,6-pyridinedicarboxamide ligands that coordinate to Fe(III) centres through three different interactions: a strong pyridyl-iron one, and two weaker carboxamido-iron ones through both the nitrogen and oxygen atoms of the carboxamide groups. As a result, the iron-ligand bonds can readily break and re-form while the iron centres still remain attached to the ligands through the stronger interaction with the pyridyl ring, which enables reversible unfolding and refolding of the chains. We hypothesize that this behaviour supports the high stretchability and self-healing capability of the material.

Integrating photonics with silicon nanoelectronics for the next generation of systems on a chip.

Science.gov (United States)

Atabaki, Amir H; Moazeni, Sajjad; Pavanello, Fabio; Gevorgyan, Hayk; Notaros, Jelena; Alloatti, Luca; Wade, Mark T; Sun, Chen; Kruger, Seth A; Meng, Huaiyu; Al Qubaisi, Kenaish; Wang, Imbert; Zhang, Bohan; Khilo, Anatol; Baiocco, Christopher V; Popović, Miloš A; Stojanović, Vladimir M; Ram, Rajeev J

2018-04-01

Electronic and photonic technologies have transformed our lives-from computing and mobile devices, to information technology and the internet. Our future demands in these fields require innovation in each technology separately, but also depend on our ability to harness their complementary physics through integrated solutions 1,2 . This goal is hindered by the fact that most silicon nanotechnologies-which enable our processors, computer memory, communications chips and image sensors-rely on bulk silicon substrates, a cost-effective solution with an abundant supply chain, but with substantial limitations for the integration of photonic functions. Here we introduce photonics into bulk silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) chips using a layer of polycrystalline silicon deposited on silicon oxide (glass) islands fabricated alongside transistors. We use this single deposited layer to realize optical waveguides and resonators, high-speed optical modulators and sensitive avalanche photodetectors. We integrated this photonic platform with a 65-nanometre-transistor bulk CMOS process technology inside a 300-millimetre-diameter-wafer microelectronics foundry. We then implemented integrated high-speed optical transceivers in this platform that operate at ten gigabits per second, composed of millions of transistors, and arrayed on a single optical bus for wavelength division multiplexing, to address the demand for high-bandwidth optical interconnects in data centres and high-performance computing 3,4 . By decoupling the formation of photonic devices from that of transistors, this integration approach can achieve many of the goals of multi-chip solutions 5 , but with the performance, complexity and scalability of 'systems on a chip' 1,6-8 . As transistors smaller than ten nanometres across become commercially available 9 , and as new nanotechnologies emerge 10,11 , this approach could provide a way to integrate photonics with state-of-the-art nanoelectronics.

Highly Stretchable, Strain Sensing Hydrogel Optical Fibers.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Jingjing; Liu, Xinyue; Jiang, Nan; Yetisen, Ali K; Yuk, Hyunwoo; Yang, Changxi; Khademhosseini, Ali; Zhao, Xuanhe; Yun, Seok-Hyun

2016-12-01

A core-clad fiber made of elastic, tough hydrogels is highly stretchable while guiding light. Fluorescent dyes are easily doped into the hydrogel fiber by diffusion. When stretched, the transmission spectrum of the fiber is altered, enabling the strain to be measured and also its location. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Novel technique for reliability testing of silicon integrated circuits

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Le Minh, P.; Wallinga, Hans; Woerlee, P.H.; van den Berg, Albert; Holleman, J.

2001-01-01

We propose a simple, inexpensive technique with high resolution to identify the weak spots in integrated circuits by means of a non-destructive photochemical process in which photoresist is used as the photon detection tool. The experiment was done to localize the breakdown link of thin silicon

Highly stretchable resistive pressure sensors using a conductive elastomeric composite on a micropyramid array.

Science.gov (United States)

Choong, Chwee-Lin; Shim, Mun-Bo; Lee, Byoung-Sun; Jeon, Sanghun; Ko, Dong-Su; Kang, Tae-Hyung; Bae, Jihyun; Lee, Sung Hoon; Byun, Kyung-Eun; Im, Jungkyun; Jeong, Yong Jin; Park, Chan Eon; Park, Jong-Jin; Chung, U-In

2014-06-04

A stretchable resistive pressure sensor is achieved by coating a compressible substrate with a highly stretchable electrode. The substrate contains an array of microscale pyramidal features, and the electrode comprises a polymer composite. When the pressure-induced geometrical change experienced by the electrode is maximized at 40% elongation, a sensitivity of 10.3 kPa(-1) is achieved. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Infrared transparent graphene heater for silicon photonic integrated circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Schall, Daniel; Mohsin, Muhammad; Sagade, Abhay A; Otto, Martin; Chmielak, Bartos; Suckow, Stephan; Giesecke, Anna Lena; Neumaier, Daniel; Kurz, Heinrich

2016-04-18

Thermo-optical tuning of the refractive index is one of the pivotal operations performed in integrated silicon photonic circuits for thermal stabilization, compensation of fabrication tolerances, and implementation of photonic operations. Currently, heaters based on metal wires provide the temperature control in the silicon waveguide. The strong interaction of metal and light, however, necessitates a certain gap between the heater and the photonic structure to avoid significant transmission loss. Here we present a graphene heater that overcomes this constraint and enables an energy efficient tuning of the refractive index. We achieve a tuning power as low as 22 mW per free spectral range and fast response time of 3 µs, outperforming metal based waveguide heaters. Simulations support the experimental results and suggest that for graphene heaters the spacing to the silicon can be further reduced yielding the best possible energy efficiency and operation speed.

Progress in complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor silicon photonics and optoelectronic integrated circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Hongda; Zhang Zan; Huang Beiju; Mao Luhong; Zhang Zanyun

2015-01-01

Silicon photonics is an emerging competitive solution for next-generation scalable data communications in different application areas as high-speed data communication is constrained by electrical interconnects. Optical interconnects based on silicon photonics can be used in intra/inter-chip interconnects, board-to-board interconnects, short-reach communications in datacenters, supercomputers and long-haul optical transmissions. In this paper, we present an overview of recent progress in silicon optoelectronic devices and optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs) based on a complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor-compatible process, and focus on our research contributions. The silicon optoelectronic devices and OEICs show good characteristics, which are expected to benefit several application domains, including communication, sensing, computing and nonlinear systems. (review)

Inverse-designed stretchable metalens with tunable focal distance

Science.gov (United States)

Callewaert, Francois; Velev, Vesselin; Jiang, Shizhou; Sahakian, Alan Varteres; Kumar, Prem; Aydin, Koray

2018-02-01

In this paper, we present an inverse-designed 3D-printed all-dielectric stretchable millimeter wave metalens with a tunable focal distance. A computational inverse-design method is used to design a flat metalens made of disconnected polymer building blocks with complex shapes, as opposed to conventional monolithic lenses. The proposed metalens provides better performance than a conventional Fresnel lens, using lesser amount of material and enabling larger focal distance tunability. The metalens is fabricated using a commercial 3D-printer and attached to a stretchable platform. Measurements and simulations show that the focal distance can be tuned by a factor of 4 with a stretching factor of only 75%, a nearly diffraction-limited focal spot, and with a 70% relative focusing efficiency, defined as the ratio between power focused in the focal spot and power going through the focal plane. The proposed platform can be extended for design and fabrication of multiple electromagnetic devices working from visible to microwave radiation depending on scaling of the devices.

Kirigami-based PVDF thin-film as stretchable strain sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Nan; Chen, Dajing; Hao, Nanjing; Huang, Shicheng; Yu, Xiaojiao; Zhang, John X. J.; Chen, Zi

Kirigami, as the sister of the origami, involves cutting of 2D sheets to form complex 3D geometries with out-of-plane patterns. Motivated by the development of the high-stretchable biomedical devices, we explore the stretchability of the kirigami-based PVDF thin film under tension. Our structural prototypes include a set of 2D geometry with kirigami-based pattern cutting on PVDF thin films. We first used paper models to generate a wide range of cutting patterns to study the deformation under compression tests, the results of which are compared with finite element simulations. We then proceeded to test different kirigami-based designs to identify geometric parameters that can tune the post-buckling response and strain distribution. Next, we fabricated and tested the PVDF thin film with kirigami pattern. Experiments showed that the PVDF film in the absence of cutting can be stretched to a limited extent and will break upon further stretching. In contrast, the kirigami-based films can be stretched up to 100% without failure. Our designs demonstrate the ability to significantly improve the strain range of the structure and sensing ability of a sensor. We envision a promising future to use this class of structural elements to develop highly stretchable materials, structures, and devices. Z.C. acknowledges the Society in Science-Branco Weiss fellowship, administered by ETH Zürich. J.X.J.Z. acknowledges the NIH Director's Transformative Research Award (1R01 OD022910-01).

Highly Stretchable and Transparent Microfluidic Strain Sensors for Monitoring Human Body Motions.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Sun Geun; Koo, Hyung-Jun; Chang, Suk Tai

2015-12-16

We report a new class of simple microfluidic strain sensors with high stretchability, transparency, sensitivity, and long-term stability with no considerable hysteresis and a fast response to various deformations by combining the merits of microfluidic techniques and ionic liquids. The high optical transparency of the strain sensors was achieved by introducing refractive-index matched ionic liquids into microfluidic networks or channels embedded in an elastomeric matrix. The microfluidic strain sensors offer the outstanding sensor performance under a variety of deformations induced by stretching, bending, pressing, and twisting of the microfluidic strain sensors. The principle of our microfluidic strain sensor is explained by a theoretical model based on the elastic channel deformation. In order to demonstrate its capability of practical usage, the simple-structured microfluidic strain sensors were performed onto a finger, wrist, and arm. The highly stretchable and transparent microfluidic strain sensors were successfully applied as potential platforms for distinctively monitoring a wide range of human body motions in real time. Our novel microfluidic strain sensors show great promise for making future stretchable electronic devices.

Micro-wrinkling and delamination-induced buckling of stretchable electronic structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oyewole, O. K.; Yu, D.; Du, J.; Asare, J.; Fashina, A.; Oyewole, D. O.; Anye, V. C.; Zebaze Kana, M. G.

2015-01-01

This paper presents the results of experimental and theoretical/computational micro-wrinkles and buckling on the surfaces of stretchable poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coated with nano-scale Gold (Au) layers. The wrinkles and buckles are formed by the unloading of pre-stretched PDMS/Au structure after the evaporation of nano-scale Au layers. They are then characterized using atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The critical stresses required for wrinkling and buckling are analyzed using analytical models. The possible interfacial cracking that can occur along with film buckling is also studied using finite element simulations of the interfacial crack growth. The implications of the results are discussed for potential applications of micro-wrinkles and micro-buckles in stretchable electronic structures and biomedical devices

Liquid-Metal-Based Super-Stretchable and Structure-Designable Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Wearable Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yanqin; Sun, Na; Wen, Zhen; Cheng, Ping; Zheng, Hechuang; Shao, Huiyun; Xia, Yujian; Chen, Chen; Lan, Huiwen; Xie, Xinkai; Zhou, Changjie; Zhong, Jun; Sun, Xuhui; Lee, Shuit-Tong

2018-02-27

The rapid advancement of intelligent wearable electronics imposes the emergent requirement for power sources that are deformable, compliant, and stretchable. Power sources with these characteristics are difficult and challenging to achieve. The use of liquid metals as electrodes may provide a viable strategy to produce such power sources. In this work, we propose a liquid-metal-based triboelectric nanogenerator (LM-TENG) by employing Galinstan as the electrode and silicone rubber as the triboelectric and encapsulation layer. The small Young's modulus of the liquid metal ensures the electrode remains continuously conductive under deformations, stretching to a strain as large as ∼300%. The surface oxide layer of Galinstan effectively prevents the liquid Galinstan electrode from further oxidization and permeation into silicone rubber, yielding outstanding device stability. Operating in the single-electrode mode at 3 Hz, the LM-TENG with an area of 6 × 3 cm 2 produces an open-circuit voltage of 354.5 V, transferred short-circuit charge of 123.2 nC, short-circuit current of 15.6 μA, and average power density of 8.43 mW/m 2 , which represent outstanding performance values for TENGs. Further, the LM-TENG maintains stable performance under various deformations, such as stretching, folding, and twisting. LM-TENGs in different forms, such as bulk-shaped, bracelet-like, and textile-like, are all able to harvest mechanical energy from human walking, arm shaking, or hand patting to sustainably drive wearable electronic devices.

The Language of Glove: Wireless gesture decoder with low-power and stretchable hybrid electronics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Timothy F O'Connor

Full Text Available This communication describes a glove capable of wirelessly translating the American Sign Language (ASL alphabet into text displayable on a computer or smartphone. The key components of the device are strain sensors comprising a piezoresistive composite of carbon particles embedded in a fluoroelastomer. These sensors are integrated with a wearable electronic module consisting of digitizers, a microcontroller, and a Bluetooth radio. Finite-element analysis predicts a peak strain on the sensors of 5% when the knuckles are fully bent. Fatigue studies suggest that the sensors successfully detect the articulation of the knuckles even when bent to their maximal degree 1,000 times. In concert with an accelerometer and pressure sensors, the glove is able to translate all 26 letters of the ASL alphabet. Lastly, data taken from the glove are used to control a virtual hand; this application suggests new ways in which stretchable and wearable electronics can enable humans to interface with virtual environments. Critically, this system was constructed of components costing less than $100 and did not require chemical synthesis or access to a cleanroom. It can thus be used as a test bed for materials scientists to evaluate the performance of new materials and flexible and stretchable hybrid electronics.

The Language of Glove: Wireless gesture decoder with low-power and stretchable hybrid electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Timothy F; Fach, Matthew E; Miller, Rachel; Root, Samuel E; Mercier, Patrick P; Lipomi, Darren J

2017-01-01

This communication describes a glove capable of wirelessly translating the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet into text displayable on a computer or smartphone. The key components of the device are strain sensors comprising a piezoresistive composite of carbon particles embedded in a fluoroelastomer. These sensors are integrated with a wearable electronic module consisting of digitizers, a microcontroller, and a Bluetooth radio. Finite-element analysis predicts a peak strain on the sensors of 5% when the knuckles are fully bent. Fatigue studies suggest that the sensors successfully detect the articulation of the knuckles even when bent to their maximal degree 1,000 times. In concert with an accelerometer and pressure sensors, the glove is able to translate all 26 letters of the ASL alphabet. Lastly, data taken from the glove are used to control a virtual hand; this application suggests new ways in which stretchable and wearable electronics can enable humans to interface with virtual environments. Critically, this system was constructed of components costing less than $100 and did not require chemical synthesis or access to a cleanroom. It can thus be used as a test bed for materials scientists to evaluate the performance of new materials and flexible and stretchable hybrid electronics.

Stretchable Fluorescent Polyfluorene/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Rubber Blend Electrospun Fibers through Physical Interaction and Geometrical Confinement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Hui-Ching; Chen, Jung-Yao; Lee, Wen-Ya; Bera, Debaditya; Chen, Wen-Chang

2018-03-01

Stretchable light-emitting polymers are important for wearable electronics; however, the development of intrinsic stretchable light-emitting materials with great performance under large applied strain is the most critical challenge. Herein, this study demonstrates the fabrication of stretchable fluorescent poly[(9,9-bis(3'-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene)]/acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (PFN/NBR) blend nanofibers using the uniaxial electrospinning technique. The physical interaction of PFN with NBR and the geometrical confinement of nanofibers are employed to reduce PFN aggregation, leading to the high photoluminescence quantum yield of 35.7%. Such fiber mat film shows stable blue emission at the 50% strain for 200 stretching/release cycles, which has potential applications in smart textiles. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ultrafast triggered transient energy storage by atomic layer deposition into porous silicon for integrated transient electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas, Anna; Muralidharan, Nitin; Carter, Rachel; Share, Keith; Pint, Cary L.

2016-03-01

Here we demonstrate the first on-chip silicon-integrated rechargeable transient power source based on atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating of vanadium oxide (VOx) into porous silicon. A stable specific capacitance above 20 F g-1 is achieved until the device is triggered with alkaline solutions. Due to the rational design of the active VOx coating enabled by ALD, transience occurs through a rapid disabling step that occurs within seconds, followed by full dissolution of all active materials within 30 minutes of the initial trigger. This work demonstrates how engineered materials for energy storage can provide a basis for next-generation transient systems and highlights porous silicon as a versatile scaffold to integrate transient energy storage into transient electronics.Here we demonstrate the first on-chip silicon-integrated rechargeable transient power source based on atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating of vanadium oxide (VOx) into porous silicon. A stable specific capacitance above 20 F g-1 is achieved until the device is triggered with alkaline solutions. Due to the rational design of the active VOx coating enabled by ALD, transience occurs through a rapid disabling step that occurs within seconds, followed by full dissolution of all active materials within 30 minutes of the initial trigger. This work demonstrates how engineered materials for energy storage can provide a basis for next-generation transient systems and highlights porous silicon as a versatile scaffold to integrate transient energy storage into transient electronics. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: (i) Experimental details for ALD and material fabrication, ellipsometry film thickness, preparation of gel electrolyte and separator, details for electrochemical measurements, HRTEM image of VOx coated porous silicon, Raman spectroscopy for VOx as-deposited as well as annealed in air for 1 hour at 450 °C, SEM and transient behavior dissolution tests of uniformly coated VOx on

III–V-on-Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuits for Spectroscopic Sensing in the 2–4 μm Wavelength Range

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruijun; Vasiliev, Anton; Muneeb, Muhammad; Malik, Aditya; Sprengel, Stephan; Boehm, Gerhard; Amann, Markus-Christian; Šimonytė, Ieva; Vizbaras, Augustinas; Vizbaras, Kristijonas; Baets, Roel; Roelkens, Gunther

2017-01-01

The availability of silicon photonic integrated circuits (ICs) in the 2–4 μm wavelength range enables miniature optical sensors for trace gas and bio-molecule detection. In this paper, we review our recent work on III–V-on-silicon waveguide circuits for spectroscopic sensing in this wavelength range. We first present results on the heterogeneous integration of 2.3 μm wavelength III–V laser sources and photodetectors on silicon photonic ICs for fully integrated optical sensors. Then a compact 2 μm wavelength widely tunable external cavity laser using a silicon photonic IC for the wavelength selective feedback is shown. High-performance silicon arrayed waveguide grating spectrometers are also presented. Further we show an on-chip photothermal transducer using a suspended silicon-on-insulator microring resonator used for mid-infrared photothermal spectroscopy. PMID:28777291

Soft Pneumatic Bending Actuator with Integrated Carbon Nanotube Displacement Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tim Giffney

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The excellent compliance and large range of motion of soft actuators controlled by fluid pressure has lead to strong interest in applying devices of this type for biomimetic and human-robot interaction applications. However, in contrast to soft actuators fabricated from stretchable silicone materials, conventional technologies for position sensing are typically rigid or bulky and are not ideal for integration into soft robotic devices. Therefore, in order to facilitate the use of soft pneumatic actuators in applications where position sensing or closed loop control is required, a soft pneumatic bending actuator with an integrated carbon nanotube position sensor has been developed. The integrated carbon nanotube position sensor presented in this work is flexible and well suited to measuring the large displacements frequently encountered in soft robotics. The sensor is produced by a simple soft lithography process during the fabrication of the soft pneumatic actuator, with a greater than 30% resistance change between the relaxed state and the maximum displacement position. It is anticipated that integrated resistive position sensors using a similar design will be useful in a wide range of soft robotic systems.

Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian; Yu, Hu; Xu, Xuezhu; Han, Fei; Lubineau, Gilles

2017-01-01

The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly

Stretchable Metamaterial Absorber Using Liquid Metal-Filled Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyeongseob Kim

2016-04-01

Full Text Available A stretchable metamaterial absorber is proposed in this study. The stretchability was achieved by liquid metal and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS. To inject liquid metal, microfluidic channels were fabricated using PDMS powers and microfluidic-channel frames, which were built using a three-dimensional printer. A top conductive pattern and ground plane were designed after considering the easy injection of liquid metal. The proposed metamaterial absorber comprises three layers of PDMS substrate. The top layer is for the top conductive pattern, and the bottom layer is for the meandered ground plane. Flat PDMS layers were inserted between the top and bottom PDMS layers. The measured absorptivity of the fabricated absorber was 97.8% at 18.5 GHz, and the absorption frequency increased from 18.5 to 18.65 GHz as the absorber was stretched from its original length (5.2 cm to 6.4 cm.

Functionalization and microfluidic integration of silicon nanowire biologically gated field effect transistors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pfreundt, Andrea

This thesis deals with the development of a novel biosensor for the detection of biomolecules based on a silicon nanowire biologically gated field-effect transistor and its integration into a point-of-care device. The sensor and electrical on-chip integration was developed in a different project...

Functionalization and microfluidic integration of silicon nanowire biologically gated field effect transistors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pfreundt, Andrea; Svendsen, Winnie Edith; Dimaki, Maria

2016-01-01

This thesis deals with the development of a novel biosensor for the detection of biomolecules based on a silicon nanowire biologically gated field-effect transistor and its integration into a point-of-care device. The sensor and electrical on-chip integration was developed in a different project...

Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

KAUST Repository

Zhou, Jian

2017-01-17

The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) can sustain their sensitivity even at very high strain levels (with a gauge factor of over 10(7) at 50% strain). This record sensitivity is ascribed to the low initial electrical resistance (5-28 Omega) of the SWCNT paper and the wide change in resistance (up to 10(6) Omega) governed by the percolated network of SWCNT in the cracked region. The sensor response remains nearly unchanged after 10 000 strain cycles at 20% proving the robustness of this technology. This fragmentation based sensing system brings opportunities to engineer highly sensitive stretchable sensors.

High-dimensional quantum key distribution based on multicore fiber using silicon photonic integrated circuits

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yunhong; Bacco, Davide; Dalgaard, Kjeld

2017-01-01

is intrinsically limited to 1 bit/photon. Here we propose and experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, a high-dimensional quantum key distribution protocol based on space division multiplexing in multicore fiber using silicon photonic integrated lightwave circuits. We successfully realized three mutually......-dimensional quantum states, and enables breaking the information efficiency limit of traditional quantum key distribution protocols. In addition, the silicon photonic circuits used in our work integrate variable optical attenuators, highly efficient multicore fiber couplers, and Mach-Zehnder interferometers, enabling...

Hybrid Integrated Silicon Microfluidic Platform for Fluorescence Based Biodetection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Darveau

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The desideratum to develop a fully integrated Lab-on-a-chip device capable ofrapid specimen detection for high throughput in-situ biomedical diagnoses and Point-of-Care testing applications has called for the integration of some of the novel technologiessuch as the microfluidics, microphotonics, immunoproteomics and Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS. In the present work, a silicon based microfluidic device hasbeen developed for carrying out fluorescence based immunoassay. By hybrid attachment ofthe microfluidic device with a Spectrometer-on-chip, the feasibility of synthesizing anintegrated Lab-on-a-chip type device for fluorescence based biosensing has beendemonstrated. Biodetection using the microfluidic device has been carried out usingantigen sheep IgG and Alexafluor-647 tagged antibody particles and the experimentalresults prove that silicon is a compatible material for the present application given thevarious advantages it offers such as cost-effectiveness, ease of bulk microfabrication,superior surface affinity to biomolecules, ease of disposability of the device etc., and is thussuitable for fabricating Lab-on-a-chip type devices.

Three-Dimensional Integration of Black Phosphorus Photodetector with Silicon Photonics and Nanoplasmonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Che; Youngblood, Nathan; Peng, Ruoming; Yoo, Daehan; Mohr, Daniel A; Johnson, Timothy W; Oh, Sang-Hyun; Li, Mo

2017-02-08

We demonstrate the integration of a black phosphorus photodetector in a hybrid, three-dimensional architecture of silicon photonics and metallic nanoplasmonics structures. This integration approach combines the advantages of the low propagation loss of silicon waveguides, high-field confinement of a plasmonic nanogap, and the narrow bandgap of black phosphorus to achieve high responsivity for detection of telecom-band, near-infrared light. Benefiting from an ultrashort channel (∼60 nm) and near-field enhancement enabled by the nanogap structure, the photodetector shows an intrinsic responsivity as high as 10 A/W afforded by internal gain mechanisms, and a 3 dB roll-off frequency of 150 MHz. This device demonstrates a promising approach for on-chip integration of three distinctive photonic systems, which, as a generic platform, may lead to future nanophotonic applications for biosensing, nonlinear optics, and optical signal processing.

Integrated nanophotonic frequency shifter on the silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) platform for laser vibrometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauermann, M.; Weimann, C.; Palmer, R.; Schindler, P. C.; Koeber, S.; Freude, W.; Koos, C.; Rembe, C.

2014-01-01

We demonstrate a waveguide-based frequency shifter on the silicon photonic platform, enabling frequency shifts up to 10 GHz. The device is realized by silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) integration. Temporal shaping of the drive signal allows the suppression of spurious side-modes by more than 23 dB

Integrated nanophotonic frequency shifter on the silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) platform for laser vibrometry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauermann, M.; Weimann, C.; Palmer, R.; Schindler, P. C. [Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Koeber, S.; Freude, W., E-mail: christian.koos@kit.edu; Koos, C., E-mail: christian.koos@kit.edu [Institute of Photonics and Quantum Electronics, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany and Institute of Microstructure Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Rembe, C. [Polytec GmbH, 76337 Waldbronn (Germany)

2014-05-27

We demonstrate a waveguide-based frequency shifter on the silicon photonic platform, enabling frequency shifts up to 10 GHz. The device is realized by silicon-organic hybrid (SOH) integration. Temporal shaping of the drive signal allows the suppression of spurious side-modes by more than 23 dB.

Stretchable carbon nanotube/ion-gel supercapacitors with high durability realized through interfacial microroughness.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Jiho; Kim, Wonbin; Kim, Woong

2014-08-27

A critical problem with stretchable supercapacitors developed to date has been evaporation of a volatile component of their electrolyte, causing failure. In this work, we demonstrated successful use of an ionic-liquid-based nonvolatile gel (ion-gel) electrolyte in carbon nanotube (CNT)-based stretchable supercapacitors. The CNT/ion-gel supercapacitors showed high capacitance retention (96.6%) over 3000 stretch cycles at 20% strain. The high durability against stretch cycles was achieved by introducing microroughness at the interfaces between different materials. The microroughness was produced by the simple process of imprinting the surface microstructure of office paper onto a poly(dimethylsiloxane) substrate; the surface texture is reproduced in successive current collector and CNT layers. Adhesion between the different layers was strengthened by this roughness and prevented delamination over repeated stretch cycles. The addition of a CNT layer decreased the sensitivity of electrical characteristics to stretching. Moreover, the ion-gel increases the operating voltage window (3 V) and hence the energy density. We believe our demonstration will greatly contribute to the development of flexible and/or stretchable energy-storage devices with high durability.

Software-defined networking control plane for seamless integration of multiple silicon photonic switches in Datacom networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Yiwen; Hattink, Maarten H N; Samadi, Payman; Cheng, Qixiang; Hu, Ziyiz; Gazman, Alexander; Bergman, Keren

2018-04-16

Silicon photonics based switches offer an effective option for the delivery of dynamic bandwidth for future large-scale Datacom systems while maintaining scalable energy efficiency. The integration of a silicon photonics-based optical switching fabric within electronic Datacom architectures requires novel network topologies and arbitration strategies to effectively manage the active elements in the network. We present a scalable software-defined networking control plane to integrate silicon photonic based switches with conventional Ethernet or InfiniBand networks. Our software-defined control plane manages both electronic packet switches and multiple silicon photonic switches for simultaneous packet and circuit switching. We built an experimental Dragonfly network testbed with 16 electronic packet switches and 2 silicon photonic switches to evaluate our control plane. Observed latencies occupied by each step of the switching procedure demonstrate a total of 344 µs control plane latency for data-center and high performance computing platforms.

Feasibility studies of microelectrode silicon detectors with integrated electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalla Betta, G.-F.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Boscardin, M.; Bosisio, L.; Carpinelli, M.; Dittongo, S.; Forti, F.; Giorgi, M.; Gregori, P.; Lusiani, A.; Manghisoni, M.; Pignatel, G.U.; Rama, M.; Ratti, L.; Re, V.; Sandrelli, F.; Speziali, V.; Svelto, F.; Zorzi, N.

2002-01-01

We describe our experience on design and fabrication, on high-resistivity silicon substrates, of microstrip detectors and integrated electronics, devoted to high-energy physics experiments and medical/industrial imaging applications. We report on the full program of our collaboration, with particular regards to the tuning of a new fabrication process, allowing for the production of good quality transistors, while keeping under control the basic detector parameters, such as leakage current. Experimental results on JFET and bipolar transistors are presented, and a microstrip detector with an integrated JFET in source-follower configuration is introduced

Silicon Microspheres Photonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Serpenguzel, A.

2008-01-01

Electrophotonic integrated circuits (EPICs), or alternatively, optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEICs) are the natural evolution of the microelectronic integrated circuit (IC) with the addition of photonic capabilities. Traditionally, the IC industry has been based on group IV silicon, whereas the photonics industry on group III-V semiconductors. However, silicon based photonic microdevices have been making strands in siliconizing photonics. Silicon microspheres with their high quality factor whispering gallery modes (WGMs), are ideal candidates for wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) applications in the standard near-infrared communication bands. In this work, we will discuss the possibility of using silicon microspheres for photonics applications in the near-infrared

Self-grafting carbon nanotubes on polymers for stretchable electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Piero; Moyanova, Slavianka; Pavone, Luigi; Fazi, Laura; Mirabile Gattia, Daniele; Rapone, Bruno; Gaglione, Anderson; Senesi, Roberto

2018-06-01

Elementary bidimensional circuitry made of single-wall carbon-nanotube-based conductors, self-grafted on different polymer films, is accomplished in an attempt to develop a simple technology for flexible and stretchable electronic devices. Unlike in other studies of polymer-carbon nanotube composites, no chemical functionalization of single-wall carbon nanotubes is necessary for stable grafting onto several polymeric surfaces, suggesting viable and cheap fabrication technologies for stretchable microdevices. Electrical characterization of both unstretched and strongly stretched conductors is provided, while an insight on the mechanisms of strong adhesion to the polymer is obtained by scanning electron microscopy of the surface composite. As a first example of technological application, the electrical functionality of a carbon-nanotube-based 6-sensor (electrode) grid was demonstrated by recording of subdural electrocorticograms in freely moving rats over approximately three months. The results are very promising and may serve as a basis for future work targeting clinical applications.

Flexible and Stretchable Optoelectronic Devices using Silver Nanowires and Graphene.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hanleem; Kim, Meeree; Kim, Ikjoon; Lee, Hyoyoung

2016-06-01

Many studies have accompanied the emergence of a great interest in flexible or/and stretchable devices for new applications in wearable and futuristic technology, including human-interface devices, robotic skin, and biometric devices, and in optoelectronic devices. Especially, new nanodimensional materials enable flexibility or stretchability to be brought based on their dimensionality. Here, the emerging field of flexible devices is briefly introduced using silver nanowires and graphene, which are famous nanomaterials for the use of transparent conductive electrodes, as examples, and their unique functions originating from the intrinsic property of these nanomaterials are highlighted. It is thought that this work will evoke more interest and idea exchanges in this emerging field and hopefully can trigger a breakthrough on a new type of optoelectronics and optogenetic devices in the near future. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Mechanical response of spiral interconnect arrays for highly stretchable electronics

KAUST Repository

Qaiser, Nadeem

2017-11-21

A spiral interconnect array is a commonly used architecture for stretchable electronics, which accommodates large deformations during stretching. Here, we show the effect of different geometrical morphologies on the deformation behavior of the spiral island network. We use numerical modeling to calculate the stresses and strains in the spiral interconnects under the prescribed displacement of 1000 μm. Our result shows that spiral arm elongation depends on the angular position of that particular spiral in the array. We also introduce the concept of a unit-cell, which fairly replicates the deformation mechanism for full complex hexagon, diamond, and square shaped arrays. The spiral interconnects which are axially connected between displaced and fixed islands attain higher stretchability and thus experience the maximum deformations. We perform tensile testing of 3D printed replica and find that experimental observations corroborate with theoretical study.

Mechanical response of spiral interconnect arrays for highly stretchable electronics

KAUST Repository

Qaiser, Nadeem; Khan, S. M.; Nour, Maha A.; Rehman, M. U.; Rojas, J. P.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2017-01-01

A spiral interconnect array is a commonly used architecture for stretchable electronics, which accommodates large deformations during stretching. Here, we show the effect of different geometrical morphologies on the deformation behavior of the spiral island network. We use numerical modeling to calculate the stresses and strains in the spiral interconnects under the prescribed displacement of 1000 μm. Our result shows that spiral arm elongation depends on the angular position of that particular spiral in the array. We also introduce the concept of a unit-cell, which fairly replicates the deformation mechanism for full complex hexagon, diamond, and square shaped arrays. The spiral interconnects which are axially connected between displaced and fixed islands attain higher stretchability and thus experience the maximum deformations. We perform tensile testing of 3D printed replica and find that experimental observations corroborate with theoretical study.

Mode converter based on an inverse taper for multimode silicon nanophotonic integrated circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Daoxin; Mao, Mao

2015-11-02

An inverse taper on silicon is proposed and designed to realize an efficient mode converter available for the connection between multimode silicon nanophotonic integrated circuits and few-mode fibers. The present mode converter has a silicon-on-insulator inverse taper buried in a 3 × 3μm(2) SiN strip waveguide to deal with not only for the fundamental mode but also for the higher-order modes. The designed inverse taper enables the conversion between the six modes (i.e., TE(11), TE(21), TE(31), TE(41), TM(11), TM(12)) in a 1.4 × 0.22μm(2) multimode SOI waveguide and the six modes (like the LP(01), LP(11a), LP(11b) modes in a few-mode fiber) in a 3 × 3μm(2) SiN strip waveguide. The conversion efficiency for any desired mode is higher than 95.6% while any undesired mode excitation ratio is lower than 0.5%. This is helpful to make multimode silicon nanophotonic integrated circuits (e.g., the on-chip mode (de)multiplexers developed well) available to work together with few-mode fibers in the future.

Technology for the compatible integration of silicon detectors with readout electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmer, G.

1984-01-01

Compatible integration of detectors and readout electronics on the same silicon substrate is of growing interest. As the methods of microelectronics technology have already been adapted for detector fabrication, a common technology basis for detectors and readout electronics is available. CMOS technology exhibits most attractive features for the compatible realization of readout electronics when advanced LSI processing steps are combined with detector requirements. The essential requirements for compatible integration are the availability of high resistivity (100)-oriented single crystalline silicon substrate, the formation of suitably doped areas for MOS circuits and the isolation of the low voltage circuit from the detector operated at much higher supply voltage. Junction isolation as a first approach based on present production technology and dielectric isolation based on an advanced SOI-LSI technology are discussed as the most promising solutions for present and future applications, respectively. (orig.)

Integrated GaN photonic circuits on silicon (100) for second harmonic generation

OpenAIRE

Xiong, Chi; Pernice, Wolfram; Ryu, Kevin K.; Schuck, Carsten; Fong, King Y.; Palacios, Tomas; Tang, Hong X.

2014-01-01

We demonstrate second order optical nonlinearity in a silicon architecture through heterogeneous integration of single-crystalline gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon (100) substrates. By engineering GaN microrings for dual resonance around 1560 nm and 780 nm, we achieve efficient, tunable second harmonic generation at 780 nm. The \\{chi}(2) nonlinear susceptibility is measured to be as high as 16 plus minus 7 pm/V. Because GaN has a wideband transparency window covering ultraviolet, visible and ...

Silicon photonics fiber-to-the-home transceiver array based on transfer-printing-based integration of III-V photodetectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; De Groote, Andreas; Abbasi, Amin; Loi, Ruggero; O'Callaghan, James; Corbett, Brian; Trindade, António José; Bower, Christopher A; Roelkens, Gunther

2017-06-26

A 4-channel silicon photonics transceiver array for Point-to-Point (P2P) fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) optical networks at the central office (CO) side is demonstrated. A III-V O-band photodetector array was integrated onto the silicon photonic transmitter through transfer printing technology, showing a polarization-independent responsivity of 0.39 - 0.49 A/W in the O-band. The integrated PDs (30 × 40 μm 2 mesa) have a 3 dB bandwidth of 11.5 GHz at -3 V bias. Together with high-speed C-band silicon ring modulators whose bandwidth is up to 15 GHz, operation of the transceiver array at 10 Gbit/s is demonstrated. The use of transfer printing for the integration of the III-V photodetectors allows for an efficient use of III-V material and enables the scalable integration of III-V devices on silicon photonics wafers, thereby reducing their cost.

Stretchable transistors with buckled carbon nanotube films as conducting channels

Science.gov (United States)

Arnold, Michael S; Xu, Feng

2015-03-24

Thin-film transistors comprising buckled films comprising carbon nanotubes as the conductive channel are provided. Also provided are methods of fabricating the transistors. The transistors, which are highly stretchable and bendable, exhibit stable performance even when operated under high tensile strains.

A Highly Stretchable and Washable All-Yarn-Based Self-Charging Knitting Power Textile Composed of Fiber Triboelectric Nanogenerators and Supercapacitors.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Kai; Wang, Yi-Cheng; Deng, Jianan; Dai, Yejing; Zhang, Steven L; Zou, Haiyang; Gu, Bohong; Sun, Baozhong; Wang, Zhong Lin

2017-09-26

Rapid advancements in stretchable and multifunctional wearable electronics impose a challenge on corresponding power devices that they should have comparable portability and stretchability. Here, we report a highly stretchable and washable all-yarn-based self-charging knitting power textile that enables both biomechanical energy harvesting and simultaneously energy storing by hybridizing triboelectrical nanogenerator (TENG) and supercapacitor (SC) into one fabric. With the weft-knitting technique, the power textile is qualified with high elasticity, flexibility, and stretchability, which can adapt to complex mechanical deformations. The knitting TENG fabric is able to generate electric energy with a maximum instantaneous peak power density of ∼85 mW·m -2 and light up at least 124 light-emitting diodes. The all-solid-state symmetrical yarn SC exhibits lightweight, good capacitance, high flexibility, and excellent mechanical and long-term stability, which is suitable for wearable energy storage devices. The assembled knitting power textile is capable of sustainably driving wearable electronics (for example, a calculator or temperature-humidity meter) with energy converted from human motions. Our work provides more opportunities for stretchable multifunctional power sources and potential applications in wearable electronics.

Crystalline Silicon Interconnected Strips (XIS). Introduction to a New, Integrated Device and Module Concept

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Roosmalen, J.; Bronsveld, P.; Mewe, A.; Janssen, G.; Stodolny, M.; Cobussen-Pool, E.; Bennett, I.; Weeber, A.; Geerligs, B. [ECN Solar Energy, P.O. Box 1, NL-1755 ZG, Petten (Netherlands)

2012-06-15

A new device concept for high efficiency, low cost, wafer based silicon solar cells is introduced. To significantly lower the costs of Si photovoltaics, high efficiencies and large reductions of metals and silicon costs are required. To enable this, the device architecture was adapted into low current devices by applying thin silicon strips, to which a special high efficiency back-contact heterojunction cell design was applied. Standard industrial production processes can be used for our fully integrated cell and module design, with a cost reduction potential below 0.5 euro/Wp. First devices have been realized demonstrating the principle of a series connected back contact hybrid silicon heterojunction module concept.

Nonlinear silicon photonics

Science.gov (United States)

Borghi, M.; Castellan, C.; Signorini, S.; Trenti, A.; Pavesi, L.

2017-09-01

Silicon photonics is a technology based on fabricating integrated optical circuits by using the same paradigms as the dominant electronics industry. After twenty years of fervid development, silicon photonics is entering the market with low cost, high performance and mass-manufacturable optical devices. Until now, most silicon photonic devices have been based on linear optical effects, despite the many phenomenologies associated with nonlinear optics in both bulk materials and integrated waveguides. Silicon and silicon-based materials have strong optical nonlinearities which are enhanced in integrated devices by the small cross-section of the high-index contrast silicon waveguides or photonic crystals. Here the photons are made to strongly interact with the medium where they propagate. This is the central argument of nonlinear silicon photonics. It is the aim of this review to describe the state-of-the-art in the field. Starting from the basic nonlinearities in a silicon waveguide or in optical resonator geometries, many phenomena and applications are described—including frequency generation, frequency conversion, frequency-comb generation, supercontinuum generation, soliton formation, temporal imaging and time lensing, Raman lasing, and comb spectroscopy. Emerging quantum photonics applications, such as entangled photon sources, heralded single-photon sources and integrated quantum photonic circuits are also addressed at the end of this review.

Strategies for doped nanocrystalline silicon integration in silicon heterojunction solar cells

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Seif, J.; Descoeudres, A.; Nogay, G.; Hänni, S.; de Nicolas, S.M.; Holm, N.; Geissbühler, J.; Hessler-Wyser, A.; Duchamp, M.; Dunin-Borkowski, R.E.; Ledinský, Martin; De Wolf, S.; Ballif, C.

2016-01-01

Roč. 6, č. 5 (2016), s. 1132-1140 ISSN 2156-3381 R&D Projects: GA MŠk LM2015087 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : microcrystalline silicon * nanocrystalline silicon * silicon heterojunctions (SHJs) * solar cells Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.712, year: 2016

Recent results from the development of silicon detectors with integrated electronics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dalla Betta, G.-F. E-mail: dallabe@dit.unitn.it; Boscardin, M.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Bisogni, M.G.; Bosisio, L.; Carpinelli, M.; Ciacchi, M.; Dittongo, S.; Forti, F.; Giorgi, M.; Gregori, P.; Manghisoni, M.; Novelli, M.; Piemonte, C.; Rachevskaia, I.; Rama, M.; Ratti, L.; Re, V.; Ronchin, S.; Sandrelli, F.; Simi, G.; Speziali, V.; Rosso, V.; Traversi, G.; Zorzi, N

2004-02-01

In the past few years we have developed a technological process allowing for the fabrication of radiation detectors with integrated electronics on high-resistivity silicon substrates. We report on some recent results relevant to the process optimisation and to device/circuit characterization.

Recent results from the development of silicon detectors with integrated electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalla Betta, G.-F.; Boscardin, M.; Batignani, G.; Bettarini, S.; Bisogni, M.G.; Bosisio, L.; Carpinelli, M.; Ciacchi, M.; Dittongo, S.; Forti, F.; Giorgi, M.; Gregori, P.; Manghisoni, M.; Novelli, M.; Piemonte, C.; Rachevskaia, I.; Rama, M.; Ratti, L.; Re, V.; Ronchin, S.; Sandrelli, F.; Simi, G.; Speziali, V.; Rosso, V.; Traversi, G.; Zorzi, N.

2004-01-01

In the past few years we have developed a technological process allowing for the fabrication of radiation detectors with integrated electronics on high-resistivity silicon substrates. We report on some recent results relevant to the process optimisation and to device/circuit characterization

Silicon-based optical integrated circuits for terabit communication networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svidzinsky, K K

2003-01-01

A brief review is presented of the development of silicon-based optical integrated circuits used as components in modern all-optical communication networks with the terabit-per-second transmission capacity. The designs and technologies for manufacturing these circuits are described and the problems related to their development and application in WDM communication systems are considered. (special issue devoted to the memory of academician a m prokhorov)

A stretchable electrode array for non-invasive, skin-mounted measurement of electrocardiography (ECG), electromyography (EMG) and electroencephalography (EEG).

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Rui; Kim, Dae-Hyeong; McCormick, Martin; Coleman, Todd; Rogers, John

2010-01-01

This paper reports a class of stretchable electrode array capable of intimate, conformal integration onto the curvilinear surfaces of skin on the human body. The designs employ conventional metallic conductors but in optimized mechanical layouts, on soft, thin elastomeric substrates. These devices exhibit an ability to record spontaneous EEG activity even without conductive electrolyte gels, with recorded alpha rhythm responses that are 40% stronger than those collected using conventional tin electrodes and gels under otherwise similar conditions. The same type of device can also measure high quality ECG and EMG signals. The results suggest broad utility for skin-mounted measurements of electrical activity in the body, with advantages in signal levels, wearability and modes of integration compared to alternatives.

Through-silicon-via crosstalk model and optimization design for three-dimensional integrated circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qian Li-Bo; Xia Yin-Shui; Zhu Zhang-Ming; Ding Rui-Xue; Yang Yin-Tang

2014-01-01

Through-silicon-via (TSV) to TSV crosstalk noise is one of the key factors affecting the signal integrity of three-dimensional integrated circuits (3D ICs). Based on the frequency dependent equivalent electrical parameters for the TSV channel, an analytical crosstalk noise model is established to capture the TSV induced crosstalk noise. The impact of various design parameters including insulation dielectric, via pitch, via height, silicon conductivity, and terminal impedance on the crosstalk noise is analyzed with the proposed model. Two approaches are proposed to alleviate the TSV noise, namely, driver sizing and via shielding, and the SPICE results show 241 mV and 379 mV reductions in the peak noise voltage, respectively

Stretchable Capacitors that Electrically Luminesce, Sense, and Actuate for Biomimetic Coloration

Science.gov (United States)

2017-10-31

Reality (SIGGRAPH conference presentation; collaboration with NVIDIA Research). Potential Army Relevance: •Stretchable displays for visually indicating...with NVIDIA Research for using their Jetson micro AI computing device for gesture interpretation (paper in review). Resulting Journal Publications

Analysis of the three-dimensional delamination behavior of stretchable electronics applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sluis, van der O.; Timmermans, P.H.M.; Zanden, van der E.J.L.; Hoefnagels, J.P.M.; Ernst, L.J.

2009-01-01

Stretchable electronics offer potential application areasin biological implants interacting with human tissue. Furthermore, they facilitate increased design freedom of electronic products. Typical applications can be found in healthcare, wellness and functional clothes. A key requirement on these

Highly Stretchable, Biocompatible, Striated Substrate Made from Fugitive Glue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Li

2015-06-01

Full Text Available We developed a novel substrate made from fugitive glue (styrenic block copolymer that can be used to analyze the effects of large strains on biological samples. The substrate has the following attributes: (1 It is easy to make from inexpensive components; (2 It is transparent and can be used in optical microscopy; (3 It is extremely stretchable as it can be stretched up to 700% strain; (4 It can be micro-molded, for example we created micro-ridges that are 6 μm high and 13 μm wide; (5 It is adhesive to biological fibers (we tested fibrin fibers, and can be used to uniformly stretch those fibers; (6 It is non-toxic to cells (we tested human mammary epithelial cells; (7 It can tolerate various salt concentrations up to 5 M NaCl and low (pH 0 and high (pH 14 pH values. Stretching of this extraordinary stretchable substrate is relatively uniform and thus, can be used to test multiple cells or fibers in parallel under the same conditions.

Ultrahigh-density trench cpacitors in silicon and their application to integrated DC-DC conversion

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roozeboom, F.; Bergveld, H.J.; Nowak, K.; Le Cornec, F.; Guiraud, L.; Bunel, C.; Iochem, S.; Ferreira, J.; Ledain, S.; Pieraerts, E.; Pommier, M.

2009-01-01

This paper addresses silicon-based integration of passive components applied to 3D integration with dies of other technologies within one package. Particularly, the development of high-density trench capacitors has enabled the realization of small-formfactor DC-DC converters. As illustration, an

Silicon-Based Technology for Integrated Waveguides and mm-Wave Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jovanovic, Vladimir; Gentile, Gennaro; Dekker, Ronald

2015-01-01

IC processing is used to develop technology for silicon-filled millimeter-wave-integrated waveguides. The front-end process defines critical waveguide sections and enables integration of dedicated components, such as RF capacitors and resistors. Wafer gluing is used to strengthen the mechanical...... support and deep reactive-ion etching forms the waveguide bulk with smooth and nearly vertical sidewalls. Aluminum metallization covers the etched sidewalls, fully enclosing the waveguides in metal from all sides. Waveguides are fabricated with a rectangular cross section of 560 μm x 280 μm. The measured...

Extremely flexible nanoscale ultrathin body silicon integrated circuits on plastic.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahrjerdi, Davood; Bedell, Stephen W

2013-01-09

In recent years, flexible devices based on nanoscale materials and structures have begun to emerge, exploiting semiconductor nanowires, graphene, and carbon nanotubes. This is primarily to circumvent the existing shortcomings of the conventional flexible electronics based on organic and amorphous semiconductors. The aim of this new class of flexible nanoelectronics is to attain high-performance devices with increased packing density. However, highly integrated flexible circuits with nanoscale transistors have not yet been demonstrated. Here, we show nanoscale flexible circuits on 60 Å thick silicon, including functional ring oscillators and memory cells. The 100-stage ring oscillators exhibit the stage delay of ~16 ps at a power supply voltage of 0.9 V, the best reported for any flexible circuits to date. The mechanical flexibility is achieved by employing the controlled spalling technology, enabling the large-area transfer of the ultrathin body silicon devices to a plastic substrate at room temperature. These results provide a simple and cost-effective pathway to enable ultralight flexible nanoelectronics with unprecedented level of system complexity based on mainstream silicon technology.

Heterogenous integration of a thin-film GaAs photodetector and a microfluidic device on a silicon substrate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Fuchuan; Xiao, Jing; Udawala, Fidaali; Seo, Sang-Woo

2011-01-01

In this paper, heterogeneous integration of a III–V semiconductor thin-film photodetector (PD) with a microfluidic device is demonstrated on a SiO 2 –Si substrate. Thin-film format of optical devices provides an intimate integration of optical functions with microfluidic devices. As a demonstration of a multi-material and functional system, the biphasic flow structure in the polymeric microfluidic channels was co-integrated with a III–V semiconductor thin-film PD. The fluorescent drops formed in the microfluidic device are successfully detected with an integrated thin-film PD on a silicon substrate. The proposed three-dimensional integration structure is an alternative approach to combine optical functions with microfluidic functions on silicon-based electronic functions.

Catastrophic degradation of the interface of epitaxial silicon carbide on silicon at high temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pradeepkumar, Aiswarya; Mishra, Neeraj; Kermany, Atieh Ranjbar; Iacopi, Francesca [Queensland Micro and Nanotechnology Centre and Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan QLD 4111 (Australia); Boeckl, John J. [Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratories, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio 45433 (United States); Hellerstedt, Jack; Fuhrer, Michael S. [Monash Centre for Atomically Thin Materials, Monash University, Monash, VIC 3800 (Australia)

2016-07-04

Epitaxial cubic silicon carbide on silicon is of high potential technological relevance for the integration of a wide range of applications and materials with silicon technologies, such as micro electro mechanical systems, wide-bandgap electronics, and graphene. The hetero-epitaxial system engenders mechanical stresses at least up to a GPa, pressures making it extremely challenging to maintain the integrity of the silicon carbide/silicon interface. In this work, we investigate the stability of said interface and we find that high temperature annealing leads to a loss of integrity. High–resolution transmission electron microscopy analysis shows a morphologically degraded SiC/Si interface, while mechanical stress measurements indicate considerable relaxation of the interfacial stress. From an electrical point of view, the diode behaviour of the initial p-Si/n-SiC junction is catastrophically lost due to considerable inter-diffusion of atoms and charges across the interface upon annealing. Temperature dependent transport measurements confirm a severe electrical shorting of the epitaxial silicon carbide to the underlying substrate, indicating vast predominance of the silicon carriers in lateral transport above 25 K. This finding has crucial consequences on the integration of epitaxial silicon carbide on silicon and its potential applications.

Three-Dimensional Integrated Circuit (3D IC) Key Technology: Through-Silicon Via (TSV).

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Wen-Wei; Chen, Kuan-Neng

2017-12-01

3D integration with through-silicon via (TSV) is a promising candidate to perform system-level integration with smaller package size, higher interconnection density, and better performance. TSV fabrication is the key technology to permit communications between various strata of the 3D integration system. TSV fabrication steps, such as etching, isolation, metallization processes, and related failure modes, as well as other characterizations are discussed in this invited review paper.

Fluoropolymer based composite with Ag particles as 3D printable conductive ink for stretchable electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Amit; La, Thanh Giang; Li, Xinda; Chung, Hyun Joong

The recent development of stretchable electronics expands the scope of wearable and healthcare applications. This creates a high demand in stretchy conductor that can maintain conductivity at high strain conditions. Here, we describe a simple fabrication pathway to achieve stretchable, 3D-printable and low-cost conductive composite ink. The ink is used to print complex stretchable patterns with high conductivity. The elastic ink is composed of silver(Ag) flakes, fluorine rubber, an organic solvent and surfactant. The surfactant plays multiple roles in in the composite. The surfactant promotes compatibility between silver flakes and fluorine rubber; at the same time, it affects the mechanical properties of the hosting fluoropolymers and adhesion properties of the composite. Based on experimental observations, we discuss the exact role of the surfactant in the composite. The resulting composite exhibits high conductivity value of 8.49 *10 4 S/m along with high reliability against repeated stretching/releasing cycles. Interesting examples of transfer printing of the printed ink and its applications in working devices, such as RFID tag and antennas, are also showcased.

Analysis of silicon-based integrated photovoltaic-electrochemical hydrogen generation system under varying temperature and illumination

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Vishwa Bhatt; Brijesh Tripathi; Pankaj Yadav; Manoj Kumar

2017-01-01

Last decade witnessed tremendous research and development in the area of photo-electrolytic hydrogen generation using chemically stable nanostructured photo-cathode/anode materials.Due to intimately coupled charge separation and photo-catalytic processes,it is very difficult to optimize individual components of such system leading to a very low demonstrated solar-to-fuel efficiency (SFE) of less than 1％.Recently there has been growing interest in an integrated photovoltaic-electrochemical (PV-EC) system based on GaAs solar cells with the demonstrated SFE of 24.5％ under concentrated illumination condition.But a high cost of GaAs based solar cells and recent price drop of poly-crystalline silicon (pc-Si) solar cells motivated researchers to explore silicon based integrated PV-EC system.In this paper a theoretical framework is introduced to model silicon-based integrated PV-EC device.The theoretical framework is used to analyze the coupling and kinetic losses of a silicon solar cell based integrated PV-EC water splitting system under varying temperature and illumination.The kinetic loss occurs in the range of 19.1％-27.9％ and coupling loss takes place in the range of 5.45％-6.74％ with respect to varying illumination in the range of 20-100 mW/cm2.Similarly,the effect of varying temperature has severe impact on the performance of the system,wherein the coupling loss occurs in the range of 0.84％-21.51％ for the temperature variation from 25 to 50 ℃.

Experimental Demonstration of 7 Tb/s Switching Using Novel Silicon Photonic Integrated Circuit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ding, Yunhong; Kamchevska, Valerija; Dalgaard, Kjeld

2016-01-01

We demonstrate BER performance <10^-9 for a 1 Tb/s/core transmission over 7-core fiber and SDM switching using a novel silicon photonic integrated circuit composed of a 7x7 fiber switch and low loss SDM couplers.......We demonstrate BER performance integrated circuit composed of a 7x7 fiber switch and low loss SDM couplers....

Methods and mechanisms of gettering of silicon structures in the production of integrated circuits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pilipenko V. A.

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Increasing the degree of integration of hardware components imposes more stringent requirements for the reduction of the concentration of contaminants and oxidation stacking faults in the original silicon wafers with its preservation in the IC manufacturing process cycle. This causes high relevance of the application of gettering in modern microelectronic technology. The existing methods of silicon wafers gettering and the mechanisms of their occurrence are considered.

Coaxial printing method for directly writing stretchable cable as strain sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yan, Hai-liang [College of Material Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, 100124 Beijing (China); Chengdu Green Energy and Green Manufacturing Technology R& D Center, 610299 Chengdu (China); Chen, Yan-qiu, E-mail: yu.liu@vip.163.com, E-mail: cyqleaf@qq.com, E-mail: hyan@but.ac.cn; Deng, Yong-qiang; Zhang, Li-long; Lau, Woon-ming; Mei, Jun; Liu, Yu, E-mail: yu.liu@vip.163.com, E-mail: cyqleaf@qq.com, E-mail: hyan@but.ac.cn [Chengdu Green Energy and Green Manufacturing Technology R& D Center, 610299 Chengdu (China); Hong, Xiao [Chengdu Green Energy and Green Manufacturing Technology R& D Center, 610299 Chengdu (China); College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610207 (China); Hui, David [Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana 70148 (United States); Yan, Hui, E-mail: yu.liu@vip.163.com, E-mail: cyqleaf@qq.com, E-mail: hyan@but.ac.cn [College of Material Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, 100124 Beijing (China)

2016-08-22

Through applying the liquid metal and elastomer as the core and shell materials, respectively, a coaxial printing method is being developed in this work for preparing a stretchable and conductive cable. When liquid metal alloy eutectic Gallium-Indium is embedded into the elastomer matrix under optimized control, the cable demonstrates well–posed extreme mechanic performance, under stretching for more than 350%. Under developed compression test, the fabricated cable also demonstrates the ability for recovering original properties due to the high flowability of the liquid metal and super elasticity of the elastomeric shell. The written cable presents high cycling reliability regarding its stretchability and conductivity, two properties which can be clearly predicted in theoretical calculation. This work can be further investigated as a strain sensor for monitoring motion status including frequency and amplitude of a curved object, with extensive applications in wearable devices, soft robots, electronic skins, and wireless communication.

Coaxial printing method for directly writing stretchable cable as strain sensor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Hai-liang; Chen, Yan-qiu; Deng, Yong-qiang; Zhang, Li-long; Lau, Woon-ming; Mei, Jun; Liu, Yu; Hong, Xiao; Hui, David; Yan, Hui

2016-01-01

Through applying the liquid metal and elastomer as the core and shell materials, respectively, a coaxial printing method is being developed in this work for preparing a stretchable and conductive cable. When liquid metal alloy eutectic Gallium-Indium is embedded into the elastomer matrix under optimized control, the cable demonstrates well–posed extreme mechanic performance, under stretching for more than 350%. Under developed compression test, the fabricated cable also demonstrates the ability for recovering original properties due to the high flowability of the liquid metal and super elasticity of the elastomeric shell. The written cable presents high cycling reliability regarding its stretchability and conductivity, two properties which can be clearly predicted in theoretical calculation. This work can be further investigated as a strain sensor for monitoring motion status including frequency and amplitude of a curved object, with extensive applications in wearable devices, soft robots, electronic skins, and wireless communication.

Gigascale Silicon Photonic Transmitters Integrating HBT-based Carrier-injection Electroabsorption Modulator Structures

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Enjin

Demand for more bandwidth is rapidly increasing, which is driven by data intensive applications such as high-definition (HD) video streaming, cloud storage, and terascale computing applications. Next-generation high-performance computing systems require power efficient chip-to-chip and intra-chip interconnect yielding densities on the order of 1Tbps/cm2. The performance requirements of such system are the driving force behind the development of silicon integrated optical interconnect, providing a cost-effective solution for fully integrated optical interconnect systems on a single substrate. Compared to conventional electrical interconnect, optical interconnects have several advantages, including frequency independent insertion loss resulting in ultra wide bandwidth and link latency reduction. For high-speed optical transmitter modules, the optical modulator is a key component of the optical I/O channel. This thesis presents a silicon integrated optical transmitter module design based on a novel silicon HBT-based carrier injection electroabsorption modulator (EAM), which has the merits of wide optical bandwidth, high speed, low power, low drive voltage, small footprint, and high modulation efficiency. The structure, mechanism, and fabrication of the modulator structure will be discussed which is followed by the electrical modeling of the post-processed modulator device. The design and realization of a 10Gbps monolithic optical transmitter module integrating the driver circuit architecture and the HBT-based EAM device in a 130nm BiCMOS process is discussed. For high power efficiency, a 6Gbps ultra-low power driver IC implemented in a 130nm BiCMOS process is presented. The driver IC incorporates an integrated 27-1 pseudo-random bit sequence (PRBS) generator for reliable high-speed testing, and a driver circuit featuring digitally-tuned pre-emphasis signal strength. With outstanding drive capability, the driver module can be applied to a wide range of carrier

Laser-engraved carbon nanotube paper for instilling high sensitivity, high stretchability, and high linearity in strain sensors

KAUST Repository

Xin, Yangyang

2017-06-29

There is an increasing demand for strain sensors with high sensitivity and high stretchability for new applications such as robotics or wearable electronics. However, for the available technologies, the sensitivity of the sensors varies widely. These sensors are also highly nonlinear, making reliable measurement challenging. Here we introduce a new family of sensors composed of a laser-engraved carbon nanotube paper embedded in an elastomer. A roll-to-roll pressing of these sensors activates a pre-defined fragmentation process, which results in a well-controlled, fragmented microstructure. Such sensors are reproducible and durable and can attain ultrahigh sensitivity and high stretchability (with a gauge factor of over 4.2 × 10(4) at 150% strain). Moreover, they can attain high linearity from 0% to 15% and from 22% to 150% strain. They are good candidates for stretchable electronic applications that require high sensitivity and linearity at large strains.

Integration of the end cap TEC+ of the CMS silicon strip tracker

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bremer, Richard

2008-04-28

CMS is the first large experiment of high-energy particle physics whose inner tracking system is exclusively instrumented with silicon detector modules. This tracker comprises 15 148 silicon strip modules enclosing the interaction point in 10-12 layers. The 1. Physikalisches Institut B of RWTH Aachen was deeply involved in the completion of the end caps of the tracking system. The institute played a leading role in the end cap design, produced virtually all support structures and several important electrical components, designed and built the laser alignment system of the tracker, performed system tests and finally integrated one of the two end caps in Aachen. This integration constitutes the central part of the present thesis work. The main focus was on the development of methods to recognise defects early in the integration process and to assert the detector's functionality. Characteristic quantities such as the detector noise or the optical gain of the readout chain were determined during integration as well as during a series of tests performed after transport of the end cap from Aachen to CERN. The procedures followed during the mechanical integration of the detector and during the commissioning of integrated sectors are explained, and the software packages developed for quality assurance are described. In addition, results of the detector readout are presented. During the integration phase, sub-structures of the end cap - named petals - were subjected to a reception test which has also been designed and operated as part of this thesis work. The test setup and software developed for the test are introduced and an account of the analysis of the recorded data is given. Before the end cap project entered the production phase, a final test beam experiment was performed in which the suitability of a system of two fully equipped petals for operation at the LHC was checked. The measured ratio of the signal induced in the silicon sensors by minimal ionising

Integration of the end cap TEC+ of the CMS silicon strip tracker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bremer, Richard

2008-01-01

CMS is the first large experiment of high-energy particle physics whose inner tracking system is exclusively instrumented with silicon detector modules. This tracker comprises 15 148 silicon strip modules enclosing the interaction point in 10-12 layers. The 1. Physikalisches Institut B of RWTH Aachen was deeply involved in the completion of the end caps of the tracking system. The institute played a leading role in the end cap design, produced virtually all support structures and several important electrical components, designed and built the laser alignment system of the tracker, performed system tests and finally integrated one of the two end caps in Aachen. This integration constitutes the central part of the present thesis work. The main focus was on the development of methods to recognise defects early in the integration process and to assert the detector's functionality. Characteristic quantities such as the detector noise or the optical gain of the readout chain were determined during integration as well as during a series of tests performed after transport of the end cap from Aachen to CERN. The procedures followed during the mechanical integration of the detector and during the commissioning of integrated sectors are explained, and the software packages developed for quality assurance are described. In addition, results of the detector readout are presented. During the integration phase, sub-structures of the end cap - named petals - were subjected to a reception test which has also been designed and operated as part of this thesis work. The test setup and software developed for the test are introduced and an account of the analysis of the recorded data is given. Before the end cap project entered the production phase, a final test beam experiment was performed in which the suitability of a system of two fully equipped petals for operation at the LHC was checked. The measured ratio of the signal induced in the silicon sensors by minimal ionising particles

Highly Stretchable Potentiometric pH Sensor Fabricated via Laser Carbonization and Machining of Carbon-Polyaniline Composite.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahimi, Rahim; Ochoa, Manuel; Tamayol, Ali; Khalili, Shahla; Khademhosseini, Ali; Ziaie, Babak

2017-03-15

The development of stretchable sensors has recently attracted considerable attention. These sensors have been used in wearable and robotics applications, such as personalized health-monitoring, motion detection, and human-machine interfaces. Herein, we report on a highly stretchable electrochemical pH sensor for wearable point-of-care applications that consists of a pH-sensitive working electrode and a liquid-junction-free reference electrode, in which the stretchable conductive interconnections are fabricated by laser carbonizing and micromachining of a polyimide sheet bonded to an Ecoflex substrate. This method produces highly porous carbonized 2D serpentine traces that are subsequently permeated with polyaniline (PANI) as the conductive filler, binding material, and pH-sensitive membrane. The experimental and simulation results demonstrate that the stretchable serpentine PANI/C-PI interconnections with an optimal trace width of 0.3 mm can withstand elongations of up to 135% and are robust to more than 12 000 stretch-and-release cycles at 20% strain without noticeable change in the resistance. The pH sensor displays a linear sensitivity of -53 mV/pH (r 2 = 0.976) with stable performance in the physiological range of pH 4-10. The sensor shows excellent stability to applied longitudinal and transverse strains up to 100% in different pH buffer solutions with a minimal deviation of less than ±4 mV. The material biocompatibility is confirmed with NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells via PrestoBlue assays.

Towards a fully integrated indium-phosphide membrane on silicon photonics platform

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Engelen, J.P.; Pogoretskiy, V.; Smit, M.K.; van der Tol, J.J.G.M.; Jiao, Y.

2017-01-01

Recently a uni-traveling-carrier photodetector with high speed (> 67GHz) and a high-gain optical amplifier (110/cm at 4 kA/cm2) have been demonstrated using the InP membrane-on-Silicon (IMOS) integration technology. Passives in IMOS have shown features comparable to SOI platforms due to the tight

A CMOS microdisplay with integrated controller utilizing improved silicon hot carrier luminescent light sources

Science.gov (United States)

Venter, Petrus J.; Alberts, Antonie C.; du Plessis, Monuko; Joubert, Trudi-Heleen; Goosen, Marius E.; Janse van Rensburg, Christo; Rademeyer, Pieter; Fauré, Nicolaas M.

2013-03-01

Microdisplay technology, the miniaturization and integration of small displays for various applications, is predominantly based on OLED and LCoS technologies. Silicon light emission from hot carrier electroluminescence has been shown to emit light visibly perceptible without the aid of any additional intensification, although the electrical to optical conversion efficiency is not as high as the technologies mentioned above. For some applications, this drawback may be traded off against the major cost advantage and superior integration opportunities offered by CMOS microdisplays using integrated silicon light sources. This work introduces an improved version of our previously published microdisplay by making use of new efficiency enhanced CMOS light emitting structures and an increased display resolution. Silicon hot carrier luminescence is often created when reverse biased pn-junctions enter the breakdown regime where impact ionization results in carrier transport across the junction. Avalanche breakdown is typically unwanted in modern CMOS processes. Design rules and process design are generally tailored to prevent breakdown, while the voltages associated with breakdown are too high to directly interact with the rest of the CMOS standard library. This work shows that it is possible to lower the operating voltage of CMOS light sources without compromising the optical output power. This results in more efficient light sources with improved interaction with other standard library components. This work proves that it is possible to create a reasonably high resolution microdisplay while integrating the active matrix controller and drivers on the same integrated circuit die without additional modifications, in a standard CMOS process.

Materials and fabrication sequences for water soluble silicon integrated circuits at the 90 nm node

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yin, Lan; Harburg, Daniel V.; Rogers, John A.; Bozler, Carl; Omenetto, Fiorenzo

2015-01-01

Tungsten interconnects in silicon integrated circuits built at the 90 nm node with releasable configurations on silicon on insulator wafers serve as the basis for advanced forms of water-soluble electronics. These physically transient systems have potential uses in applications that range from temporary biomedical implants to zero-waste environmental sensors. Systematic experimental studies and modeling efforts reveal essential aspects of electrical performance in field effect transistors and complementary ring oscillators with as many as 499 stages. Accelerated tests reveal timescales for dissolution of the various constituent materials, including tungsten, silicon, and silicon dioxide. The results demonstrate that silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits formed with tungsten interconnects in foundry-compatible fabrication processes can serve as a path to high performance, mass-produced transient electronic systems

Materials and fabrication sequences for water soluble silicon integrated circuits at the 90 nm node

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yin, Lan; Harburg, Daniel V.; Rogers, John A., E-mail: jrogers@illinois.edu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, and Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 104 S Goodwin Ave., Urbana, Illinois 61801 (United States); Bozler, Carl [Lincoln Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 244 Wood Street, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420 (United States); Omenetto, Fiorenzo [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Physics, Tufts University, 4 Colby St., Medford, Massachusetts 02155 (United States)

2015-01-05

Tungsten interconnects in silicon integrated circuits built at the 90 nm node with releasable configurations on silicon on insulator wafers serve as the basis for advanced forms of water-soluble electronics. These physically transient systems have potential uses in applications that range from temporary biomedical implants to zero-waste environmental sensors. Systematic experimental studies and modeling efforts reveal essential aspects of electrical performance in field effect transistors and complementary ring oscillators with as many as 499 stages. Accelerated tests reveal timescales for dissolution of the various constituent materials, including tungsten, silicon, and silicon dioxide. The results demonstrate that silicon complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits formed with tungsten interconnects in foundry-compatible fabrication processes can serve as a path to high performance, mass-produced transient electronic systems.

Self-Healable, Stretchable, Transparent Triboelectric Nanogenerators as Soft Power Sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Jiangman; Pu, Xiong; Liu, Mengmeng; Yu, Aifang; Du, Chunhua; Zhai, Junyi; Hu, Weiguo; Wang, Zhong Lin

2018-06-04

Despite the rapid advancements of soft electronics, developing compatible energy devices will be the next challenge for their viable applications. Here, we report an energy-harnessing triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) as a soft electrical power source, which is simultaneously self-healable, stretchable, and transparent. The nanogenerator features a thin-film configuration with buckled Ag nanowires/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) composite electrode sandwiched in room-temperature self-healable poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomers. Dynamic imine bonds are introduced in PDMS networks for repairing mechanical damages (94% efficiency), while the mechanical recovery of the elastomer is imparted to the buckled electrode for electrical healing. By adjusting the buckling wavelength of the electrode, the stretchability and transparency of the soft TENG can be tuned. A TENG (∼50% stretchabitliy, ∼73% transmittance) can recover the electricity genearation (100% healing efficiency) even after accidental cutting. Finally, the conversion of biomechanical energies into electricity (∼100 V, 327 mW/m 2 ) is demonstrated by a skin-like soft TENG. Considering all these merits, this work suggests a potentially promising approach for next-generation soft power sources.

Single- and double- lumen silicone breast implant integrity: prospective evaluation of MR and US criteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Berg, W A; Caskey, C I; Hamper, U M; Kuhlman, J E; Anderson, N D; Chang, B W; Sheth, S; Zerhouni, E A

1995-10-01

To evaluate the accuracy of magnetic resonance (MR) and ultrasound (US) criteria for breast implant integrity. One hundred twenty-two single-lumen silicone breast implants and 22 bilumen implants were evaluated with surface coil MR imaging and US and surgically removed. MR criteria for implant failure were a collapsed implant shell ("linguine sign"), foci of silicone outside the shell ("noose sign"), and extracapsular gel, US criteria were collapsed shell, low-level echoes within the gel, and "snowstorm" echoes of extracapsular silicone. Among single-lumen implants, MR imaging depicted 39 of 40 ruptures, 14 of 28 with minimal leakage; 49 of 54 intact implants were correctly interpreted. US depicted 26 of 40 ruptured implants, four of 28 with minimal leakage, and 30 of 54 intact implants. Among bilumen implants, MR imaging depicted four of five implants with rupture of both lumina and nine of 10 as intact; US depicted one rupture and helped identify two of 10 as intact. Mammography accurately depicted the status of 29 of 30 bilumen implants with MR imaging correlation. MR imaging depicts implant integrity more accurately than US; neither method reliably depicts minimal leakage with shell collapse. Mammography is useful in screening bilumen implant integrity.

Stretchable Complementary Split Ring Resonator (CSRR-Based Radio Frequency (RF Sensor for Strain Direction and Level Detection

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seunghyun Eom

2016-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we proposed a stretchable radio frequency (RF sensor to detect strain direction and level. The stretchable sensor is composed of two complementary split ring resonators (CSRR with microfluidic channels. In order to achieve stretchability, liquid metal (eutectic gallium-indium, EGaIn and Ecoflex substrate are used. Microfluidic channels are built by Ecoflex elastomer and microfluidic channel frames. A three-dimensional (3D printer is used for fabrication of microfluidic channel frames. Two CSRR resonators are designed to resonate 2.03 GHz and 3.68 GHz. When the proposed sensor is stretched from 0 to 8 mm along the +x direction, the resonant frequency is shifted from 3.68 GHz to 3.13 GHz. When the proposed sensor is stretched from 0 to 8 mm along the −x direction, the resonant frequency is shifted from 2.03 GHz to 1.78 GHz. Therefore, we can detect stretched length and direction from independent variation of two resonant frequencies.

Polymer-assisted metal deposition (PAMD): a full-solution strategy for flexible, stretchable, compressible, and wearable metal conductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, You; Yan, Casey; Zheng, Zijian

2014-08-20

Metal interconnects, contacts, and electrodes are indispensable elements for most applications of flexible, stretchable, and wearable electronics. Current fabrication methods for these metal conductors are mainly based on conventional microfabrication procedures that have been migrated from Si semiconductor industries, which face significant challenges for organic-based compliant substrates. This Research News highlights a recently developed full-solution processing strategy, polymer-assisted metal deposition (PAMD), which is particularly suitable for the roll-to-roll, low-cost fabrication of high-performance compliant metal conductors (Cu, Ni, Ag, and Au) on a wide variety of organic substrates including plastics, elastomers, papers, and textiles. This paper presents i) the principles of PAMD, and how to use it for making ii) flexible, stretchable, and wearable conductive metal electrodes, iii) patterned metal interconnects, and d) 3D stretchable and compressible metal sponges. A critical perspective on this emerging strategy is also provided. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Active resonance tuning of stretchable plasmonic structures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhu, Xiaolong; Xiao, Sanshui; Mortensen, N. Asger

2012-01-01

Active resonance tuning is highly desired for the applications of plasmonic structures, such as optical switches and surface enhanced Raman substrates. In this paper, we demonstrate the active tunable plasmonic structures, which composed of monolayer arrays of metallic semishells with dielectric...... cores on stretchable elastic substrates. These composite structures support Bragg-type surface plasmon resonances whose frequencies are sensitive to the arrangement of the metallic semishells. Under uniaxial stretching, the lattice symmetry of these plasmonic structures can be reconfigured from...... applications of the stretch-tunable plasmonic structures in sensing, switching, and filtering....

Realization of an integrated VDF/TrFE copolymer-on-silicon pyroelectric sensor

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Setiadi, D.; Setiadi, D.; Regtien, Paulus P.L.; Sarro, P.M.

1995-01-01

An integrated pyroelectric sensor based on a vinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene (VDF/TrFE) copolymer is presented. A silicon substrate that contains FET readout electronics is coated with the VDF/TrFE copolymer film using a spin-coating technique. On-chip poling of the copolymer has been applied

Transparent and stretchable strain sensors based on metal nanowire microgrids for human motion monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Ji Hwan; Ha, Sung-Hun; Kim, Jong-Man

2018-04-01

Optical transparency is increasingly considered as one of the most important characteristics required in advanced stretchable strain sensors for application in body-attachable systems. In this paper, we present an entirely solution-processed fabrication route to highly transparent and stretchable resistive strain sensors based on silver nanowire microgrids (AgNW-MGs). The AgNW-MG strain sensors are readily prepared by patterning the AgNWs on a stretchable substrate into a MG geometry via a mesh-template-assisted contact-transfer printing. The MG has a unique architecture comprising the AgNWs and can be stretched to ɛ = 35%, with high gauge factors of ˜6.9 for ɛ = 0%-30% and ˜41.1 for ɛ = 30%-35%. The sensor also shows a high optical transmittance of 77.1% ± 1.5% (at 550 nm) and stably maintains the remarkable optical performance even at high strains. In addition, the sensor responses are found to be highly reversible with negligible hysteresis and are reliable even under repetitive stretching-releasing cycles (1000 cycles at ɛ = 10%). The practicality of the AgNW-MG strain sensor is confirmed by successfully monitoring a wide range of human motions in real time after firmly laminating the device onto various body parts.

Inflammation-free, gas-permeable, lightweight, stretchable on-skin electronics with nanomeshes

Science.gov (United States)

Miyamoto, Akihito; Lee, Sungwon; Cooray, Nawalage Florence; Lee, Sunghoon; Mori, Mami; Matsuhisa, Naoji; Jin, Hanbit; Yoda, Leona; Yokota, Tomoyuki; Itoh, Akira; Sekino, Masaki; Kawasaki, Hiroshi; Ebihara, Tamotsu; Amagai, Masayuki; Someya, Takao

2017-09-01

Thin-film electronic devices can be integrated with skin for health monitoring and/or for interfacing with machines. Minimal invasiveness is highly desirable when applying wearable electronics directly onto human skin. However, manufacturing such on-skin electronics on planar substrates results in limited gas permeability. Therefore, it is necessary to systematically investigate their long-term physiological and psychological effects. As a demonstration of substrate-free electronics, here we show the successful fabrication of inflammation-free, highly gas-permeable, ultrathin, lightweight and stretchable sensors that can be directly laminated onto human skin for long periods of time, realized with a conductive nanomesh structure. A one-week skin patch test revealed that the risk of inflammation caused by on-skin sensors can be significantly suppressed by using the nanomesh sensors. Furthermore, a wireless system that can detect touch, temperature and pressure is successfully demonstrated using a nanomesh with excellent mechanical durability. In addition, electromyogram recordings were successfully taken with minimal discomfort to the user.

Spontaneous and Selective Nanowelding of Silver Nanowires by Electrochemical Ostwald Ripening and High Electrostatic Potential at the Junctions for High-Performance Stretchable Transparent Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hyo-Ju; Oh, Semi; Cho, Ki-Yeop; Jeong, Woo-Lim; Lee, Dong-Seon; Park, Seong-Ju

2018-04-25

Metal nanowires have been gaining increasing attention as the most promising stretchable transparent electrodes for emerging field of stretchable optoelectronic devices. Nanowelding technology is a major challenge in the fabrication of metal nanowire networks because the optoelectronic performances of metal nanowire networks are mostly limited by the high junction resistance between nanowires. We demonstrate the spontaneous and selective welding of Ag nanowires (AgNWs) by Ag solders via an electrochemical Ostwald ripening process and high electrostatic potential at the junctions of AgNWs. The AgNWs were welded by depositing Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) on the conducting substrate and then exposing them to water at room temperature. The AgNPs were spontaneously dissolved in water to form Ag + ions, which were then reduced to single-crystal Ag solders selectively at the junctions of the AgNWs. Hence, the welded AgNWs showed higher optoelectronic and stretchable performance compared to that of as-formed AgNWs. These results indicate that electrochemical Ostwald ripening-based welding can be used as a promising method for high-performance metal nanowire electrodes in various next-generation devices such as stretchable solar cells, stretchable displays, organic light-emitting diodes, and skin sensors.

Flexible and stretchable lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors based on electrically conducting carbon nanotube fiber springs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ye; Bai, Wenyu; Cheng, Xunliang; Ren, Jing; Weng, Wei; Chen, Peining; Fang, Xin; Zhang, Zhitao; Peng, Huisheng

2014-12-22

The construction of lightweight, flexible and stretchable power systems for modern electronic devices without using elastic polymer substrates is critical but remains challenging. We have developed a new and general strategy to produce both freestanding, stretchable, and flexible supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries with remarkable electrochemical properties by designing novel carbon nanotube fiber springs as electrodes. These springlike electrodes can be stretched by over 300 %. In addition, the supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries have a flexible fiber shape that enables promising applications in electronic textiles. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

2 μm wavelength range InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes heterogeneously integrated on silicon photonic integrated circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ruijun; Sprengel, Stephan; Muneeb, Muhammad; Boehm, Gerhard; Baets, Roel; Amann, Markus-Christian; Roelkens, Gunther

2015-10-05

The heterogeneous integration of InP-based type-II quantum well photodiodes on silicon photonic integrated circuits for the 2 µm wavelength range is presented. A responsivity of 1.2 A/W at a wavelength of 2.32 µm and 0.6 A/W at 2.4 µm wavelength is demonstrated. The photodiodes have a dark current of 12 nA at -0.5 V at room temperature. The absorbing active region of the integrated photodiodes consists of six periods of a "W"-shaped quantum well, also allowing for laser integration on the same platform.

Flexible, Stretchable Sensors for Wearable Health Monitoring: Sensing Mechanisms, Materials, Fabrication Strategies and Features

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Yan; Wang, Hai; Zhao, Wei; Qin, Hongbo; Xie, Yongqiang

2018-01-01

Wearable health monitoring systems have gained considerable interest in recent years owing to their tremendous promise for personal portable health watching and remote medical practices. The sensors with excellent flexibility and stretchability are crucial components that can provide health monitoring systems with the capability of continuously tracking physiological signals of human body without conspicuous uncomfortableness and invasiveness. The signals acquired by these sensors, such as body motion, heart rate, breath, skin temperature and metabolism parameter, are closely associated with personal health conditions. This review attempts to summarize the recent progress in flexible and stretchable sensors, concerning the detected health indicators, sensing mechanisms, functional materials, fabrication strategies, basic and desired features. The potential challenges and future perspectives of wearable health monitoring system are also briefly discussed. PMID:29470408

Compact polarization beam splitter for silicon photonic integrated circuits with a 340-nm-thick silicon core layer.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Chenlei; Dai, Daoxin

2017-11-01

A polarization beam splitter (PBS) is proposed and realized for silicon photonic integrated circuits with a 340-nm-thick silicon core layer by introducing an asymmetric directional coupler (ADC), which consists of a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) nanowire and a subwavelength grating (SWG) waveguide. The SWG is introduced to provide an optical waveguide which has much higher birefringence than a regular 340-nm-thick SOI nanowire, so that it is possible to make the phase-matching condition satisfied for TE polarization only in the present design when the waveguide dimensions are optimized. Meanwhile, there is a significant phase mismatching for TM polarization automatically. In this way, the present ADC enables strong polarization selectivity to realize a PBS that separates TE and TM polarizations to the cross and through ports, respectively. The realized PBS has a length of ∼2  μm for the coupling region. For the fabricated PBS, the extinction ratio (ER) is 15-30 dB and the excess loss is 0.2-2.6 dB for TE polarization while the ER is 20-27 dB and the excess loss is 0.3-2.8 dB for TM polarization when operating in the wavelength range of 1520-1580 nm.

Electrical leakage phenomenon in heteroepitaxial cubic silicon carbide on silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Pradeepkumar, Aiswarya; Zielinski, Marcin; Bosi, Matteo; Verzellesi, Giovanni; Gaskill, D. Kurt; Iacopi, Francesca

2018-06-01

Heteroepitaxial 3C-SiC films on silicon substrates are of technological interest as enablers to integrate the excellent electrical, electronic, mechanical, thermal, and epitaxial properties of bulk silicon carbide into well-established silicon technologies. One critical bottleneck of this integration is the establishment of a stable and reliable electronic junction at the heteroepitaxial interface of the n-type SiC with the silicon substrate. We have thus investigated in detail the electrical and transport properties of heteroepitaxial cubic silicon carbide films grown via different methods on low-doped and high-resistivity silicon substrates by using van der Pauw Hall and transfer length measurements as test vehicles. We have found that Si and C intermixing upon or after growth, particularly by the diffusion of carbon into the silicon matrix, creates extensive interstitial carbon traps and hampers the formation of a stable rectifying or insulating junction at the SiC/Si interface. Although a reliable p-n junction may not be realistic in the SiC/Si system, we can achieve, from a point of view of the electrical isolation of in-plane SiC structures, leakage suppression through the substrate by using a high-resistivity silicon substrate coupled with deep recess etching in between the SiC structures.

Mechanically Robust, Stretchable Solar Absorbers with Submicron-Thick Multilayer Sheets for Wearable and Energy Applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Hye Jin; Jung, Dae-Han; Kil, Tae-Hyeon; Kim, Sang Hyeon; Lee, Ki-Suk; Baek, Seung-Hyub; Choi, Won Jun; Baik, Jeong Min

2017-05-31

A facile method to fabricate a mechanically robust, stretchable solar absorber for stretchable heat generation and an enhanced thermoelectric generator (TEG) is demonstrated. This strategy is very simple: it uses a multilayer film made of titanium and magnesium fluoride optimized by a two-dimensional finite element frequency-domain simulation, followed by the application of mechanical stresses such as bending and stretching to the film. This process produces many microsized sheets with submicron thickness (∼500 nm), showing great adhesion to any substrates such as fabrics and polydimethylsiloxane. It exhibits a quite high light absorption of approximately 85% over a wavelength range of 0.2-4.0 μm. Under 1 sun illumination, the solar absorber on various stretchable substrates increased the substrate temperature to approximately 60 °C, irrespective of various mechanical stresses such as bending, stretching, rubbing, and even washing. The TEG with the absorber on the top surface also showed an enhanced output power of 60%, compared with that without the absorber. With an incident solar radiation flux of 38.3 kW/m 2 , the output power significantly increased to 24 mW/cm 2 because of the increase in the surface temperature to 141 °C.

Integrated investigation approach for determining mechanical properties of poly-silicon membranes

OpenAIRE

Brueckner, J.; Dehe, A.; Auerswald, E.; Dudek, R.; Michel, B.; Rzepka, S.

2014-01-01

A methodology is presented for determining mechanical properties of free-standing thin films such as poly-silicon membranes. The integrated investigation approach comprises test structure development, mechanical testing, and numerical simulation. All membrane test structures developed and manufactured consist of the same material but have different stiffness due to variations in the geometric design. The mechanical tests apply microscopic loads utilizing a nanoindentation tool. Young's modulu...

Nanophotonic integrated circuits from nanoresonators grown on silicon.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Roger; Ng, Kar Wei; Ko, Wai Son; Parekh, Devang; Lu, Fanglu; Tran, Thai-Truong D; Li, Kun; Chang-Hasnain, Connie

2014-07-07

Harnessing light with photonic circuits promises to catalyse powerful new technologies much like electronic circuits have in the past. Analogous to Moore's law, complexity and functionality of photonic integrated circuits depend on device size and performance scale. Semiconductor nanostructures offer an attractive approach to miniaturize photonics. However, shrinking photonics has come at great cost to performance, and assembling such devices into functional photonic circuits has remained an unfulfilled feat. Here we demonstrate an on-chip optical link constructed from InGaAs nanoresonators grown directly on a silicon substrate. Using nanoresonators, we show a complete toolkit of circuit elements including light emitters, photodetectors and a photovoltaic power supply. Devices operate with gigahertz bandwidths while consuming subpicojoule energy per bit, vastly eclipsing performance of prior nanostructure-based optoelectronics. Additionally, electrically driven stimulated emission from an as-grown nanostructure is presented for the first time. These results reveal a roadmap towards future ultradense nanophotonic integrated circuits.

Hybrid III-V/silicon lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Kaspar, P.; Jany, C.; Le Liepvre, A.; Accard, A.; Lamponi, M.; Make, D.; Levaufre, G.; Girard, N.; Lelarge, F.; Shen, A.; Charbonnier, P.; Mallecot, F.; Duan, G.-H.; Gentner, J.-.; Fedeli, J.-M.; Olivier, S.; Descos, A.; Ben Bakir, B.; Messaoudene, S.; Bordel, D.; Malhouitre, S.; Kopp, C.; Menezo, S.

2014-05-01

The lack of potent integrated light emitters is one of the bottlenecks that have so far hindered the silicon photonics platform from revolutionizing the communication market. Photonic circuits with integrated light sources have the potential to address a wide range of applications from short-distance data communication to long-haul optical transmission. Notably, the integration of lasers would allow saving large assembly costs and reduce the footprint of optoelectronic products by combining photonic and microelectronic functionalities on a single chip. Since silicon and germanium-based sources are still in their infancy, hybrid approaches using III-V semiconductor materials are currently pursued by several research laboratories in academia as well as in industry. In this paper we review recent developments of hybrid III-V/silicon lasers and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of several integration schemes. The integration approach followed in our laboratory makes use of wafer-bonded III-V material on structured silicon-on-insulator substrates and is based on adiabatic mode transfers between silicon and III-V waveguides. We will highlight some of the most interesting results from devices such as wavelength-tunable lasers and AWG lasers. The good performance demonstrates that an efficient mode transfer can be achieved between III-V and silicon waveguides and encourages further research efforts in this direction.

A Water-Based Silver-Nanowire Screen-Print Ink for the Fabrication of Stretchable Conductors and Wearable Thin-Film Transistors.

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Jiajie; Tong, Kwing; Pei, Qibing

2016-07-01

A water-based silver-nanowire (AgNW) ink is formulated for screen printing. Screen-printed AgNW patterns have uniform sharp edges, ≈50 μm resolution, and electrical conductivity as high as 4.67 × 10(4) S cm(-1) . The screen-printed AgNW patterns are used to fabricate a stretchable composite conductor, and a fully printed and intrinsically stretchable thin-film transistor array is also realized. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Single-crystal silicon trench etching for fabrication of highly integrated circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Engelhardt, Manfred

1991-03-01

The development of single crystal silicon trench etching for fabrication of memory cells in 4 16 and 64Mbit DRAMs is reviewed in this paper. A variety of both etch tools and process gases used for the process development is discussed since both equipment and etch chemistry had to be improved and changed respectively to meet the increasing requirements for high fidelity pattern transfer with increasing degree of integration. In additon to DRAM cell structures etch results for deep trench isolation in advanced bipolar ICs and ASICs are presented for these applications grooves were etched into silicon through a highly doped buried layer and at the borderline of adjacent p- and n-well areas respectively. Shallow trench etching of large and small exposed areas with identical etch rates is presented as an approach to replace standard LOCOS isolation by an advanced isolation technique. The etch profiles were investigated with SEM TEM and AES to get information on contathination and damage levels and on the mechanism leading to anisotropy in the dry etch process. Thermal wave measurements were performed on processed single crystal silicon substrates for a fast evaluation of the process with respect to plasma-induced substrate degradation. This useful technique allows an optimization ofthe etch process regarding high electrical performance of the fully processed memory chip. The benefits of the use of magnetic fields for the development of innovative single crystal silicon dry

EQUIPMENT FOR NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING OF SILICON WAFERS SUBMICRON TOPOLOGY DURING THE FABRICATION OF INTEGRATED CIRCUITS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. A. Chizhik

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The advantages of using an atomic force microscopy in manufacturing of submicron integrated circuits are described. The possibilities of characterizing the surface morphology and the etching profile for silicon substrate and bus lines, estimation of the periodicity and size of bus lines, geometrical stability for elementary bus line are shown. Methods of optical and atomic force microcopies are combined in one diagnostic unit. Scanning  probe  microscope  (SPM  200  is  designed  and  produced.  Complex  SPM  200  realizes  nondestructive control of microelectronics elements made on silicon wafers up to 200 mm in diameter and it is introduced by JSC «Integral» for the purpose of operational control, metrology and acceptance of the final product.

High-Performance Stretchable Conductive Composite Fibers from Surface-Modified Silver Nanowires and Thermoplastic Polyurethane by Wet Spinning.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Ying; Jiang, Jianwei; Yoon, Sungho; Kim, Kyung-Shik; Kim, Jae-Hyun; Park, Sanghyuk; Kim, Sang-Ho; Piao, Longhai

2018-01-17

Highly stretchable and conductive fibers have attracted great interest as a fundamental building block for the next generation of textile-based electronics. Because of its high conductivity and high aspect ratio, the Ag nanowire (AgNW) has been considered one of the most promising conducting materials for the percolation network-based conductive films and composites. However, the poor dispersibility of AgNWs in hydrophobic polymers has hindered their application to stretchable conductive composite fibers. In this paper, we present a highly stretchable and conductive composite fiber from the co-spinning of surface-modified AgNWs and thermoplastic polyurethane (PU). The surface modification of AgNWs with a polyethylene glycol derivative improved the compatibility of PU and AgNWs, which allowed the NWs to disperse homogeneously in the elastomeric matrix, forming effective percolation networks and causing the composite fiber to show enhanced electrical and mechanical performance. The maximum AgNW mass fraction in the composite fiber was 75.9 wt %, and its initial electrical conductivity was as high as 14 205 S/cm. The composite fibers also exhibited superior stretchability: the maximum rupture strain of the composite fiber with 14.6 wt % AgNW was 786%, and the composite fiber was also conductive even when it was stretched up to 200%. In addition, 2-dimensional (2-D) Ag nanoplates were added to the AgNW/PU composite fibers to increase the stability of the conductive network under repeated stretching and releasing. The Ag nanoplates acted as a bridge to effectively prevent the AgNWs from slippage and greatly improved the stability of the conductive network.

Fabrication of Stretchable Copper Coated Carbon Nanotube Conductor for Non-Enzymatic Glucose Detection Electrode with Low Detection Limit and Selectivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dawei Jiang

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The increasing demand for wearable glucose sensing has stimulated growing interest in stretchable electrodes. The development of the electrode materials having large stretchability, low detection limit, and good selectivity is the key component for constructing high performance wearable glucose sensors. In this work, we presented fabrication of stretchable conductor based on the copper coated carbon nanotube sheath-core fiber, and its application as non-enzymatic electrode for glucose detection with high stretchability, low detection limit, and selectivity. The sheath-core fiber was fabricated by coating copper coated carbon nanotube on a pre-stretched rubber fiber core followed by release of pre-stretch, which had a hierarchically buckled structure. It showed a small resistance change as low as 27% as strain increasing from 0% to 500% strain, and a low resistance of 0.4 Ω·cm−1 at strain of 500%. This electrode showed linear glucose concentration detection in the range between 0.05 mM and 5 mM and good selectivity against sucrose, lactic acid, uric acid, acrylic acid in phosphate buffer saline solution, and showed stable signal in high salt concentration. The limit of detection (LOD was 0.05 mM, for the range of 0.05–5 mM, the sensitivity is 46 mA·M−1. This electrode can withstand large strain of up to 60% with negligible influence on its performance.

A bipolar analog front-end integrated circuit for the SDC silicon tracker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kipnis, I.; Spieler, H.; Collins, T.

1993-11-01

A low-noise, low-power, high-bandwidth, radiation hard, silicon bipolar-transistor full-custom integrated circuit (IC) containing 64 channels of analog signal processing has been developed for the SDC silicon tracker. The IC was designed and tested at LBL and was fabricated using AT ampersand T's CBIC-U2, 4 GHz f T complementary bipolar technology. Each channel contains the following functions: low-noise preamplification, pulse shaping and threshold discrimination. This is the first iteration of the production analog IC for the SDC silicon tracker. The IC is laid out to directly match the 50 μm pitch double-sided silicon strip detector. The chip measures 6.8 mm x 3.1 mm and contains 3,600 transistors. Three stages of amplification provide 180 mV/fC of gain with a 35 nsec peaking time at the comparator input. For a 14 pF detector capacitance, the equivalent noise charge is 1300 el. rms at a power consumption of 1 mW/channel from a single 3.5 V supply. With the discriminator threshold set to 4 times the noise level, a 16 nsec time-walk for 1.25 to 10fC signals is achieved using a time-walk compensation network. Irradiation tests at TRIUMF to a Φ=10 14 protons/cm 2 have been performed on the IC, demonstrating the radiation hardness of the complementary bipolar process

Battery-free, stretchable optoelectronic systems for wireless optical characterization of the skin.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Jeonghyun; Salvatore, Giovanni A; Araki, Hitoshi; Chiarelli, Antonio M; Xie, Zhaoqian; Banks, Anthony; Sheng, Xing; Liu, Yuhao; Lee, Jung Woo; Jang, Kyung-In; Heo, Seung Yun; Cho, Kyoungyeon; Luo, Hongying; Zimmerman, Benjamin; Kim, Joonhee; Yan, Lingqing; Feng, Xue; Xu, Sheng; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele; Huang, Yonggang; Paik, Ungyu; Rogers, John A

2016-08-01

Recent advances in materials, mechanics, and electronic device design are rapidly establishing the foundations for health monitoring technologies that have "skin-like" properties, with options in chronic (weeks) integration with the epidermis. The resulting capabilities in physiological sensing greatly exceed those possible with conventional hard electronic systems, such as those found in wrist-mounted wearables, because of the intimate skin interface. However, most examples of such emerging classes of devices require batteries and/or hard-wired connections to enable operation. The work reported here introduces active optoelectronic systems that function without batteries and in an entirely wireless mode, with examples in thin, stretchable platforms designed for multiwavelength optical characterization of the skin. Magnetic inductive coupling and near-field communication (NFC) schemes deliver power to multicolored light-emitting diodes and extract digital data from integrated photodetectors in ways that are compatible with standard NFC-enabled platforms, such as smartphones and tablet computers. Examples in the monitoring of heart rate and temporal dynamics of arterial blood flow, in quantifying tissue oxygenation and ultraviolet dosimetry, and in performing four-color spectroscopic evaluation of the skin demonstrate the versatility of these concepts. The results have potential relevance in both hospital care and at-home diagnostics.

Label-free silicon photonic biosensor system with integrated detector array

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Rongjin; Mestas, Santano P.; Yuan, Guangwei; Safaisini, Rashid; Dandy, David S.

2010-01-01

An integrated, inexpensive, label-free photonic waveguide biosensor system with multi-analyte capability has been implemented on a silicon photonics integrated circuit from a commercial CMOS line and tested with nanofilms. The local evanescent array coupled (LEAC) biosensor is based on a new physical phenomenon that is fundamentally different from the mechanisms of other evanescent field sensors. Increased local refractive index at the waveguide’s upper surface due to the formation of a biological nanofilm causes local modulation of the evanescent field coupled into an array of photodetectors buried under the waveguide. The planar optical waveguide biosensor system exhibits sensitivity of 20%/nm photocurrent modulation in response to adsorbed bovine serum albumin (BSA) layers less than 3 nm thick. In addition to response to BSA, an experiment with patterned photoresist as well as beam propagation method simulations support the evanescent field shift principle. The sensing mechanism enables the integration of all optical and electronic components for a multi-analyte biosensor system on a chip. PMID:19606292

Label-free silicon photonic biosensor system with integrated detector array.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Rongjin; Mestas, Santano P; Yuan, Guangwei; Safaisini, Rashid; Dandy, David S; Lear, Kevin L

2009-08-07

An integrated, inexpensive, label-free photonic waveguide biosensor system with multi-analyte capability has been implemented on a silicon photonics integrated circuit from a commercial CMOS line and tested with nanofilms. The local evanescent array coupled (LEAC) biosensor is based on a new physical phenomenon that is fundamentally different from the mechanisms of other evanescent field sensors. Increased local refractive index at the waveguide's upper surface due to the formation of a biological nanofilm causes local modulation of the evanescent field coupled into an array of photodetectors buried under the waveguide. The planar optical waveguide biosensor system exhibits sensitivity of 20%/nm photocurrent modulation in response to adsorbed bovine serum albumin (BSA) layers less than 3 nm thick. In addition to response to BSA, an experiment with patterned photoresist as well as beam propagation method simulations support the evanescent field shift principle. The sensing mechanism enables the integration of all optical and electronic components for a multi-analyte biosensor system on a chip.

MIDAS: Automated Approach to Design Microwave Integrated Inductors and Transformers on Silicon

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Aluigi

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The design of modern radiofrequency integrated circuits on silicon operating at microwave and millimeter-waves requires the integration of several spiral inductors and transformers that are not commonly available in the process design-kits of the technologies. In this work we present an auxiliary CAD tool for Microwave Inductor (and transformer Design Automation on Silicon (MIDAS that exploits commercial simulators and allows the implementation of an automatic design flow, including three-dimensional layout editing and electromagnetic simulations. In detail, MIDAS allows the designer to derive a preliminary sizing of the inductor (transformer on the bases of the design entries (specifications. It draws the inductor (transformer layers for the specific process design kit, including vias and underpasses, with or without patterned ground shield, and launches the electromagnetic simulations, achieving effective design automation with respect to the traditional design flow for RFICs. With the present software suite the complete design time is reduced significantly (typically 1 hour on a PC based on Intel® Pentium® Dual 1.80GHz CPU with 2-GB RAM. Afterwards both the device equivalent circuit and the layout are ready to be imported in the Cadence environment.

Subwavelength silicon photonics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheben, P.; Bock, P.J.; Schmid, J.H.; Lapointe, J.; Janz, S.; Xu, D.-X.; Densmore, A.; Delage, A.; Lamontagne, B.; Florjanczyk, M.; Ma, R.

2011-01-01

With the goal of developing photonic components that are compatible with silicon microelectronic integrated circuits, silicon photonics has been the subject of intense research activity. Silicon is an excellent material for confining and manipulating light at the submicrometer scale. Silicon optoelectronic integrated devices have the potential to be miniaturized and mass-produced at affordable cost for many applications, including telecommunications, optical interconnects, medical screening, and biological and chemical sensing. We review recent advances in silicon photonics research at the National Research Council Canada. A new type of optical waveguide is presented, exploiting subwavelength grating (SWG) effect. We demonstrate subwavelength grating waveguides made of silicon, including practical components operating at telecom wavelengths: input couplers, waveguide crossings and spectrometer chips. SWG technique avoids loss and wavelength resonances due to diffraction effects and allows for single-mode operation with direct control of the mode confinement by changing the refractive index of a waveguide core over a range as broad as 1.6 - 3.5 simply by lithographic patterning. The light can be launched to these waveguides with a coupling loss as small as 0.5 dB and with minimal wavelength dependence, using coupling structures similar to that shown in Fig. 1. The subwavelength grating waveguides can cross each other with minimal loss and negligible crosstalk which allows massive photonic circuit connectivity to overcome the limits of electrical interconnects. These results suggest that the SWG waveguides could become key elements for future integrated photonic circuits. (authors)

Environmentally Benign Production of Stretchable and Robust Superhydrophobic Silicone Monoliths.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Alexander; Surdo, Salvatore; Caputo, Gianvito; Bayer, Ilker S; Athanassiou, Athanassia

2018-01-24

Superhydrophobic materials hold an enormous potential in sectors as important as aerospace, food industries, or biomedicine. Despite this great promise, the lack of environmentally friendly production methods and limited robustness remain the two most pertinent barriers to the scalability, large-area production, and widespread use of superhydrophobic materials. In this work, highly robust superhydrophobic silicone monoliths are produced through a scalable and environmentally friendly emulsion technique. It is first found that stable and surfactantless water-in-polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) emulsions can be formed through mechanical mixing. Increasing the internal phase fraction of the precursor emulsion is found to increase porosity and microtexture of the final monoliths, rendering them superhydrophobic. Silica nanoparticles can also be dispersed in the aqueous internal phase to create micro/nanotextured monoliths, giving further improvements in superhydrophobicity. Due to the elastomeric nature of PDMS, superhydrophobicity can be maintained even while the material is mechanically strained or compressed. In addition, because of their self-similarity, the monoliths show outstanding robustness to knife-scratch, tape-peel, and finger-wipe tests, as well as rigorous sandpaper abrasion. Superhydrophobicity was also unchanged when exposed to adverse environmental conditions including corrosive solutions, UV light, extreme temperatures, and high-energy droplet impact. Finally, important properties for eventual adoption in real-world applications including self-cleaning, stain-repellence, and blood-repellence are demonstrated.

A low cost and hybrid technology for integrating silicon sensors or actuators in polymer microfluidic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Charlot, Samuel; Gué, Anne-Marie; Tasselli, Josiane; Marty, Antoine; Abgrall, Patrick; Estève, Daniel

2008-01-01

This paper describes a new technology permitting a hybrid integration of silicon chips in polymer (PDMS and SU8) microfluidic structures. This two-step technology starts with transferring the silicon device onto a rigid substrate (typically PCB) and planarizing it, and then it proceeds with stacking of the polymer-made fluidic network onto the device. The technology is low cost, based on screen printing and lamination, can be applied to treat large surface areas, and is compatible with standard photolithography and vacuum based approaches. We show, as an example, the integration of a thermal sensor inside channels made of PDMS or SU8. The developed structures had no fluid leaks at the Si/polymer interfaces and the electrical circuit was perfectly tightproof. (note)

Invited Article: Electrically tunable silicon-based on-chip microdisk resonator for integrated microwave photonic applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weifeng Zhang

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Silicon photonics with advantages of small footprint, compatibility with the mature CMOS fabrication technology, and its potential for seamless integration with electronics is making a significant difference in realizing on-chip integration of photonic systems. A microdisk resonator (MDR with a strong capacity in trapping and storing photons is a versatile element in photonic integrated circuits. Thanks to the large index contrast, a silicon-based MDR with an ultra-compact footprint has a great potential for large-scale and high-density integrations. However, the existence of multiple whispering gallery modes (WGMs and resonance splitting in an MDR imposes inherent limitations on its widespread applications. In addition, the waveguide structure of an MDR is incompatible with that of a lateral PN junction, which leads to the deprivation of its electrical tunability. To circumvent these limitations, in this paper we propose a novel design of a silicon-based MDR by introducing a specifically designed slab waveguide to surround the disk and the lateral sides of the bus waveguide to suppress higher-order WGMs and to support the incorporation of a lateral PN junction for electrical tunability. An MDR based on the proposed design is fabricated and its optical performance is evaluated. The fabricated MDR exhibits single-mode operation with a free spectral range of 28.85 nm. Its electrical tunability is also demonstrated and an electro-optic frequency response with a 3-dB modulation bandwidth of ∼30.5 GHz is measured. The use of the fabricated MDR for the implementation of an electrically tunable optical delay-line and a tunable fractional-order temporal photonic differentiator is demonstrated.

An improved PIN photodetector with integrated JFET on high-resistivity silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalla Betta, Gian-Franco; Piemonte, Claudio; Boscardin, Maurizio; Gregori, Paolo; Zorzi, Nicola; Fazzi, Alberto; Pignatel, Giorgio U.

2006-01-01

We report on a PIN photodetector integrated with a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) on a high-resistivity silicon substrate. Owing to a modified fabrication technology, the electrical and noise characteristics of the JFET transistor have been enhanced with respect to the previous versions of the device, allowing the performance to be significantly improved. In this paper, the main design and technological aspects relevant to the proposed structure are addressed and experimental results from the electrical characterization are discussed

Generation and manipulation of entangled photons on silicon chips

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matsuda Nobuyuki

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Integrated quantum photonics is now seen as one of the promising approaches to realize scalable quantum information systems. With optical waveguides based on silicon photonics technologies, we can realize quantum optical circuits with a higher degree of integration than with silica waveguides. In addition, thanks to the large nonlinearity observed in silicon nanophotonic waveguides, we can implement active components such as entangled photon sources on a chip. In this paper, we report recent progress in integrated quantum photonic circuits based on silicon photonics. We review our work on correlated and entangled photon-pair sources on silicon chips, using nanoscale silicon waveguides and silicon photonic crystal waveguides. We also describe an on-chip quantum buffer realized using the slow-light effect in a silicon photonic crystal waveguide. As an approach to combine the merits of different waveguide platforms, a hybrid quantum circuit that integrates a silicon-based photon-pair source and a silica-based arrayed waveguide grating is also presented.

Ag/Au/Polypyrrole Core-shell Nanowire Network for Transparent, Stretchable and Flexible Supercapacitor in Wearable Energy Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Moon, Hyunjin; Lee, Habeom; Kwon, Jinhyeong; Suh, Young Duk; Kim, Dong Kwan; Ha, Inho; Yeo, Junyeob; Hong, Sukjoon; Ko, Seung Hwan

2017-02-01

Transparent and stretchable energy storage devices have attracted significant interest due to their potential to be applied to biocompatible and wearable electronics. Supercapacitors that use the reversible faradaic redox reaction of conducting polymer have a higher specific capacitance as compared with electrical double-layer capacitors. Typically, the conducting polymer electrode is fabricated through direct electropolymerization on the current collector. However, no research have been conducted on metal nanowires as current collectors for the direct electropolymerization, even though the metal nanowire network structure has proven to be superior as a transparent, flexible, and stretchable electrode platform because the conducting polymer’s redox potential for polymerization is higher than that of widely studied metal nanowires such as silver and copper. In this study, we demonstrated a highly transparent and stretchable supercapacitor by developing Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks as electrode by coating the surface of Ag NWs with a thin layer of gold, which provide higher redox potential than the electropolymerizable monomer. The Ag/Au/Polypyrrole core-shell nanowire networks demonstrated superior mechanical stability under various mechanical bending and stretching. In addition, proposed supercapacitors showed fine optical transmittance together with fivefold improved areal capacitance compared to pristine Ag/Au core-shell nanowire mesh-based supercapacitors.

Integrated Circuit Interconnect Lines on Lossy Silicon Substrate with Finite Element Method

OpenAIRE

Sarhan M. Musa,; Matthew N. O. Sadiku

2014-01-01

The silicon substrate has a significant effect on the inductance parameter of a lossy interconnect line on integrated circuit. It is essential to take this into account in determining the transmission line electrical parameters. In this paper, a new quasi-TEM capacitance and inductance analysis of multiconductor multilayer interconnects is successfully demonstrated using finite element method (FEM). We specifically illustrate the electrostatic modeling of single and coupled in...

Micro direct methanol fuel cell with perforated silicon-plate integrated ionomer membrane

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Jackie Vincent; Dalslet, Bjarke Thomas; Johansson, Anne-Charlotte Elisabeth Birgitta

2014-01-01

This article describes the fabrication and characterization of a silicon based micro direct methanol fuel cell using a Nafion ionomer membrane integrated into a perforated silicon plate. The focus of this work is to provide a platform for micro- and nanostructuring of a combined current collector...... at a perforation ratio of 40.3%. The presented fuel cells also show a high volumetric peak power density of 2 mW cm−3 in light of the small system volume of 480 μL, while being fully self contained and passively feed....... and catalytic electrode. AC impedance spectroscopy is utilized alongside IV characterization to determine the influence of the plate perforation geometries on the cell performance. It is found that higher ratios of perforation increases peak power density, with the highest achieved being 2.5 mW cm−2...

Integrating carbon nanotubes into silicon by means of vertical carbon nanotube field-effect transistors

KAUST Repository

Li, Jingqi; Wang, Qingxiao; Yue, Weisheng; Guo, Zaibing; LI, LIANG; Zhao, Chao; Wang, Xianbin; Abutaha, Anas I.; Alshareef, Husam N.; Zhang, Yafei; Zhang, Xixiang

2014-01-01

Single-walled carbon nanotubes have been integrated into silicon for use in vertical carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs). A unique feature of these devices is that a silicon substrate and a metal contact are used as the source and drain for the vertical transistors, respectively. These CNTFETs show very different characteristics from those fabricated with two metal contacts. Surprisingly, the transfer characteristics of the vertical CNTFETs can be either ambipolar or unipolar (p-type or n-type) depending on the sign of the drain voltage. Furthermore, the p-type/n-type character of the devices is defined by the doping type of the silicon substrate used in the fabrication process. A semiclassical model is used to simulate the performance of these CNTFETs by taking the conductance change of the Si contact under the gate voltage into consideration. The calculation results are consistent with the experimental observations. This journal is © the Partner Organisations 2014.

A Flexible, Stretchable and Shape-Adaptive Approach for Versatile Energy Conversion and Self-Powered Biomedical Monitoring

KAUST Repository

Yang, Po Kang; Lin, Long; Yi, Fang; Li, Xiuhan; Pradel, Ken C.; Zi, Yunlong; Wu, Chih I.; He, Jr-Hau; Zhang, Yue; Wang, Zhong Lin

2015-01-01

A flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) based on wavy-structured Kapton film and a serpentine electrode on stretchable substrates is presented. The as-fabricated FTENG is capable of harvesting ambient mechanical energy via both compressive

Stretchable gold conductors embedded in PDMS and patterned by photolithography: fabrication and electromechanical characterization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adrega, T; Lacour, S P

2010-01-01

Stretchable gold conductors embedded in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films were successfully prepared using standard photolithography. The minimum feature sizes patterned in the metal film and PDMS encapsulation are 10 µm and 20 µm, respectively. The micro-patterned conductors are robust to uni-axial (1D) and radial (2D) stretching with applied strains of tens of percent. The electrical response of the conductors follows a nonlinear increase with strain, and is reversible. The extensive stretchability of the conductors relies on a randomly and independently distributed network of micro-cracks (∼100 nm long) in the metal film on PDMS. The micro-cracks elongate to a few microns length both in the stretching and normal directions in 1D stretching but during 2D stretching, the micro-cracks grow and form 'dry mud' islands leaving the gold microstructure inside the islands intact. Patterning metallic thin films directly onto elastomeric substrates opens a promising route for microelectrodes and interconnects for soft and ultra-compliant MEMS and electronic devices.

Silicon-Based Integration of Groups III, IV, V Chemical Vapor Depositions in High-Quality Photodiodes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sammak, A.

2012-01-01

Heterogeneous integration of III-V semiconductors with silicon (Si) technology is an interesting approach to utilize the advantages of both high-speed photonic and electronic properties. The work presented in this thesis is initiated by this major goal of merging III-V semiconductor technology with

Waterproof and stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator for biomechanical energy harvesting and self-powered sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Xuexian; Miao, Liming; Guo, Hang; Chen, Haotian; Song, Yu; Su, Zongming; Zhang, Haixia

2018-05-01

We introduce a waterproof and stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) that can be attached on the human body, such as fingers and the wrist, to harvest mechanical energy from body movement. The whole device is composed of stretchable material, making it able to endure diverse mechanical deformations and scavenge energy from them. Under gentle mechanical motions of pressing, stretching and bending, the device with an effective area of 1 × 2 cm2 can generate the peak-to-peak output current of 257.5 nA, 50.2 nA, and 33.5 nA, respectively. Besides, the TENG is tightly encapsulated, enabling it to avoid the influence of the external environment like humidity changes and harvest energy under water. Particularly, owing to the thin and soft properties of the encapsulation film, the device can respond to weak vibrations like the wrist pulse and act as a self-powered pulse sensor, which broadens its application prospects in the field of wearable energy harvesting devices and self-powered sensing systems.

A monolithically integrated detector-preamplifier on high-resistivity silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, S.; Spieler, H.

1990-02-01

A monolithically integrated detector-preamplifier on high-resistivity silicon has been designed, fabricated and characterized. The detector is a fully depleted p-i-n diode and the preamplifier is implemented in a depletion-mode PMOS process which is compatible with detector processing. The amplifier is internally compensated and the measured gain-bandwidth product is 30 MHz with an input-referred noise of 15 nV/√Hz in the white noise regime. Measurements with an Am 241 radiation source yield an equivalent input noise charge of 800 electrons at 200 ns shaping time for a 1.4 mm 2 detector with on-chip amplifier in an experimental setup with substantial external pickup

A strain-isolation design for stretchable electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jian; Li, Ming; Chen, Wei-Qiu; Kim, Dae-Hyeong; Kim, Yun-Soung; Huang, Yong-Gang; Hwang, Keh-Chih; Kang, Zhan; Rogers, John A.

2010-12-01

Stretchable electronics represents a direction of recent development in next-generation semiconductor devices. Such systems have the potential to offer the performance of conventional wafer-based technologies, but they can be stretched like a rubber band, twisted like a rope, bent over a pencil, and folded like a piece of paper. Isolating the active devices from strains associated with such deformations is an important aspect of design. One strategy involves the shielding of the electronics from deformation of the substrate through insertion of a compliant adhesive layer. This paper establishes a simple, analytical model and validates the results by the finite element method. The results show that a relatively thick, compliant adhesive is effective to reduce the strain in the electronics, as is a relatively short film.

Initial rigid response and softening transition of highly stretchable kirigami sheet materials.

Science.gov (United States)

Isobe, Midori; Okumura, Ko

2016-04-27

We study, experimentally and theoretically, the mechanical response of sheet materials on which line cracks or cuts are arranged in a simple pattern. Such sheet materials, often called kirigami (the Japanese words, kiri and gami, stand for cut and paper, respectively), demonstrate a unique mechanical response promising for various engineering applications such as stretchable batteries: kirigami sheets possess a mechanical regime in which sheets are highly stretchable and very soft compared with the original sheets without line cracks, by virtue of out-of-plane deformation. However, this regime starts after a transition from an initial stiff regime governed by in-plane deformation. In other words, the softness of the kirigami structure emerges as a result of a transition from the two-dimensional to three-dimensional deformation, i.e., from stretching to bending. We clarify the physical origins of the transition and mechanical regimes, which are revealed to be governed by simple scaling laws. The results could be useful for controlling and designing the mechanical response of sheet materials including cell sheets for medical regeneration and relevant to the development of materials with tunable stiffness and mechanical force sensors.

Development and miniaturization of a photoacoustic silicon integrated spectrometer for trace gas analysis; Etude et developpement d`un spectrometre photoacoustique integre sur silicium pour analyse de gaz

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jourdain, A.

1998-10-29

The study deals with the integration on silicon wafers of an infrared spectrometer for carbon dioxide measurements. Photoacoustic detection that measures a differential pressure in a cavity turns out to be the best spectroscopic technique for miniaturization and integration. The micro-system is composed of two main components: an infrared light source on a silicon nitride membrane and a component integrating a tunable optical filter, a microphone for detection and a micro-cavity. After a theoretical study of the different components, each element is realized with the microelectronic techniques such as photolithography, thin films deposits and dry and wet etching. A resin sealing of all the different elements realizes the final micro-spectrophotometer. A characterization of the components is done thanks to the realization of an electronic specific set-up. (author) 107 refs.

Fluorescence and thermoluminescence in silicon oxide films rich in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berman M, D.; Piters, T. M.; Aceves M, M.; Berriel V, L. R.; Luna L, J. A.

2009-10-01

In this work we determined the fluorescence and thermoluminescence (TL) creation spectra of silicon rich oxide films (SRO) with three different silicon excesses. To study the TL of SRO, 550 nm of SRO film were deposited by Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition technique on N-type silicon substrates with resistivity in the order of 3 to 5 Ω-cm with silicon excess controlled by the ratio of the gases used in the process, SRO films with Ro= 10, 20 and 30 (12-6% silicon excess) were obtained. Then, they were thermally treated in N 2 at high temperatures to diffuse and homogenize the silicon excess. In the fluorescence spectra two main emission regions are observed, one around 400 nm and one around 800 nm. TL creation spectra were determined by plotting the integrated TL intensity as function of the excitation wavelength. (Author)

Molecular Engineering for Mechanically Resilient and Stretchable Electronic Polymers and Composites

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-08

The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing...study, etc. 3. DATES COVERED. Indicate the time during which the work was performed and the report was written, e.g., Jun 1997 - Jun 1998; 1-10 Jun...describing its operation and its special place in the depths of medieval sadism, which proved that the stretchability of Homo sapiens is not reversible

Physical and electrical characterization of corundum substrates and epitaxial silicon layers in view of fabricating integrated circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trilhe, J.; Legal, H.; Rolland, G.

1975-01-01

The S.O.S. technology (silicon on insulating substrate) allows compact, radiation hard, fast integrated circuits to be fabricated. It is noticeable that complex integrated circuits on corundum substrates obtained with various fabrication processes have various electrical characteristics. Possible correlations between the macroscopic defects of the substrate and the electrical characteristics of the circuit were investigated [fr

The thermal neutron absorption cross-sections, resonance integrals and resonance parameters of silicon and its stable isotopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Story, J.S.

1969-09-01

The data available up to the end of November 1968 on the thermal neutron absorption cross-sections, resonance absorption integrals, and resonance parameters of silicon and its stable isotopes are collected and discussed. Estimates are given of the mean spacing of the energy levels of the compound nuclei near the neutron binding energy. It is concluded that the thermal neutron absorption cross-section and resonance absorption integral of natural silicon are not well established. The data on these two parameters are somewhat correlated, and three different assessments of the resonance integral are presented which differ over-all by a factor of 230. Many resonances have been detected by charged particle reactions which have not yet been observed in neutron cross-section measurements. One of these resonances of Si 2 8, at E n = 4 ± 5 keV might account for the large resonance integral which is derived, very uncertainly, from integral data. The principal source of the measured resonance integral of Si 3 0 has not yet been located. The thermal neutron absorption cross-section of Si 2 8 appears to result mainly from a negative energy resonance, possibly the resonance at E n = - 59 ± 5 keV detected by the Si 2 8 (d,p) reaction. (author)

Performance of integrated retainer rings in silicon micro-turbines with thrust style micro-ball bearings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hergert, Robert J; Holmes, Andrew S; Hanrahan, Brendan; Ghodssi, Reza

2013-01-01

This work explores the performance of different silicon retainer ring designs when integrated into silicon micro-turbines (SMTs) incorporating thrust style bearings supported on 500 µm diameter steel balls. Experimental performance curves are presented for SMTs with rotor diameters of 5 mm and 10 mm, each with five different retainer designs varying in mechanical rigidity, ball pocket shape and ball complement. It was found that the different retainer designs yielded different performance curves, with the closed pocket designs consistently requiring lower input power for a given rotation speed, and the most rigid retainers giving the best performance overall. Both 5 mm and 10 mm diameter devices have shown repeatable performance at rotation speeds up to and exceeding 20 000 RPM with input power levels below 2 W, and devices were tested for over 2.5 million revolutions without failure. Retainer rings are commonly used in macro-scale bearings to ensure uniform spacing between the rolling elements. The integration of retainers into micro-bearings could lower costs by reducing the number of balls required for stable operation, and also open up the possibility of ‘smart’ bearings with integrated sensors to monitor the bearing status. (paper)

Hybrid graphene/silicon integrated optical isolators with photonic spin–orbit interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ma, Jingwen; Sun, Xiankai; Xi, Xiang; Yu, Zejie

2016-01-01

Optical isolators are an important building block in photonic computation and communication. In traditional optics, isolators are realized with magneto-optical garnets. However, it remains challenging to incorporate such materials on an integrated platform because of the difficulty in material growth and bulky device footprint. Here, we propose an ultracompact integrated isolator by exploiting graphene's magneto-optical property on a silicon-on-insulator platform. The photonic nonreciprocity is achieved because the cyclotrons in graphene experiencing different optical spins exhibit different responses to counterpropagating light. Taking advantage of cavity resonance effects, we have numerically optimized a device design, which shows excellent isolation performance with the extinction ratio over 45 dB and the insertion loss around 12 dB at a wavelength near 1.55 μm. Featuring graphene's CMOS compatibility and substantially reduced device footprint, our proposal sheds light on monolithic integration of nonreciprocal photonic devices.

Miniaturized flow cytometer with 3D hydrodynamic particle focusing and integrated optical elements applying silicon photodiodes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rosenauer, M.; Buchegger, W.; Finoulst, I.; Verhaert, P.D.E.M.; Vellekoop, M.

2010-01-01

In this study, the design, realization and measurement results of a novel optofluidic system capable of performing absorbance-based flow cytometric analysis is presented. This miniaturized laboratory platform, fabricated using SU-8 on a silicon substrate, comprises integrated polymer-based

Mechanically flexible optically transparent silicon fabric with high thermal budget devices from bulk silicon (100)

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2013-05-30

Today’s information age is driven by silicon based electronics. For nearly four decades semiconductor industry has perfected the fabrication process of continuingly scaled transistor – heart of modern day electronics. In future, silicon industry will be more pervasive, whose application will range from ultra-mobile computation to bio-integrated medical electronics. Emergence of flexible electronics opens up interesting opportunities to expand the horizon of electronics industry. However, silicon – industry’s darling material is rigid and brittle. Therefore, we report a generic batch fabrication process to convert nearly any silicon electronics into a flexible one without compromising its (i) performance; (ii) ultra-large-scale-integration complexity to integrate billions of transistors within small areas; (iii) state-of-the-art process compatibility, (iv) advanced materials used in modern semiconductor technology; (v) the most widely used and well-studied low-cost substrate mono-crystalline bulk silicon (100). In our process, we make trenches using anisotropic reactive ion etching (RIE) in the inactive areas (in between the devices) of a silicon substrate (after the devices have been fabricated following the regular CMOS process), followed by a dielectric based spacer formation to protect the sidewall of the trench and then performing an isotropic etch to create caves in silicon. When these caves meet with each other the top portion of the silicon with the devices is ready to be peeled off from the bottom silicon substrate. Release process does not need to use any external support. Released silicon fabric (25 μm thick) is mechanically flexible (5 mm bending radius) and the trenches make it semi-transparent (transparency of 7%). © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Mechanically flexible optically transparent silicon fabric with high thermal budget devices from bulk silicon (100)

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa; Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Sevilla, Galo T.

2013-01-01

Today’s information age is driven by silicon based electronics. For nearly four decades semiconductor industry has perfected the fabrication process of continuingly scaled transistor – heart of modern day electronics. In future, silicon industry will be more pervasive, whose application will range from ultra-mobile computation to bio-integrated medical electronics. Emergence of flexible electronics opens up interesting opportunities to expand the horizon of electronics industry. However, silicon – industry’s darling material is rigid and brittle. Therefore, we report a generic batch fabrication process to convert nearly any silicon electronics into a flexible one without compromising its (i) performance; (ii) ultra-large-scale-integration complexity to integrate billions of transistors within small areas; (iii) state-of-the-art process compatibility, (iv) advanced materials used in modern semiconductor technology; (v) the most widely used and well-studied low-cost substrate mono-crystalline bulk silicon (100). In our process, we make trenches using anisotropic reactive ion etching (RIE) in the inactive areas (in between the devices) of a silicon substrate (after the devices have been fabricated following the regular CMOS process), followed by a dielectric based spacer formation to protect the sidewall of the trench and then performing an isotropic etch to create caves in silicon. When these caves meet with each other the top portion of the silicon with the devices is ready to be peeled off from the bottom silicon substrate. Release process does not need to use any external support. Released silicon fabric (25 μm thick) is mechanically flexible (5 mm bending radius) and the trenches make it semi-transparent (transparency of 7%). © (2013) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

Silicon photonic integrated circuits with electrically programmable non-volatile memory functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, J-F; Lim, A E-J; Luo, X-S; Fang, Q; Li, C; Jia, L X; Tu, X-G; Huang, Y; Zhou, H-F; Liow, T-Y; Lo, G-Q

2016-09-19

Conventional silicon photonic integrated circuits do not normally possess memory functions, which require on-chip power in order to maintain circuit states in tuned or field-configured switching routes. In this context, we present an electrically programmable add/drop microring resonator with a wavelength shift of 426 pm between the ON/OFF states. Electrical pulses are used to control the choice of the state. Our experimental results show a wavelength shift of 2.8 pm/ms and a light intensity variation of ~0.12 dB/ms for a fixed wavelength in the OFF state. Theoretically, our device can accommodate up to 65 states of multi-level memory functions. Such memory functions can be integrated into wavelength division mutiplexing (WDM) filters and applied to optical routers and computing architectures fulfilling large data downloading demands.

Optoelectronic Device Integration in Silicon (OpSIS)

Science.gov (United States)

2015-10-26

silicon-on-insulator," Opt. Express 22, 17872-17879 (2014) Y. Yang, C. Galland, Y. Liu, K. Tan , R. Ding, Q. Li, K. Bergman, T. Baehr-Jones, M...Jaeger, Nicolas AF; Chrostowski, Lukas; “Electrically tunable resonant filters in phase-shifted contra- directional couplers” IEEE Group IV Photonics... Nicolas AF; Chrostowski, Lukas; “Silicon photonic grating-assisted, contra-directional couplers” Optics express Vol. 21, No. 3; 3633-3650 (2013

Flexible Thermoelectric Generators on Silicon Fabric

KAUST Repository

Sevilla, Galo T.

2012-11-01

In this work, the development of a Thermoelectric Generator on Flexible Silicon Fabric is explored to extend silicon electronics for flexible platforms. Low cost, easily deployable plastic based flexible electronics are of great interest for smart textile, wearable electronics and many other exciting applications. However, low thermal budget processing and fundamentally limited electron mobility hinders its potential to be competitive with well established and highly developed silicon technology. The use of silicon in flexible electronics involve expensive and abrasive materials and processes. In this work, high performance flexible thermoelectric energy harvesters are demonstrated from low cost bulk silicon (100) wafers. The fabrication of the micro- harvesters was done using existing silicon processes on silicon (100) and then peeled them off from the original substrate leaving it for reuse. Peeled off silicon has 3.6% thickness of bulk silicon reducing the thermal loss significantly and generating nearly 30% more output power than unpeeled harvesters. The demonstrated generic batch processing shows a pragmatic way of peeling off a whole silicon circuitry after conventional fabrication on bulk silicon wafers for extremely deformable high performance integrated electronics. In summary, by using a novel, low cost process, this work has successfully integrated existing and highly developed fabrication techniques to introduce a flexible energy harvester for sustainable applications.

First operation of a hybrid photon detector prototype with electrostatic cross-focussing and integrated silicon pixel readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alemi, M.; Campbell, M.; Gys, T.; Mikulec, B.; Piedigrossi, D.; Puertolas, D.; Rosso, E.; Schomaker, R.; Snoeys, W.; Wyllie, K.

2000-01-01

We report on the first operation of a hybrid photon detector prototype with integrated silicon pixel readout for the ring imaging Cherenkov detectors of the LHCb experiment. The photon detector is based on a cross-focussed image intensifier tube geometry where the image is de-magnified by a factor of 4. The anode consists of a silicon pixel array, bump-bonded to a binary readout chip with matching pixel electronics. The prototype has been characterized using a low-intensity light-emitting diode operated in pulsed mode. Its performance in terms of single-photoelectron detection efficiency and imaging properties is presented. A model of photoelectron detection is proposed, and is shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data. It includes an estimate of the charge signal generated in the silicon detector, and the combined effects of the comparator threshold spread of the pixel readout chip, charge sharing at the pixel boundaries and back-scattering of the photoelectrons at the silicon detector surface

First operation of a hybrid photon detector prototype with electrostatic cross-focussing and integrated silicon pixel readout

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alemi, M.; Campbell, M.; Gys, T. E-mail: thierry.gys@cern.ch; Mikulec, B.; Piedigrossi, D.; Puertolas, D.; Rosso, E.; Schomaker, R.; Snoeys, W.; Wyllie, K

2000-07-11

We report on the first operation of a hybrid photon detector prototype with integrated silicon pixel readout for the ring imaging Cherenkov detectors of the LHCb experiment. The photon detector is based on a cross-focussed image intensifier tube geometry where the image is de-magnified by a factor of 4. The anode consists of a silicon pixel array, bump-bonded to a binary readout chip with matching pixel electronics. The prototype has been characterized using a low-intensity light-emitting diode operated in pulsed mode. Its performance in terms of single-photoelectron detection efficiency and imaging properties is presented. A model of photoelectron detection is proposed, and is shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data. It includes an estimate of the charge signal generated in the silicon detector, and the combined effects of the comparator threshold spread of the pixel readout chip, charge sharing at the pixel boundaries and back-scattering of the photoelectrons at the silicon detector surface.

Silicon photonic integrated circuit swept-source optical coherence tomography receiver with dual polarization, dual balanced, in-phase and quadrature detection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhao; Lee, Hsiang-Chieh; Vermeulen, Diedrik; Chen, Long; Nielsen, Torben; Park, Seo Yeon; Ghaemi, Allan; Swanson, Eric; Doerr, Chris; Fujimoto, James

2015-07-01

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a widely used three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging method with many biomedical and non-medical applications. Miniaturization, cost reduction, and increased functionality of OCT systems will be critical for future emerging clinical applications. We present a silicon photonic integrated circuit swept-source OCT (SS-OCT) coherent receiver with dual polarization, dual balanced, in-phase and quadrature (IQ) detection. We demonstrate multiple functional capabilities of IQ polarization resolved detection including: complex-conjugate suppressed full-range OCT, polarization diversity detection, and polarization-sensitive OCT. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of a silicon photonic integrated receiver for OCT. The integrated coherent receiver provides a miniaturized, low-cost solution for SS-OCT, and is also a key step towards a fully integrated high speed SS-OCT system with good performance and multi-functional capabilities. With further performance improvement and cost reduction, photonic integrated technology promises to greatly increase penetration of OCT systems in existing applications and enable new applications.

Carbon doped PDMS: conductance stability over time and implications for additive manufacturing of stretchable electronics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavakoli, Mahmoud; Rocha, Rui; Osorio, Luis; Almeida, Miguel; De Almeida, Anibal; Ramachandran, Vivek; Tabatabai, Arya; Lu, Tong; Majidi, Carmel

2017-01-01

Carbon doped PDMS (cPDMS), has been used as a conductive polymer for stretchable electronics. Compared to liquid metals, cPDMS is low cost and is easier to process or to print with an additive manufacturing process. However, changes on the conductance of the carbon based conductive PDMS (cPDMS) were observed over time, in particular after integration of cPDMS and the insulating polymer. In this article we investigate the process parameters that lead to improved stability over conductance of the cPDMS over time. Slight modifications to the fabrication process parameters were conducted and changes on the conductance of the samples for each method were monitored. Results suggested that change of the conductance happens mostly after integration of a pre-polymer over a cured cPDMS, and not after integration of the cPDMS over a cured insulating polymer. We show that such changes can be eliminated by adjusting the integration priority between the conductive and insulating polymers, by selecting the right curing temperature, changing the concentration of the carbon particles and the thickness of the conductive traces, and when possible by changing the insulating polymer material. In this way, we obtained important conclusions regarding the effect of these parameters on the change of the conductance over time, that should be considered for additive manufacturing of soft electronics. Also, we show that these changes can be possibly due to the diffusion from PDMS into cPDMS. (paper)

Reduced graphene oxide filled poly(dimethyl siloxane) based transparent stretchable, and touch-responsive sensors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi; Sadasivuni, Kishor Kumar; Cabibihan, John-John; Yoon, W. Jong; Kumar, Bijandra

2016-01-01

The ongoing revolution in touch panel technology and electronics demands the need for thin films, which are flexible, stretchable, conductive, and highly touch responsive. In this regard, conductive elastomer nanocomposites offer potential solutions for these stipulations; however, viability is limited to the poor dispersion of conductive nanomaterials such as graphene into the matrix. Here, we fabricated a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomer based transparent and flexible conductive touch responsive film by dispersing rGO honeycombs uniformly into PDMS elastomer through an ionic liquid (IL) modification. Pursuing a simple, scalable, and safe method of solution casting, this provides a versatile and creative design of a transparent and stretchable rGO/IL-PDMS capacitive touch responsive, where rGO acts as a sensing element. This transparent film with ∼70% transmittance exhibits approximately a five times faster response in comparison to rGO/PDMS film, with negligible degradation over time. The performance of this touch screen film is expected to have applications in the emerging field of foldable electronics.

Reduced graphene oxide filled poly(dimethyl siloxane) based transparent stretchable, and touch-responsive sensors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ponnamma, Deepalekshmi [Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, P. O. Box 2713, Doha (Qatar); Sadasivuni, Kishor Kumar; Cabibihan, John-John [Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Qatar University, P.O. Box 2713, Doha (Qatar); Yoon, W. Jong [School of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, University of Washington, Bothell, Washington 98011 (United States); Kumar, Bijandra, E-mail: bijandra.kumar@louisville.edu [Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research, University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky 40292 (United States); Research and Development Centre in Pharmaceutical Science and Applied Chemistry, Poona College of Pharmacy, Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University Erandawane, Pune 411038 (India)

2016-04-25

The ongoing revolution in touch panel technology and electronics demands the need for thin films, which are flexible, stretchable, conductive, and highly touch responsive. In this regard, conductive elastomer nanocomposites offer potential solutions for these stipulations; however, viability is limited to the poor dispersion of conductive nanomaterials such as graphene into the matrix. Here, we fabricated a reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) elastomer based transparent and flexible conductive touch responsive film by dispersing rGO honeycombs uniformly into PDMS elastomer through an ionic liquid (IL) modification. Pursuing a simple, scalable, and safe method of solution casting, this provides a versatile and creative design of a transparent and stretchable rGO/IL-PDMS capacitive touch responsive, where rGO acts as a sensing element. This transparent film with ∼70% transmittance exhibits approximately a five times faster response in comparison to rGO/PDMS film, with negligible degradation over time. The performance of this touch screen film is expected to have applications in the emerging field of foldable electronics.

Stretchable Transparent Electrode Arrays for Simultaneous Electrical and Optical Interrogation of Neural Circuits in Vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jing; Liu, Xiaojun; Xu, Wenjing; Luo, Wenhan; Li, Ming; Chu, Fangbing; Xu, Lu; Cao, Anyuan; Guan, Jisong; Tang, Shiming; Duan, Xiaojie

2018-04-09

Recent developments of transparent electrode arrays provide a unique capability for simultaneous optical and electrical interrogation of neural circuits in the brain. However, none of these electrode arrays possess the stretchability highly desired for interfacing with mechanically active neural systems, such as the brain under injury, the spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system (PNS). Here, we report a stretchable transparent electrode array from carbon nanotube (CNT) web-like thin films that retains excellent electrochemical performance and broad-band optical transparency under stretching and is highly durable under cyclic stretching deformation. We show that the CNT electrodes record well-defined neuronal response signals with negligible light-induced artifacts from cortical surfaces under optogenetic stimulation. Simultaneous two-photon calcium imaging through the transparent CNT electrodes from cortical surfaces of GCaMP-expressing mice with epilepsy shows individual activated neurons in brain regions from which the concurrent electrical recording is taken, thus providing complementary cellular information in addition to the high-temporal-resolution electrical recording. Notably, the studies on rats show that the CNT electrodes remain operational during and after brain contusion that involves the rapid deformation of both the electrode array and brain tissue. This enables real-time, continuous electrophysiological monitoring of cortical activity under traumatic brain injury. These results highlight the potential application of the stretchable transparent CNT electrode arrays in combining electrical and optical modalities to study neural circuits, especially under mechanically active conditions, which could potentially provide important new insights into the local circuit dynamics of the spinal cord and PNS as well as the mechanism underlying traumatic injuries of the nervous system.

Formation of multiple levels of porous silicon for buried insulators and conductors in silicon device technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Blewer, Robert S.; Gullinger, Terry R.; Kelly, Michael J.; Tsao, Sylvia S.

1991-01-01

A method of forming a multiple level porous silicon substrate for semiconductor integrated circuits including anodizing non-porous silicon layers of a multi-layer silicon substrate to form multiple levels of porous silicon. At least one porous silicon layer is then oxidized to form an insulating layer and at least one other layer of porous silicon beneath the insulating layer is metallized to form a buried conductive layer. Preferably the insulating layer and conductive layer are separated by an anodization barrier formed of non-porous silicon. By etching through the anodization barrier and subsequently forming a metallized conductive layer, a fully or partially insulated buried conductor may be fabricated under single crystal silicon.

An analog front-end bipolar-transistor integrated circuit for the SDC silicon tracker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kipnis, I.; Spieler, H.; Collins, T.

1994-01-01

Since 1989 the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC) has been developing a general purpose detector to be operated at the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). A low-noise, low-power, high-bandwidth, radiation hard, silicon bipolar-transistor full-custom integrated circuit (IC) containing 64 channels of analog signal processing has been developed for the SDS silicon tracker. The IC was designed and tested at LBL and was fabricated using AT and T's CBIC-U2, 4 GHz f T complementary bipolar technology. Each channel contains the following functions: low-noise preamplification, pulse shaping and threshold discrimination. This is the first iteration of the production analog IC for the SDC silicon tracker. The IC is laid out to directly match the 50 μm pitch double-sided silicon strip detector. The chip measures 6.8 mm x 3.1 mm and contains 3,600 transistors. Three stages of amplification provide 180 mV/fC of gain with a 35 nsec peaking time at the comparator input. For a 14 pF detector capacitance, the equivalent noise charge is 1300 el. rms at a power consumption of 1 mW/channel from a single 3.5 V supply. With the discriminator threshold set to 4 times the noise level, a 16nsec time-walk for 1.25 to 10 fC signals is achieved using a time-walk compensation network. Irradiation tests at TRIUMF to a φ = 10 14 protons/cm 2 have been performed on the JC, demonstrating the radiation hardness of the complementary bipolar process

High-End Silicon PDICs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Zimmermann

2008-05-01

Full Text Available An overview on integrated silicon photodiodes and photodiode integrated circuits (PDICs or optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs for optical storage systems (OSS and fiber receivers is given. It is demonstrated, that by using low-cost silicon technologies high-performance OEICs being true competitors for some III/V-semiconductor OEICs can be realized. OSS-OEICs with bandwidths of up to 380 MHz and fiber receivers with maximum data rates of up to 11 Gbps are described. Low-cost data comm receivers for plastic optical fibers (POF as well as new circuit concepts for OEICs and highly parallel optical receivers are described also in the following.

Micro benchtop optics by bulk silicon micromachining

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Abraham P.; Pocha, Michael D.; McConaghy, Charles F.; Deri, Robert J.

2000-01-01

Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics of bulk silicon and integrating the parallel etch planes of silicon with silicon wafer bonding and impurity doping, enables the fabrication of on-chip optics with in situ aligned etched grooves for optical fibers, micro-lenses, photodiodes, and laser diodes. Other optical components that can be microfabricated and integrated include semi-transparent beam splitters, micro-optical scanners, pinholes, optical gratings, micro-optical filters, etc. Micromachining of bulk silicon utilizing the parallel etching characteristics thereof can be utilized to develop miniaturization of bio-instrumentation such as wavelength monitoring by fluorescence spectrometers, and other miniaturized optical systems such as Fabry-Perot interferometry for filtering of wavelengths, tunable cavity lasers, micro-holography modules, and wavelength splitters for optical communication systems.

Transformational silicon electronics

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

2014-02-25

In today\\'s traditional electronics such as in computers or in mobile phones, billions of high-performance, ultra-low-power devices are neatly integrated in extremely compact areas on rigid and brittle but low-cost bulk monocrystalline silicon (100) wafers. Ninety percent of global electronics are made up of silicon. Therefore, we have developed a generic low-cost regenerative batch fabrication process to transform such wafers full of devices into thin (5 μm), mechanically flexible, optically semitransparent silicon fabric with devices, then recycling the remaining wafer to generate multiple silicon fabric with chips and devices, ensuring low-cost and optimal utilization of the whole substrate. We show monocrystalline, amorphous, and polycrystalline silicon and silicon dioxide fabric, all from low-cost bulk silicon (100) wafers with the semiconductor industry\\'s most advanced high-κ/metal gate stack based high-performance, ultra-low-power capacitors, field effect transistors, energy harvesters, and storage to emphasize the effectiveness and versatility of this process to transform traditional electronics into flexible and semitransparent ones for multipurpose applications. © 2014 American Chemical Society.

Silicon Hard-Stop Mesas for 3D Integration of Superconducting Qubits

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, David; Rosenberg, Danna; Osadchy, Brenda; Calusine, Greg; Das, Rabindra; Melville, Alexander; Yoder, Jonilyn; Yost, Donna-Ruth; Racz, Livia; Oliver, William

As quantum computing with superconducting qubits advances past the few-qubit stage, implementing 3D packaging/integration to route readout/control lines will become increasingly important. One approach is to bond chips that perform different functions using indium bump bonds. Because indium is malleable, however, achieving the desired spacing and tilt between two chips can be challenging. We present an approach based on etching several microns into the silicon substrate to produce hard stop silicon posts. Since this process involves etching into a pristine substrate, it is essential to evaluate its impact on qubit performance. We report the etched surface's effect on the resonator quality factor and qubit coherence time, as well as the improvement in planarity and tilt. This research was funded in part by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering under Air Force Contract No. FA8721-05-C-0002. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of ODNI, IARPA, or the US Government.

Laboratory course on silicon sensors

CERN Document Server

Crescio, E; Roe, S; Rudge, A

2003-01-01

The laboratory course consisted of four different mini sessions, in order to give the student some hands-on experience on various aspects of silicon sensors and related integrated electronics. The four experiments were. 1. Characterisation of silicon diodes for particle detection 2. Study of noise performance of the Viking readout circuit 3. Study of the position resolution of a silicon microstrip sensor 4. Study of charge transport in silicon with a fast amplifier The data in the following were obtained during the ICFA school by the students.

Mechanical integration of the detector components for the CBM silicon tracking system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vasylyev, Oleg; Niebur, Wolfgang [GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Collaboration: CBM-Collaboration

2016-07-01

The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment (CBM) at FAIR is designed to explore the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities. The central detector component, the Silicon Tracking System (STS) is based on double-sided micro-strip sensors. In order to achieve the physics performance, the detector mechanical structures should be developed taking into account the requirements of the CBM experiments: low material budget, high radiation environment, interaction rates, aperture for the silicon tracking, detector segmentation and mounting precision. A functional plan of the STS and its surrounding structural components is being worked out from which the STS system shape is derived and the power and cooling needs, the connector space requirements, life span of components and installation/repair aspects are determined. The mechanical integration is at the point of finalizing the design stage and moving towards production readiness. This contribution shows the current processing state of the following engineering tasks: construction space definition, carbon ladder shape and manufacturability, beam-pipe feedthrough structure, prototype construction, cable routing and modeling of the electronic components.

Silicon photonics III systems and applications

CERN Document Server

Lockwood, David

2016-01-01

This book is volume III of a series of books on silicon photonics. It reports on the development of fully integrated systems where many different photonics component are integrated together to build complex circuits. This is the demonstration of the fully potentiality of silicon photonics. It contains a number of chapters written by engineers and scientists of the main companies, research centers and universities active in the field. It can be of use for all those persons interested to know the potentialities and the recent applications of silicon photonics both in microelectronics, telecommunication and consumer electronics market.

Graphene-Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube Hybrid on PDMS as Stretchable Electrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Junjun; Fu, Shichen; Zhang, Runzhi; Boon, Eric Peter; Lee, Woo; Fisher, Frank T; Yang, Eui-Hyeok

2017-09-11

Stretchable electrodes are a critical component for flexible electronics such as displays, energy devices, and wearable sensors. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have been considered for flexible electrode applications, due to their mechanical strength, high carrier mobility, and excellent thermal conductivity. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) provide the possibility to serve as interconnects to graphene sheets as stretchable electrodes that could maintain high electrical conductivity under large tensile strain. In this work, a graphene oxide (GO) -VACNT hybrid on a PDMS substrate was demonstrated. Here, 50 μm long VACNTs were grown on a Si/SiO2 wafer substrate via atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD). VACNTs were directly transferred by delamination from the Si/SiO2 to a semi-cured PDMS substrate, ensuring strong adhesion between VACNTs and PDMS upon full curing of the PDMS. GO ink was then printed on the surface of the VACNT carpet and thermally reduced to reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The sheet resistance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was measured under uniaxial tensile strains up to 300% applied to the substrate. Under applied strain, the rGO-VACNT hybrid maintained a sheet resistant of 386±55 Ω/sq. Cyclic stretching of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was performed with up to 50 cycles at 100% maximum tensile strain, showing no increase in sheet resistance. These results demonstrate promising performance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid for flexible electronics applications. © 2017 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Graphene—vertically aligned carbon nanotube hybrid on PDMS as stretchable electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Ding, Junjun; Fu, Shichen; Zhang, Runzhi; Boon, Eric; Lee, Woo; Fisher, Frank T.; Yang, Eui-Hyeok

2017-11-01

Stretchable electrodes are a critical component for flexible electronics such as displays, energy devices, and wearable sensors. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene have been considered for flexible electrode applications, due to their mechanical strength, high carrier mobility, and excellent thermal conductivity. Vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) provide the possibility to serve as interconnects to graphene sheets as stretchable electrodes that could maintain high electrical conductivity under large tensile strain. In this work, a graphene oxide (GO)-VACNT hybrid on a PDMS substrate was demonstrated. Here, 50 μm long VACNTs were grown on a Si/SiO2 wafer substrate via atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition. VACNTs were directly transferred by delamination from the Si/SiO2 to a semi-cured PDMS substrate, ensuring strong adhesion between VACNTs and PDMS upon full curing of the PDMS. GO ink was then printed on the surface of the VACNT carpet and thermally reduced to reduced graphene oxide (rGO). The sheet resistance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was measured under uniaxial tensile strains up to 300% applied to the substrate. Under applied strain, the rGO-VACNT hybrid maintained a sheet resistant of 386 ± 55 Ω/sq. Cyclic stretching of the rGO-VACNT hybrid was performed with up to 50 cycles at 100% maximum tensile strain, showing no increase in sheet resistance. These results demonstrate promising performance of the rGO-VACNT hybrid for flexible electronics applications.

Integration of a silicon-based microprobe into a gear measuring instrument for accurate measurement of micro gears

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferreira, N; Krah, T; Jeong, D C; Kniel, K; Härtig, F; Metz, D; Dietzel, A; Büttgenbach, S

2014-01-01

The integration of silicon micro probing systems into conventional gear measuring instruments (GMIs) allows fully automated measurements of external involute micro spur gears of normal modules smaller than 1 mm. This system, based on a silicon microprobe, has been developed and manufactured at the Institute for Microtechnology of the Technische Universität Braunschweig. The microprobe consists of a silicon sensor element and a stylus which is oriented perpendicularly to the sensor. The sensor is fabricated by means of silicon bulk micromachining. Its small dimensions of 6.5 mm × 6.5 mm allow compact mounting in a cartridge to facilitate the integration into a GMI. In this way, tactile measurements of 3D microstructures can be realized. To enable three-dimensional measurements with marginal forces, four Wheatstone bridges are built with diffused piezoresistors on the membrane of the sensor. On the reverse of the membrane, the stylus is glued perpendicularly to the sensor on a boss to transmit the probing forces to the sensor element during measurements. Sphere diameters smaller than 300 µm and shaft lengths of 5 mm as well as measurement forces from 10 µN enable the measurements of 3D microstructures. Such micro probing systems can be integrated into universal coordinate measuring machines and also into GMIs to extend their field of application. Practical measurements were carried out at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt by qualifying the microprobes on a calibrated reference sphere to determine their sensitivity and their physical dimensions in volume. Following that, profile and helix measurements were carried out on a gear measurement standard with a module of 1 mm. The comparison of the measurements shows good agreement between the measurement values and the calibrated values. This result is a promising basis for the realization of smaller probe diameters for the tactile measurement of micro gears with smaller modules. (paper)

A review of recent progress in heterogeneous silicon tandem solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Masafumi; Lee, Kan-Hua; Araki, Kenji; Kojima, Nobuaki

2018-04-01

Silicon solar cells are the most established solar cell technology and are expected to dominate the market in the near future. As state-of-the-art silicon solar cells are approaching the Shockley-Queisser limit, stacking silicon solar cells with other photovoltaic materials to form multi-junction devices is an obvious pathway to further raise the efficiency. However, many challenges stand in the way of fully realizing the potential of silicon tandem solar cells because heterogeneously integrating silicon with other materials often degrades their qualities. Recently, above or near 30% silicon tandem solar cell has been demonstrated, showing the promise of achieving high-efficiency and low-cost solar cells via silicon tandem. This paper reviews the recent progress of integrating solar cell with other mainstream solar cell materials. The first part of this review focuses on the integration of silicon with III-V semiconductor solar cells, which is a long-researched topic since the emergence of III-V semiconductors. We will describe the main approaches—heteroepitaxy, wafer bonding and mechanical stacking—as well as other novel approaches. The second part introduces the integration of silicon with polycrystalline thin-film solar cells, mainly perovskites on silicon solar cells because of its rapid progress recently. We will also use an analytical model to compare the material qualities of different types of silicon tandem solar cells and project their practical efficiency limits.

Silicon based light-emitting materials and devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Weide

1999-01-01

Silicon based light-emitting materials and devices are the key to optoelectronic integration. Recently, there has been significant progress in materials engineering methods. The author reviews the latest developments in this area including erbium doped silicon, porous silicon, nanocrystalline silicon and Si/SiO 2 superlattice structures. The incorporation of these different materials into devices is described and future device prospects are assessed

The SuperB Silicon Vertex Tracker and 3D vertical integration

CERN Document Server

Re, Valerio

2011-01-01

The construction of the SuperB high luminosity collider was approved and funded by the Italian government in 2011. The performance specifications set by the target luminosity of this machine (> 10^36 cm^-2 s^-1) ask for the development of a Silicon Vertex Tracker with high resolution, high tolerance to radiation and excellent capability of handling high data rates. This paper reviews the R&D activity that is being carried out for the SuperB SVT. Special emphasis is given to the option of exploiting 3D vertical integration to build advanced pixel sensors and readout electronics that are able to comply with SuperB vertexing requirements.

Building integration photovoltaic module with reference to Ghana: using triple junction amorphous silicon

OpenAIRE

Essah, Emmanuel Adu

2010-01-01

This paper assesses the potential for using building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) \\ud roof shingles made from triple-junction amorphous silicon (3a-Si) for electrification \\ud and as a roofing material in tropical countries, such as Accra, Ghana. A model roof \\ud was constructed using triple-junction amorphous (3a-Si) PV on one section and \\ud conventional roofing tiles on the other. The performance of the PV module and tiles \\ud were measured, over a range of ambient temperatures and solar...

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong Kyung Hong

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane (PDMS-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Development of a Waterproof Crack-Based Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on PDMS Shielding.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Seong Kyung; Yang, Seongjin; Cho, Seong J; Jeon, Hyungkook; Lim, Geunbae

2018-04-12

This paper details the design of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-shielded waterproof crack-based stretchable strain sensor, in which the electrical characteristics and sensing performance are not influenced by changes in humidity. This results in a higher number of potential applications for the sensor. A previously developed omni-purpose stretchable strain (OPSS) sensor was used as the basis for this work, which utilizes a metal cracking structure and provides a wide sensing range and high sensitivity. Changes in the conductivity of the OPSS sensor, based on humidity conditions, were investigated along with the potential possibility of using the design as a humidity sensor. However, to prevent conductivity variation, which can decrease the reliability and sensing ability of the OPSS sensor, PDMS was utilized as a shielding layer over the OPSS sensor. The PDMS-shielded OPSS sensor showed approximately the same electrical characteristics as previous designs, including in a high humidity environment, while maintaining its strain sensing capabilities. The developed sensor shows promise for use under high humidity conditions and in underwater applications. Therefore, considering its unique features and reliable sensing performance, the developed PDMS-shielded waterproof OPSS sensor has potential utility in a wide range of applications, such as motion monitoring, medical robotics and wearable healthcare devices.

Mechanical Properties of Organic Semiconductors for Stretchable, Highly Flexible, and Mechanically Robust Electronics.

Science.gov (United States)

Root, Samuel E; Savagatrup, Suchol; Printz, Adam D; Rodriquez, Daniel; Lipomi, Darren J

2017-05-10

Mechanical deformability underpins many of the advantages of organic semiconductors. The mechanical properties of these materials are, however, diverse, and the molecular characteristics that permit charge transport can render the materials stiff and brittle. This review is a comprehensive description of the molecular and morphological parameters that govern the mechanical properties of organic semiconductors. Particular attention is paid to ways in which mechanical deformability and electronic performance can coexist. The review begins with a discussion of flexible and stretchable devices of all types, and in particular the unique characteristics of organic semiconductors. It then discusses the mechanical properties most relevant to deformable devices. In particular, it describes how low modulus, good adhesion, and absolute extensibility prior to fracture enable robust performance, along with mechanical "imperceptibility" if worn on the skin. A description of techniques of metrology precedes a discussion of the mechanical properties of three classes of organic semiconductors: π-conjugated polymers, small molecules, and composites. The discussion of each class of materials focuses on molecular structure and how this structure (and postdeposition processing) influences the solid-state packing structure and thus the mechanical properties. The review concludes with applications of organic semiconductor devices in which every component is intrinsically stretchable or highly flexible.

Ka-band to L-band frequency down-conversion based on III-V-on-silicon photonic integrated circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Van Gasse, K.; Wang, Z.; Uvin, S.; De Deckere, B.; Mariën, J.; Thomassen, L.; Roelkens, G.

2017-12-01

In this work, we present the design, simulation and characterization of a frequency down-converter based on III-V-on-silicon photonic integrated circuit technology. We first demonstrate the concept using commercial discrete components, after which we demonstrate frequency conversion using an integrated mode-locked laser and integrated modulator. In our experiments, five channels in the Ka-band (27.5-30 GHz) with 500 MHz bandwidth are down-converted to the L-band (1.5 GHz). The breadboard demonstration shows a conversion efficiency of - 20 dB and a flat response over the 500 MHz bandwidth. The simulation of a fully integrated circuit indicates that a positive conversion gain can be obtained on a millimeter-sized photonic integrated circuit.

Stretchable, Adhesion-Tunable Dry Adhesive by Surface Wrinkling

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Hoon Eui

2010-02-16

We introduce a simple yet robust method of fabricating a stretchable, adhesion-tunable dry adhesive by combining replica molding and surface wrinkling. By utilizing a thin, wrinkled polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) sheet with a thickness of 1 mm with built-in micropillars, active, dynamic control of normal and shear adhesion was achieved. Relatively strong normal (∼10.8 N/cm2) and shear adhesion (∼14.7 N/cm2) forces could be obtained for a fully extended (strained) PDMS sheet (prestrain of∼3%), whereas the forces could be rapidly reduced to nearly zero once the prestrain was released (prestrain of ∼0.5%). Moreover, durability tests demonstrated that the adhesion strength in both the normal and shear directions was maintained over more than 100 cycles of attachment and detachment. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Stretchable, Adhesion-Tunable Dry Adhesive by Surface Wrinkling

KAUST Repository

Jeong, Hoon Eui; Kwak, Moon Kyu; Suh, Kahp Y.

2010-01-01

We introduce a simple yet robust method of fabricating a stretchable, adhesion-tunable dry adhesive by combining replica molding and surface wrinkling. By utilizing a thin, wrinkled polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) sheet with a thickness of 1 mm with built-in micropillars, active, dynamic control of normal and shear adhesion was achieved. Relatively strong normal (∼10.8 N/cm2) and shear adhesion (∼14.7 N/cm2) forces could be obtained for a fully extended (strained) PDMS sheet (prestrain of∼3%), whereas the forces could be rapidly reduced to nearly zero once the prestrain was released (prestrain of ∼0.5%). Moreover, durability tests demonstrated that the adhesion strength in both the normal and shear directions was maintained over more than 100 cycles of attachment and detachment. © 2010 American Chemical Society.

Bubble inductors: Pneumatic tuning of a stretchable inductor

Science.gov (United States)

Lazarus, Nathan; Bedair, Sarah S.

2018-05-01

From adaptive matching networks in power systems to channel selectable RF filters and circuitry, tunable inductors are fundamental components for circuits requiring reconfigurability. Here we demonstrate a new continuously tunable inductor based on physically stretching the inductor traces themselves. Liquid-metal-based stretchable conductors are wrapped around a pneumatic bubble actuator, allowing the inductor to be collapsed or expanded by application of pressure. In vacuum the bubble collapses, bringing the loop area to nearly zero, while positive pressure brings a dramatic increase in area and loop inductance. Using this approach, the inductor demonstrated in this work was able to achieve a tuning ratio of 2.6 with 1-2 second response time. With conductors available that can stretch by hundreds of percent, this technique is promising for very large tuning ratios in continuously tunable inductors.

Twenty-fold plasmon-induced enhancement of radiative emission rate in silicon nanocrystals embedded in silicon dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gardelis, S; Gianneta, V.; Nassiopoulou, A.G

2016-01-01

We report on a 20-fold enhancement of the integrated photoluminescence (PL) emission of silicon nanocrystals, embedded in a matrix of silicon dioxide, induced by excited surface plasmons from silver nanoparticles, which are located in the vicinity of the silicon nanocrystals and separated from them by a silicon dioxide layer of a few nanometers. The electric field enhancement provided by the excited surface plasmons increases the absorption cross section and the emission rate of the nearby silicon nanocrystals, resulting in the observed enhancement of the photoluminescence, mainly attributed to a 20-fold enhancement in the emission rate of the silicon nanocrystals. The observed remarkable improvement of the PL emission makes silicon nanocrystals very useful material for photonic, sensor and solar cell applications.

Temperature dependent evolution of wrinkled single-crystal silicon ribbons on shape memory polymers.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Yu, Kai; Qi, H Jerry; Xiao, Jianliang

2017-10-25

Shape memory polymers (SMPs) can remember two or more distinct shapes, and thus can have a lot of potential applications. This paper presents combined experimental and theoretical studies on the wrinkling of single-crystal Si ribbons on SMPs and the temperature dependent evolution. Using the shape memory effect of heat responsive SMPs, this study provides a method to build wavy forms of single-crystal silicon thin films on top of SMP substrates. Silicon ribbons obtained from a Si-on-insulator (SOI) wafer are released and transferred onto the surface of programmed SMPs. Then such bilayer systems are recovered at different temperatures, yielding well-defined, wavy profiles of Si ribbons. The wavy profiles are shown to evolve with time, and the evolution behavior strongly depends on the recovery temperature. At relatively low recovery temperatures, both wrinkle wavelength and amplitude increase with time as evolution progresses. Finite element analysis (FEA) accounting for the thermomechanical behavior of SMPs is conducted to study the wrinkling of Si ribbons on SMPs, which shows good agreement with experiment. Merging of wrinkles is observed in FEA, which could explain the increase of wrinkle wavelength observed in the experiment. This study can have important implications for smart stretchable electronics, wrinkling mechanics, stimuli-responsive surface engineering, and advanced manufacturing.

Tin (Sn) for enhancing performance in silicon CMOS

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.; Fahad, Hossain M.; Singh, Nirpendra; Sevilla, Galo T.; Schwingenschlö gl, Udo; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2013-01-01

We study a group IV element: tin (Sn) by integrating it into silicon lattice, to enhance the performance of silicon CMOS. We have evaluated the electrical properties of the SiSn lattice by performing simulations using First-principle studies, followed by experimental device fabrication and characterization. We fabricated high-κ/metal gate based Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) using SiSn as channel material to study the impact of Sn integration into silicon. © 2013 IEEE.

Tin (Sn) for enhancing performance in silicon CMOS

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.

2013-10-01

We study a group IV element: tin (Sn) by integrating it into silicon lattice, to enhance the performance of silicon CMOS. We have evaluated the electrical properties of the SiSn lattice by performing simulations using First-principle studies, followed by experimental device fabrication and characterization. We fabricated high-κ/metal gate based Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor capacitors (MOSCAPs) using SiSn as channel material to study the impact of Sn integration into silicon. © 2013 IEEE.

Amorphous silicon based particle detectors

OpenAIRE

Wyrsch, N.; Franco, A.; Riesen, Y.; Despeisse, M.; Dunand, S.; Powolny, F.; Jarron, P.; Ballif, C.

2012-01-01

Radiation hard monolithic particle sensors can be fabricated by a vertical integration of amorphous silicon particle sensors on top of CMOS readout chip. Two types of such particle sensors are presented here using either thick diodes or microchannel plates. The first type based on amorphous silicon diodes exhibits high spatial resolution due to the short lateral carrier collection. Combination of an amorphous silicon thick diode with microstrip detector geometries permits to achieve micromete...

Highly Stretchable and Conductive Silver Nanoparticle Embedded Graphene Flake Electrode Prepared by In situ Dual Reduction Reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Yeoheung; Samanta, Khokan; Lee, Hanleem; Lee, Keunsik; Tiwari, Anand P.; Lee, Jihun; Yang, Junghee; Lee, Hyoyoung

2015-09-01

The emergence of stretchable devices that combine with conductive properties offers new exciting opportunities for wearable applications. Here, a novel, convenient and inexpensive solution process was demonstrated to prepare in situ silver (Ag) or platinum (Pt) nanoparticles (NPs)-embedded rGO hybrid materials using formic acid duality in the presence of AgNO3 or H2PtCl6 at low temperature. The reduction duality of the formic acid can convert graphene oxide (GO) to rGO and simultaneously deposit the positively charged metal ion to metal NP on rGO while the formic acid itself is converted to a CO2 evolving gas that is eco-friendly. The AgNP-embedded rGO hybrid electrode on an elastomeric substrate exhibited superior stretchable properties including a maximum conductivity of 3012 S cm-1 (at 0 % strain) and 322.8 S cm-1 (at 35 % strain). Its fabrication process using a printing method is scalable. Surprisingly, the electrode can survive even in continuous stretching cycles.

High-performance RF coil inductors on silicon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Malba, V.; Young, D.; Ou, J.J.; Bernhardt, A.F.; Boser, B.E.

1998-03-01

Strong demand for wireless communication devices has motivated research directed toward monolithic integration of transceivers. The fundamental electronic component least compatible with silicon integrated circuits is the inductor, although a number of inductors are required to implement oscillators, filters and matching networks in cellular devices. Spiral inductors have been integrated into the silicon IC metallization sequence but have not performed adequately due to coupling to the silicon which results in parasitic capacitance and loss. We have, for the first time, fabricated three dimensional coil inductors on silicon which have significantly lower capacitive coupling and loss and which now exceed the requirements of potential applications. Quality factors of 30 at 1 GHz have been measured in single turn devices and Q > 16 in 2 and 4 turn devices. The reduced Q for multiturn devices appears to be related to eddy currents in outer turns generated by magnetic fields from current in neighboring turns. Higher Q values significantly in excess of 30 are anticipated using modified coil designs.

Stretchable polyurethane sponge reinforced magnetorheological material with enhanced mechanical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ge, Lin; Xuan, Shouhu; Liao, Guojiang; Yin, Tiantian; Gong, Xinglong

2015-01-01

A stretchable magnetorheological material (SMRM) consisting of micro-meter carbonyl iron (CI) particles, low cross-linking polyurethane (PU) polymer and porous PU sponge has been developed. Due to the presence of the PU sponge, the high-performance MR material can be reversibly stretched or bent, just as MR elastomers. When the CI content increases to 80 wt%, the magnetic induced modulus of the MR material can reach as high as 7.34 MPa and the corresponding relative MR effect increases to 820%. A possible strengthening mechanism of the SMRM was proposed. The attractive mechanical properties make the SMRM a promising candidate for future high-performance devices. (technical note)

Silicon photonics for telecommunications and biomedicine

CERN Document Server

Fathpour, Sasan

2011-01-01

Given silicon's versatile material properties, use of low-cost silicon photonics continues to move beyond light-speed data transmission through fiber-optic cables and computer chips. Its application has also evolved from the device to the integrated-system level. A timely overview of this impressive growth, Silicon Photonics for Telecommunications and Biomedicine summarizes state-of-the-art developments in a wide range of areas, including optical communications, wireless technologies, and biomedical applications of silicon photonics. With contributions from world experts, this reference guides

Graphene-on-silicon hybrid plasmonic-photonic integrated circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Xiao, Ting-Hui; Cheng, Zhenzhou; Goda, Keisuke

2017-06-16

Graphene surface plasmons (GSPs) have shown great potential in biochemical sensing, thermal imaging, and optoelectronics. To excite GSPs, several methods based on the near-field optical microscope and graphene nanostructures have been developed in the past few years. However, these methods suffer from their bulky setups and low GSP-excitation efficiency due to the short interaction length between free-space vertical excitation light and the atomic layer of graphene. Here we present a CMOS-compatible design of graphene-on-silicon hybrid plasmonic-photonic integrated circuits that achieve the in-plane excitation of GSP polaritons as well as localized surface plasmon (SP) resonance. By employing a suspended membrane slot waveguide, our design is able to excite GSP polaritons on a chip. Moreover, by utilizing a graphene nanoribbon array, we engineer the transmission spectrum of the waveguide by excitation of localized SP resonance. Our theoretical and computational study paves a new avenue to enable, modulate, and monitor GSPs on a chip, potentially applicable for the development of on-chip electro-optic devices.

Nanowire-integrated microporous silicon membrane for continuous fluid transport in micro cooling device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

So, Hongyun; Pisano, Albert P.; Cheng, Jim C.

2013-01-01

We report an efficient passive micro pump system combining the physical properties of nanowires and micropores. This nanowire-integrated microporous silicon membrane was created to feed coolant continuously onto the surface of the wick in a micro cooling device to ensure it remains hydrated and in case of dryout, allow for regeneration of the system. The membrane was fabricated by photoelectrochemical etching to form micropores followed by hydrothermal growth of nanowires. This study shows a promising approach to address thermal management challenges for next generation electronic devices with absence of external power

Effects of plasma-deposited silicon nitride passivation on the radiation hardness of CMOS integrated circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clement, J.J.

1980-01-01

The use of plasma-deposited silicon nitride as a final passivation over metal-gate CMOS integrated circuits degrades the radiation hardness of these devices. The hardness degradation is manifested by increased radiation-induced threshold voltage shifts caused principally by the charging of new interface states and, to a lesser extent, by the trapping of holes created upon exposure to ionizing radiation. The threshold voltage shifts are a strong function of the deposition temperature, and show very little dependence on thickness for films deposited at 300 0 C. There is some correlation between the threshold voltage shifts and the hydrogen content of the PECVD silicon nitride films used as the final passivation layer as a function of deposition temperature. The mechanism by which the hydrogen contained in these films may react with the Si/SiO 2 interface is not clear at this point

High performance bio-integrated devices

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Dae-Hyeong; Lee, Jongha; Park, Minjoon

2014-06-01

In recent years, personalized electronics for medical applications, particularly, have attracted much attention with the rise of smartphones because the coupling of such devices and smartphones enables the continuous health-monitoring in patients' daily life. Especially, it is expected that the high performance biomedical electronics integrated with the human body can open new opportunities in the ubiquitous healthcare. However, the mechanical and geometrical constraints inherent in all standard forms of high performance rigid wafer-based electronics raise unique integration challenges with biotic entities. Here, we describe materials and design constructs for high performance skin-mountable bio-integrated electronic devices, which incorporate arrays of single crystalline inorganic nanomembranes. The resulting electronic devices include flexible and stretchable electrophysiology electrodes and sensors coupled with active electronic components. These advances in bio-integrated systems create new directions in the personalized health monitoring and/or human-machine interfaces.

Silicon microphotonic waveguides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ta'eed, V.; Steel, M.J.; Grillet, C.; Eggleton, B.; Du, J.; Glasscock, J.; Savvides, N.

2004-01-01

Full text: Silicon microphotonic devices have been drawing increasing attention in the past few years. The high index-difference between silicon and its oxide (Δn = 2) suggests a potential for high-density integration of optical functions on to a photonic chip. Additionally, it has been shown that silicon exhibits strong Raman nonlinearity, a necessary property as light interaction can occur only by means of nonlinearities in the propagation medium. The small dimensions of silicon waveguides require the design of efficient tapers to couple light to them. We have used the beam propagation method (RSoft BeamPROP) to understand the principles and design of an inverse-taper mode-converter as implemented in several recent papers. We report on progress in the design and fabrication of silicon-based waveguides. Preliminary work has been conducted by patterning silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers using optical lithography and reactive ion etching. Thus far, only rib waveguides have been designed, as single-mode ridge-waveguides are beyond the capabilities of conventional optical lithography. We have recently moved to electron beam lithography as the higher resolutions permitted will provide the flexibility to begin fabricating sub-micron waveguides

Development of deep silicon plasma etching for 3D integration technology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Golishnikov А. А.

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Plasma etch process for thought-silicon via (TSV formation is one of the most important technological operations in the field of metal connections creation between stacked circuits in 3D assemble technology. TSV formation strongly depends on parameters such as Si-wafer thickness, aspect ratio, type of metallization material, etc. The authors investigate deep silicon plasma etch process for formation of TSV with controllable profile. The influence of process parameters on plasma etch rate, silicon etch selectivity to photoresist and the structure profile are researched in this paper. Technology with etch and passivation steps alternation was used as a method of deep silicon plasma etching. Experimental tool «Platrane-100» with high-density plasma reactor based on high-frequency ion source with transformer coupled plasma was used for deep silicon plasma etching. As actuation gases for deep silicon etching were chosen the following gases: SF6 was used for the etch stage and CHF3 was applied on the polymerization stage. As a result of research, the deep plasma etch process has been developed with the following parameters: silicon etch rate 6 µm/min, selectivity to photoresist 60 and structure profile 90±2°. This process provides formation of TSV 370 µm deep and about 120 µm in diameter.

Micropatterning of a stretchable conductive polymer using inkjet printing and agarose stamping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Thomas Steen; Hassager, Ole; Larsen, Niels Bent

2007-01-01

A highly conducting stretchable polymer material has been patterned using additive inkjet printing and by subtractive agarose stamping of a deactivation agent (hypochlorite). The material consisted of elastomeric polyurethane combined in an interpenetrating network with a conductive polymer, poly(3....... Inkjet printing of the material was only possible if a short-chain polyurethane was used as elastomer to overcome strain hardening at the neck of the droplets produced for printing. Reproducible line widths down to 200 μm could be achieved by inkjet printing. Both methods were used to fabricate test...

Data Transmission and Thermo-Optic Tuning Performance of Dielectric-Loaded Plasmonic Structures Hetero-Integrated on a Silicon Chip

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Giannoulis, G.; Kalavrouziotis, D.; Apostolopoulos, D.

2012-01-01

We demonstrate experimental evidence of the data capture and the low-energy thermo-optic tuning credentials of dielectric-loaded plasmonic structures integrated on a silicon chip. We show 7-nm thermo-optical tuning of a plasmonic racetrack-resonator with less than 3.3 mW required electrical power...

Extremely stretchable thermosensitive hydrogels by introducing slide-ring polyrotaxane cross-linkers and ionic groups into the polymer network

Science.gov (United States)

Bin Imran, Abu; Esaki, Kenta; Gotoh, Hiroaki; Seki, Takahiro; Ito, Kohzo; Sakai, Yasuhiro; Takeoka, Yukikazu

2014-01-01

Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels changing their volumes and shapes in response to various stimulations have potential applications in multiple fields. However, these hydrogels have not yet been commercialized due to some problems that need to be overcome. One of the most significant problems is that conventional stimuli-sensitive hydrogels are usually brittle. Here we prepare extremely stretchable thermosensitive hydrogels with good toughness by using polyrotaxane derivatives composed of α-cyclodextrin and polyethylene glycol as cross-linkers and introducing ionic groups into the polymer network. The ionic groups help the polyrotaxane cross-linkers to become well extended in the polymer network. The resulting hydrogels are surprisingly stretchable and tough because the cross-linked α-cyclodextrin molecules can move along the polyethylene glycol chains. In addition, the polyrotaxane cross-linkers can be used with a variety of vinyl monomers; the mechanical properties of the wide variety of polymer gels can be improved by using these cross-linkers. PMID:25296246

Quantum Coherent States and Path Integral Method to Stochastically Determine the Anisotropic Volume Expansion in Lithiated Silicon Nanowires

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Donald C. Boone

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This computational research study will analyze the multi-physics of lithium ion insertion into a silicon nanowire in an attempt to explain the electrochemical kinetics at the nanoscale and quantum level. The electron coherent states and a quantum field version of photon density waves will be the joining theories that will explain the electron-photon interaction within the lithium-silicon lattice structure. These two quantum particles will be responsible for the photon absorption rate of silicon atoms that are hypothesized to be the leading cause of breaking diatomic silicon covalent bonds that ultimately leads to volume expansion. It will be demonstrated through the combination of Maxwell stress tensor, optical amplification and path integrals that a stochastic analyze using a variety of Poisson distributions that the anisotropic expansion rates in the <110>, <111> and <112> orthogonal directions confirms the findings ascertained in previous works made by other research groups. The computational findings presented in this work are similar to those which were discovered experimentally using transmission electron microscopy (TEM and simulation models that used density functional theory (DFT and molecular dynamics (MD. The refractive index and electric susceptibility parameters of lithiated silicon are interwoven in the first principle theoretical equations and appears frequently throughout this research presentation, which should serve to demonstrate the importance of these parameters in the understanding of this component in lithium ion batteries.

Study and characterization of an integrated circuit-deposited hydrogenated amorphous silicon sensor for the detection of particles and radiations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Despeisse, M.

2006-03-01

Next generation experiments at the European laboratory of particle physics (CERN) require particle detector alternatives to actual silicon detectors. This thesis presents a novel detector technology, which is based on the deposition of a hydrogenated amorphous silicon sensor on top of an integrated circuit. Performance and limitations of this technology have been assessed for the first time in this thesis in the context of particle detectors. Specific integrated circuits have been designed and the detector segmentation, the interface sensor-chip and the sensor leakage current have been studied in details. The signal induced by the track of an ionizing particle in the sensor has been characterized and results on the signal speed, amplitude and on the sensor resistance to radiation are presented. The results are promising regarding the use of this novel technology for radiation detection, though limitations have been shown for particle physics application. (author)

Static friction between silicon nanowires and elastomeric substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Qingquan; Zhu, Yong

2011-09-27

This paper reports the first direct measurements of static friction force and interfacial shear strength between silicon (Si) nanowires (NWs) and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). A micromanipulator is used to manipulate and deform the NWs under a high-magnification optical microscope in real time. The static friction force is measured based on "the most-bent state" of the NWs. The static friction and interface shear strength are found to depend on the ultraviolet/ozone (UVO) treatment of PDMS. The shear strength starts at 0.30 MPa without UVO treatment, increases rapidly up to 10.57 MPa at 60 min of treatment and decreases for longer treatment. Water contact angle measurements suggest that the UVO-induced hydrophobic-to-hydrophilic conversion of PDMS surface is responsible for the increase in the static friction, while the hydrophobic recovery effect contributes to the decrease. The static friction between NWs and PDMS is of critical relevance to many device applications of NWs including NW-based flexible/stretchable electronics, NW assembly and nanocomposites (e.g., supercapacitors). Our results will enable quantitative interface design and control for such applications. © 2011 American Chemical Society

Periodically poled silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Hon, Nick K.; Tsia, Kevin K.; Solli, Daniel R.; Khurgin, Jacob B.; Jalali, Bahram

2010-02-01

Bulk centrosymmetric silicon lacks second-order optical nonlinearity χ(2) - a foundational component of nonlinear optics. Here, we propose a new class of photonic device which enables χ(2) as well as quasi-phase matching based on periodic stress fields in silicon - periodically-poled silicon (PePSi). This concept adds the periodic poling capability to silicon photonics, and allows the excellent crystal quality and advanced manufacturing capabilities of silicon to be harnessed for devices based on χ(2)) effects. The concept can also be simply achieved by having periodic arrangement of stressed thin films along a silicon waveguide. As an example of the utility, we present simulations showing that mid-wave infrared radiation can be efficiently generated through difference frequency generation from near-infrared with a conversion efficiency of 50% based on χ(2) values measurements for strained silicon reported in the literature [Jacobson et al. Nature 441, 199 (2006)]. The use of PePSi for frequency conversion can also be extended to terahertz generation. With integrated piezoelectric material, dynamically control of χ(2)nonlinearity in PePSi waveguide may also be achieved. The successful realization of PePSi based devices depends on the strength of the stress induced χ(2) in silicon. Presently, there exists a significant discrepancy in the literature between the theoretical and experimentally measured values. We present a simple theoretical model that produces result consistent with prior theoretical works and use this model to identify possible reasons for this discrepancy.

Luneburg lens in silicon photonics.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Falco, Andrea; Kehr, Susanne C; Leonhardt, Ulf

2011-03-14

The Luneburg lens is an aberration-free lens that focuses light from all directions equally well. We fabricated and tested a Luneburg lens in silicon photonics. Such fully-integrated lenses may become the building blocks of compact Fourier optics on chips. Furthermore, our fabrication technique is sufficiently versatile for making perfect imaging devices on silicon platforms.

Waveguide silicon nitride grating coupler

Science.gov (United States)

Litvik, Jan; Dolnak, Ivan; Dado, Milan

2016-12-01

Grating couplers are one of the most used elements for coupling of light between optical fibers and photonic integrated components. Silicon-on-insulator platform provides strong confinement of light and allows high integration. In this work, using simulations we have designed a broadband silicon nitride surface grating coupler. The Fourier-eigenmode expansion and finite difference time domain methods are utilized in design optimization of grating coupler structure. The fully, single etch step grating coupler is based on a standard silicon-on-insulator wafer with 0.55 μm waveguide Si3N4 layer. The optimized structure at 1550 nm wavelength yields a peak coupling efficiency -2.6635 dB (54.16%) with a 1-dB bandwidth up to 80 nm. It is promising way for low-cost fabrication using complementary metal-oxide- semiconductor fabrication process.

Analytical and experimental evaluation of joining silicon carbide to silicon carbide and silicon nitride to silicon nitride for advanced heat engine applications Phase 2. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundberg, G.J.; Vartabedian, A.M.; Wade, J.A.; White, C.S. [Norton Co., Northboro, MA (United States). Advanced Ceramics Div.

1994-10-01

The purpose of joining, Phase 2 was to develop joining technologies for HIP`ed Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} with 4wt% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} (NCX-5101) and for a siliconized SiC (NT230) for various geometries including: butt joins, curved joins and shaft to disk joins. In addition, more extensive mechanical characterization of silicon nitride joins to enhance the predictive capabilities of the analytical/numerical models for structural components in advanced heat engines was provided. Mechanical evaluation were performed by: flexure strength at 22 C and 1,370 C, stress rupture at 1,370 C, high temperature creep, 22 C tensile testing and spin tests. While the silicon nitride joins were produced with sufficient integrity for many applications, the lower join strength would limit its use in the more severe structural applications. Thus, the silicon carbide join quality was deemed unsatisfactory to advance to more complex, curved geometries. The silicon carbide joining methods covered within this contract, although not entirely successful, have emphasized the need to focus future efforts upon ways to obtain a homogeneous, well sintered parent/join interface prior to siliconization. In conclusion, the improved definition of the silicon carbide joining problem obtained by efforts during this contract have provided avenues for future work that could successfully obtain heat engine quality joins.

Demonstration of slot-waveguide structures on silicon nitride / silicon oxide platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrios, C A; Sánchez, B; Gylfason, K B; Griol, A; Sohlström, H; Holgado, M; Casquel, R

2007-05-28

We report on the first demonstration of guiding light in vertical slot-waveguides on silicon nitride/silicon oxide material system. Integrated ring resonators and Fabry-Perot cavities have been fabricated and characterized in order to determine optical features of the slot-waveguides. Group index behavior evidences guiding and confinement in the low-index slot region at O-band (1260-1370nm) telecommunication wavelengths. Propagation losses of <20 dB/cm have been measured for the transverse-electric mode of the slot-waveguides.

New dynamic silicon photonic components enabled by MEMS technology

Science.gov (United States)

Errando-Herranz, Carlos; Edinger, Pierre; Colangelo, Marco; Björk, Joel; Ahmed, Samy; Stemme, Göran; Niklaus, Frank; Gylfason, Kristinn B.

2018-02-01

Silicon photonics is the study and application of integrated optical systems which use silicon as an optical medium, usually by confining light in optical waveguides etched into the surface of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. The term microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) refers to the technology of mechanics on the microscale actuated by electrostatic actuators. Due to the low power requirements of electrostatic actuation, MEMS components are very power efficient, making them well suited for dense integration and mobile operation. MEMS components are conventionally also implemented in silicon, and MEMS sensors such as accelerometers, gyros, and microphones are now standard in every smartphone. By combining these two successful technologies, new active photonic components with extremely low power consumption can be made. We discuss our recent experimental work on tunable filters, tunable fiber-to-chip couplers, and dynamic waveguide dispersion tuning, enabled by the marriage of silicon MEMS and silicon photonics.

Capillary Self-Alignment of Microchips on Soft Substrates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bo Chang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Soft micro devices and stretchable electronics have attracted great interest for their potential applications in sensory skins and wearable bio-integrated devices. One of the most important steps in building printed circuits is the alignment of assembled micro objects. Previously, the capillary self-alignment of microchips driven by surface tension effects has been shown to be able to achieve high-throughput and high-precision in the integration of micro parts on rigid hydrophilic/superhydrophobic patterned surfaces. In this paper, the self-alignment of microchips on a patterned soft and stretchable substrate, which consists of hydrophilic pads surrounded by a superhydrophobic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS background, is demonstrated for the first time. A simple process has been developed for making superhydrophobic soft surface by replicating nanostructures of black silicon onto a PDMS surface. Different kinds of PDMS have been investigated, and the parameters for fabricating superhydrophobic PDMS have been optimized. A self-alignment strategy has been proposed that can result in reliable self-alignment on a soft PDMS substrate. Our results show that capillary self-alignment has great potential for building soft printed circuits.

3D Printing of Highly Stretchable, Shape-Memory, and Self-Healing Elastomer toward Novel 4D Printing.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuang, Xiao; Chen, Kaijuan; Dunn, Conner K; Wu, Jiangtao; Li, Vincent C F; Qi, H Jerry

2018-02-28

The three-dimensional (3D) printing of flexible and stretchable materials with smart functions such as shape memory (SM) and self-healing (SH) is highly desirable for the development of future 4D printing technology for myriad applications, such as soft actuators, deployable smart medical devices, and flexible electronics. Here, we report a novel ink that can be used for the 3D printing of highly stretchable, SM, and SH elastomer via UV-light-assisted direct-ink-write printing. An ink containing urethane diacrylate and a linear semicrystalline polymer is developed for the 3D printing of a semi-interpenetrating polymer network elastomer that can be stretched by up to 600%. The 3D-printed complex structures show interesting functional properties, such as high strain SM and SM -assisted SH capability. We demonstrate that such a 3D-printed SM elastomer has the potential application for biomedical devices, such as vascular repair devices. This research paves a new way for the further development of novel 4D printing, soft robotics, and biomedical devices.

Wearable Fall Detector using Integrated Sensors and Energy Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Jung, Sungmook; Hong, Seungki; Kim, Jaemin; Lee, Sangkyu; Hyeon, Taeghwan; Lee, Minbaek; Kim, Dae-Hyeong

2015-11-01

Wearable devices have attracted great attentions as next-generation electronic devices. For the comfortable, portable, and easy-to-use system platform in wearable electronics, a key requirement is to replace conventional bulky and rigid energy devices into thin and deformable ones accompanying the capability of long-term energy supply. Here, we demonstrate a wearable fall detection system composed of a wristband-type deformable triboelectric generator and lithium ion battery in conjunction with integrated sensors, controllers, and wireless units. A stretchable conductive nylon is used as electrodes of the triboelectric generator and the interconnection between battery cells. Ethoxylated polyethylenimine, coated on the surface of the conductive nylon electrode, tunes the work function of a triboelectric generator and maximizes its performance. The electrical energy harvested from the triboelectric generator through human body motions continuously recharges the stretchable battery and prolongs hours of its use. The integrated energy supply system runs the 3-axis accelerometer and related electronics that record human body motions and send the data wirelessly. Upon the unexpected fall occurring, a custom-made software discriminates the fall signal and an emergency alert is immediately sent to an external mobile device. This wearable fall detection system would provide new opportunities in the mobile electronics and wearable healthcare.

Mechanical Characterization of Flexible and Stretchable Electronic Substrates

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wang, L.

2010-01-01

Conventional IC packages form a rigid shell around silicon IC dies. Their purpose is to provide environmental protection, electrical interconnect and heat dissipation. Despite the fact that majority of current silicon IC?s are realized in a very thin top layer of the silicon substrate (<10µm), the

Soft pneumatic grippers embedded with stretchable electroadhesion

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, J.; Elgeneidy, K.; Xiang, C.; Lohse, N.; Justham, L.; Rossiter, J.

2018-05-01

Current soft pneumatic grippers cannot robustly grasp flat materials and flexible objects on curved surfaces without distorting them. Current electroadhesive grippers, on the other hand, are difficult to actively deform to complex shapes to pick up free-form surfaces or objects. An easy-to-implement PneuEA gripper is proposed by the integration of an electroadhesive gripper and a two-fingered soft pneumatic gripper. The electroadhesive gripper was fabricated by segmenting a soft conductive silicon sheet into a two-part electrode design and embedding it in a soft dielectric elastomer. The two-fingered soft pneumatic gripper was manufactured using a standard soft lithography approach. This novel integration has combined the benefits of both the electroadhesive and soft pneumatic grippers. As a result, the proposed PneuEA gripper was not only able to pick-and-place flat and flexible materials such as a porous cloth but also delicate objects such as a light bulb. By combining two soft touch sensors with the electroadhesive, an intelligent and shape-adaptive PneuEA material handling system has been developed. This work is expected to widen the applications of both soft gripper and electroadhesion technologies.

Safely re-integrating silicone breast implants into the plastic surgery practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Gladfelter, Joanne

2006-01-01

In the early 1990s, it was reported that silicone breast implants were possibly responsible for serious damage to women's health. In January 1992, the Food and Drug Administration issued a voluntary breast implant moratorium and, in April, issued a ban on the use of silicone gel-filled implants for cosmetic breast augmentation. Since that time, silicone gel-filled breast implants have been available to women only for select cases: women seeking breast reconstruction or revision of an existing breast implant, women who have had breast cancer surgery, a severe injury to the breast, a birth defect that affects the breast, or a medical condition causing a severe breast deformity. Since the ban on the use of silicone gel-filled breast implants for cosmetic breast augmentation, numerous scientific studies have been conducted. To ensure patient safety, the American Board of Plastic Surgery believes that these scientific studies and the Food and Drug Administration's scrutiny of silicone gel-filled breast implants have been appropriate and necessary.

High-speed detection at two micrometres with monolithic silicon photodiodes

Science.gov (United States)

Ackert, Jason J.; Thomson, David J.; Shen, Li; Peacock, Anna C.; Jessop, Paul E.; Reed, Graham T.; Mashanovich, Goran Z.; Knights, Andrew P.

2015-06-01

With continued steep growth in the volume of data transmitted over optical networks there is a widely recognized need for more sophisticated photonics technologies to forestall a ‘capacity crunch’. A promising solution is to open new spectral regions at wavelengths near 2 μm and to exploit the long-wavelength transmission and amplification capabilities of hollow-core photonic-bandgap fibres and the recently available thulium-doped fibre amplifiers. To date, photodetector devices for this window have largely relied on III-V materials or, where the benefits of integration with silicon photonics are sought, GeSn alloys, which have been demonstrated thus far with only limited utility. Here, we describe a silicon photodiode operating at 20 Gbit s-1 in this wavelength region. The detector is compatible with standard silicon processing and is integrated directly with silicon-on-insulator waveguides, which suggests future utility in silicon-based mid-infrared integrated optics for applications in communications.

A CMOS-compatible large-scale monolithic integration of heterogeneous multi-sensors on flexible silicon for IoT applications

KAUST Repository

Nassar, Joanna M.

2017-02-07

We report CMOS technology enabled fabrication and system level integration of flexible bulk silicon (100) based multi-sensors platform which can simultaneously sense pressure, temperature, strain and humidity under various physical deformations. We also show an advanced wearable version for body vital monitoring which can enable advanced healthcare for IoT applications.

A CMOS-compatible large-scale monolithic integration of heterogeneous multi-sensors on flexible silicon for IoT applications

KAUST Repository

Nassar, Joanna M.; Sevilla, Galo T.; Velling, Seneca J.; Cordero, Marlon D.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2017-01-01

We report CMOS technology enabled fabrication and system level integration of flexible bulk silicon (100) based multi-sensors platform which can simultaneously sense pressure, temperature, strain and humidity under various physical deformations. We also show an advanced wearable version for body vital monitoring which can enable advanced healthcare for IoT applications.

High-density oxidized porous silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gharbi, Ahmed; Souifi, Abdelkader; Remaki, Boudjemaa; Halimaoui, Aomar; Bensahel, Daniel

2012-01-01

We have studied oxidized porous silicon (OPS) properties using Fourier transform infraRed (FTIR) spectroscopy and capacitance–voltage C–V measurements. We report the first experimental determination of the optimum porosity allowing the elaboration of high-density OPS insulators. This is an important contribution to the research of thick integrated electrical insulators on porous silicon based on an optimized process ensuring dielectric quality (complete oxidation) and mechanical and chemical reliability (no residual pores or silicon crystallites). Through the measurement of the refractive indexes of the porous silicon (PS) layer before and after oxidation, one can determine the structural composition of the OPS material in silicon, air and silica. We have experimentally demonstrated that a porosity approaching 56% of the as-prepared PS layer is required to ensure a complete oxidation of PS without residual silicon crystallites and with minimum porosity. The effective dielectric constant values of OPS materials determined from capacitance–voltage C–V measurements are discussed and compared to FTIR results predictions. (paper)

Silicon Integrated Dual-Mode Interferometer with Differential Outputs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niklas Hoppe

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The dual-mode interferometer (DMI is an attractive alternative to Mach-Zehnder interferometers for sensor purposes, achieving sensitivities to refractive index changes close to state-of-the-art. Modern designs on silicon-on-insulator (SOI platforms offer thermally stable and compact devices with insertion losses of less than 1 dB and high extinction ratios. Compact arrays of multiple DMIs in parallel are easy to fabricate due to the simple structure of the DMI. In this work, the principle of operation of an integrated DMI with differential outputs is presented which allows the unambiguous phase shift detection with a single wavelength measurement, rather than using a wavelength sweep and evaluating the optical output power spectrum. Fluctuating optical input power or varying attenuation due to different analyte concentrations can be compensated by observing the sum of the optical powers at the differential outputs. DMIs with two differential single-mode outputs are fabricated in a 250 nm SOI platform, and corresponding measurements are shown to explain the principle of operation in detail. A comparison of DMIs with the conventional Mach-Zehnder interferometer using the same technology concludes this work.

Integrated circuits of silicon on insulator S.O.I. technologies: State of the art and perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leray, J.L.; Dupont-Nivet, E.; Raffaelli, M.; Coic, Y.M.; Musseau, O.; Pere, J.F.; Lalande, P.; Bredy, J.; Auberton-Herve, A.J.; Bruel, M.; Giffard, B.

1989-01-01

Silicon On Insulator technologies have been proposed to increase the integrated circuits performances in radiation operation. Active researches are conducted, in France and abroad. This paper reviews briefly radiation effects phenomenology in that particular type of structure S.O.I. New results are presented that show very good radiation behaviour in term of speed, dose (10 to 100 megarad (Si)), dose rate and S.E.U. performances [fr

Three hydrogenated amorphous silicon photodiodes stacked for an above integrated circuit colour sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gidon, Pierre; Giffard, Benoit; Moussy, Norbert; Parrein, Pascale; Poupinet, Ludovic [CEA-LETI, MINATEC, CEA-Grenoble, 17 rue des Martyrs, 38054 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)

2010-03-15

We present theoretical simulation and experimental results of a new colour pixel structure. This pixel catches the light in three stacked amorphous silicon photodiodes encompassed between transparent electrodes. The optical structure has been simulated for signal optimisation. The thickness of each stacked layer is chosen in order to absorb the maximum of light and the three signals allow to linearly calculate the CIE colour coordinates 1 with minimum error and noise. The whole process is compatible with an above integrated circuit (IC) approach. Each photodiode is an n-i-p structure. For optical reason, the upper diode must be controlled down to 25 nm thickness. The first test pixel structure allows a good recovering of colour coordinates. The measured absorption spectrum of each photodiode is in good agreement with our simulations. This specific stack with three photodiodes per pixel totalises two times more signal than an above IC pixel under a standard Bayer pattern 2,3. In each square of this GretagMacbeth chart is the reference colour on the right and the experimentally measured colour on the left with three amorphous silicon photodiodes per pixel. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Stretchable human-machine interface based on skin-conformal sEMG electrodes with self-similar geometry

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Wentao; Zhu, Chen; Hu, Wei; Xiao, Lin; Huang, Yong'an

2018-01-01

Current stretchable surface electrodes have attracted increasing attention owing to their potential applications in biological signal monitoring, wearable human-machine interfaces (HMIs) and the Internet of Things. The paper proposed a stretchable HMI based on a surface electromyography (sEMG) electrode with a self-similar serpentine configuration. The sEMG electrode was transfer-printed onto the skin surface conformally to monitor biological signals, followed by signal classification and controlling of a mobile robot. Such electrodes can bear rather large deformation (such as >30%) under an appropriate areal coverage. The sEMG electrodes have been used to record electrophysiological signals from different parts of the body with sharp curvature, such as the index finger, back of the neck and face, and they exhibit great potential for HMI in the fields of robotics and healthcare. The electrodes placed onto the two wrists would generate two different signals with the fist clenched and loosened. It is classified to four kinds of signals with a combination of the gestures from the two wrists, that is, four control modes. Experiments demonstrated that the electrodes were successfully used as an HMI to control the motion of a mobile robot remotely. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51635007, 91323303).

Strained silicon as a new electro-optic material

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Rune Shim; Andersen, Karin Nordström; Borel, Peter Ingo

2006-01-01

For decades, silicon has been the material of choice for mass fabrication of electronics. This is in contrast to photonics, where passive optical components in silicon have only recently been realized1, 2. The slow progress within silicon optoelectronics, where electronic and optical...... functionalities can be integrated into monolithic components based on the versatile silicon platform, is due to the limited active optical properties of silicon3. Recently, however, a continuous-wave Raman silicon laser was demonstrated4; if an effective modulator could also be realized in silicon, data...... processing and transmission could potentially be performed by all-silicon electronic and optical components. Here we have discovered that a significant linear electro-optic effect is induced in silicon by breaking the crystal symmetry. The symmetry is broken by depositing a straining layer on top...

High surface area silicon materials: fundamentals and new technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Buriak, Jillian M

2006-01-15

Crystalline silicon forms the basis of just about all computing technologies on the planet, in the form of microelectronics. An enormous amount of research infrastructure and knowledge has been developed over the past half-century to construct complex functional microelectronic structures in silicon. As a result, it is highly probable that silicon will remain central to computing and related technologies as a platform for integration of, for instance, molecular electronics, sensing elements and micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems. Porous nanocrystalline silicon is a fascinating variant of the same single crystal silicon wafers used to make computer chips. Its synthesis, a straightforward electrochemical, chemical or photochemical etch, is compatible with existing silicon-based fabrication techniques. Porous silicon literally adds an entirely new dimension to the realm of silicon-based technologies as it has a complex, three-dimensional architecture made up of silicon nanoparticles, nanowires, and channel structures. The intrinsic material is photoluminescent at room temperature in the visible region due to quantum confinement effects, and thus provides an optical element to electronic applications. Our group has been developing new organic surface reactions on porous and nanocrystalline silicon to tailor it for a myriad of applications, including molecular electronics and sensing. Integration of organic and biological molecules with porous silicon is critical to harness the properties of this material. The construction and use of complex, hierarchical molecular synthetic strategies on porous silicon will be described.

Plasmonic nanofocusing of light in an integrated silicon photonics platform.

Science.gov (United States)

Desiatov, Boris; Goykhman, Ilya; Levy, Uriel

2011-07-04

The capability to focus electromagnetic energy at the nanoscale plays an important role in nanoscinece and nanotechnology. It allows enhancing light matter interactions at the nanoscale with applications related to nonlinear optics, light emission and light detection. It may also be used for enhancing resolution in microscopy, lithography and optical storage systems. Hereby we propose and experimentally demonstrate the nanoscale focusing of surface plasmons by constructing an integrated plasmonic/photonic on chip nanofocusing device in silicon platform. The device was tested directly by measuring the optical intensity along it using a near-field microscope. We found an order of magnitude enhancement of the intensity at the tip's apex. The spot size is estimated to be 50 nm. The demonstrated device may be used as a building block for "lab on a chip" systems and for enhancing light matter interactions at the apex of the tip.

Advances in silicon nanophotonics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hvam, Jørn Märcher; Pu, Minhao

Silicon has long been established as an ideal material for passive integrated optical circuitry due to its high refractive index, with corresponding strong optical confinement ability, and its low-cost CMOS-compatible manufacturability. However, the inversion symmetry of the silicon crystal lattice.......g. in high-bit-rate optical communication circuits and networks, it is vital that the nonlinear optical effects of silicon are being strongly enhanced. This can among others be achieved in photonic-crystal slow-light waveguides and in nano-engineered photonic-wires (Fig. 1). In this talk I shall present some...... recent advances in this direction. The efficient coupling of light between optical fibers and the planar silicon devices and circuits is of crucial importance. Both end-coupling (Fig. 1) and grating-coupling solutions will be discussed along with polarization issues. A new scheme for a hybrid III...

Process for forming a porous silicon member in a crystalline silicon member

Science.gov (United States)

Northrup, M. Allen; Yu, Conrad M.; Raley, Norman F.

1999-01-01

Fabrication and use of porous silicon structures to increase surface area of heated reaction chambers, electrophoresis devices, and thermopneumatic sensor-actuators, chemical preconcentrates, and filtering or control flow devices. In particular, such high surface area or specific pore size porous silicon structures will be useful in significantly augmenting the adsorption, vaporization, desorption, condensation and flow of liquids and gasses in applications that use such processes on a miniature scale. Examples that will benefit from a high surface area, porous silicon structure include sample preconcentrators that are designed to adsorb and subsequently desorb specific chemical species from a sample background; chemical reaction chambers with enhanced surface reaction rates; and sensor-actuator chamber devices with increased pressure for thermopneumatic actuation of integrated membranes. Examples that benefit from specific pore sized porous silicon are chemical/biological filters and thermally-activated flow devices with active or adjacent surfaces such as electrodes or heaters.

"Silicon millefeuille": From a silicon wafer to multiple thin crystalline films in a single step

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, David; Trifonov, Trifon; Garín, Moisés; Alcubilla, Ramon

2013-04-01

During the last years, many techniques have been developed to obtain thin crystalline films from commercial silicon ingots. Large market applications are foreseen in the photovoltaic field, where important cost reductions are predicted, and also in advanced microelectronics technologies as three-dimensional integration, system on foil, or silicon interposers [Dross et al., Prog. Photovoltaics 20, 770-784 (2012); R. Brendel, Thin Film Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells (Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany 2003); J. N. Burghartz, Ultra-Thin Chip Technology and Applications (Springer Science + Business Media, NY, USA, 2010)]. Existing methods produce "one at a time" silicon layers, once one thin film is obtained, the complete process is repeated to obtain the next layer. Here, we describe a technology that, from a single crystalline silicon wafer, produces a large number of crystalline films with controlled thickness in a single technological step.

Transformational silicon electronics

KAUST Repository

Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Sevilla, Galo T.; Ghoneim, Mohamed T.; Inayat, Salman Bin; Ahmed, Sally; Hussain, Aftab M.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2014-01-01

In today's traditional electronics such as in computers or in mobile phones, billions of high-performance, ultra-low-power devices are neatly integrated in extremely compact areas on rigid and brittle but low-cost bulk monocrystalline silicon (100

Rectangular-cladding silicon slot waveguide with improved nonlinear performance

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Zengzhi; Huang, Qingzhong; Wang, Yi; Xia, Jinsong

2018-04-01

Silicon slot waveguides have great potential in hybrid silicon integration to realize nonlinear optical applications. We propose a rectangular-cladding hybrid silicon slot waveguide. Simulation result shows that, with a rectangular-cladding, the slot waveguide can be formed by narrower silicon strips, so the two-photon absorption (TPA) loss in silicon is decreased. When the cladding material is a nonlinear polymer, the calculated TPA figure of merit (FOMTPA) is 4.4, close to the value of bulk nonlinear polymer of 5.0. This value confirms the good nonlinear performance of rectangular-cladding silicon slot waveguides.

Materials and integration schemes for above-IC integrated optics

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schmitz, Jurriaan; Rangarajan, B.; Kovalgin, Alexeij Y.

2014-01-01

A study is presented on silicon oxynitride material for waveguides and germanium-silicon alloys for p-i-n diodes. The materials are manufactured at low, CMOS-backend compatible temperatures, targeting the integration of optical functions on top of CMOS chips. Low-temperature germanium-silicon

Low surface damage dry etched black silicon

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Plakhotnyuk, Maksym M.; Gaudig, Maria; Davidsen, Rasmus Schmidt

2017-01-01

Black silicon (bSi) is promising for integration into silicon solar cell fabrication flow due to its excellent light trapping and low reflectance, and a continuously improving passivation. However, intensive ion bombardment during the reactive ion etching used to fabricate bSi induces surface dam...

Anomalous Stretchable Conductivity Using an Engineered Tricot Weave.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yong-Hee; Kim, Yoonseob; Lee, Tae-Ik; Lee, Inhwa; Shin, Jaeho; Lee, Hyun Soo; Kim, Taek-Soo; Choi, Jang Wook

2015-12-22

Robust electric conduction under stretching motions is a key element in upcoming wearable electronic devices but is fundamentally very difficult to achieve because percolation pathways in conductive media are subject to collapse upon stretching. Here, we report that this fundamental challenge can be overcome by using a parameter uniquely available in textiles, namely a weaving structure. A textile structure alternately interwoven with inelastic and elastic yarns, achieved via a tricot weave, possesses excellent elasticity (strain up to 200%) in diagonal directions. When this textile is coated with conductive nanomaterials, proper textile engineering allows the textile to obtain an unprecedented 7-fold conductivity increase, with conductivity reaching 33,000 S cm(-1), even at 130% strain, due to enhanced interyarn contacts. The observed stretching conductivity can be described well using a modified 3D percolation theory that reflects the weaving effect and is also utilized for stretchable electronic interconnects and supercapacitors with high performance.

Silicon Carbide Power Devices and Integrated Circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Lauenstein, Jean-Marie; Casey, Megan; Samsel, Isaak; LaBel, Ken; Chen, Yuan; Ikpe, Stanley; Wilcox, Ted; Phan, Anthony; Kim, Hak; Topper, Alyson

2017-01-01

An overview of the NASA NEPP Program Silicon Carbide Power Device subtask is given, including the current task roadmap, partnerships, and future plans. Included are the Agency-wide efforts to promote development of single-event effect hardened SiC power devices for space applications.

Research Update: Phonon engineering of nanocrystalline silicon thermoelectrics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junichiro Shiomi

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Nanocrystalline silicon thermoelectrics can be a solution to improve the cost-effectiveness of thermoelectric technology from both material and integration viewpoints. While their figure-of-merit is still developing, recent advances in theoretical/numerical calculations, property measurements, and structural synthesis/fabrication have opened up possibilities to develop the materials based on fundamental physics of phonon transport. Here, this is demonstrated by reviewing a series of works on nanocrystalline silicon materials using calculations of multiscale phonon transport, measurements of interfacial heat conduction, and synthesis from nanoparticles. Integration of these approaches allows us to engineer phonon transport to improve the thermoelectric performance by introducing local silicon-oxide structures.

Wearable multifunctional sensors using printed stretchable conductors made of silver nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Yao, Shanshan; Zhu, Yong

2014-01-01

Considerable efforts have been made to achieve highly sensitive and wearable sensors that can simultaneously detect multiple stimuli such as stretch, pressure, temperature or touch. Here we develop highly stretchable multifunctional sensors that can detect strain (up to 50%), pressure (up to ~1.2 MPa) and finger touch with high sensitivity, fast response time (~40 ms) and good pressure mapping function. The reported sensors utilize the capacitive sensing mechanism, where silver nanowires are used as electrodes (conductors) and Ecoflex is used as a dielectric. The silver nanowire electrodes are screen printed. Our sensors have been demonstrated for several wearable applications including monitoring thumb movement, sensing the strain of the knee joint in patellar reflex (knee-jerk) and other human motions such as walking, running and jumping from squatting, illustrating the potential utilities of such sensors in robotic systems, prosthetics, healthcare and flexible touch panels.Considerable efforts have been made to achieve highly sensitive and wearable sensors that can simultaneously detect multiple stimuli such as stretch, pressure, temperature or touch. Here we develop highly stretchable multifunctional sensors that can detect strain (up to 50%), pressure (up to ~1.2 MPa) and finger touch with high sensitivity, fast response time (~40 ms) and good pressure mapping function. The reported sensors utilize the capacitive sensing mechanism, where silver nanowires are used as electrodes (conductors) and Ecoflex is used as a dielectric. The silver nanowire electrodes are screen printed. Our sensors have been demonstrated for several wearable applications including monitoring thumb movement, sensing the strain of the knee joint in patellar reflex (knee-jerk) and other human motions such as walking, running and jumping from squatting, illustrating the potential utilities of such sensors in robotic systems, prosthetics, healthcare and flexible touch panels. Electronic

Formation and properties of the buried isolating silicon-dioxide layer in double-layer “porous silicon-on-insulator” structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bolotov, V. V.; Knyazev, E. V.; Ponomareva, I. V.; Kan, V. E., E-mail: kan@obisp.oscsbras.ru; Davletkildeev, N. A.; Ivlev, K. E.; Roslikov, V. E. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Omsk Scientific Center, Siberian Branch (Russian Federation)

2017-01-15

The oxidation of mesoporous silicon in a double-layer “macroporous silicon–mesoporous silicon” structure is studied. The morphology and dielectric properties of the buried insulating layer are investigated using electron microscopy, ellipsometry, and electrical measurements. Specific defects (so-called spikes) are revealed between the oxidized macropore walls in macroporous silicon and the oxidation crossing fronts in mesoporous silicon. It is found that, at an initial porosity of mesoporous silicon of 60%, three-stage thermal oxidation leads to the formation of buried silicon-dioxide layers with an electric-field breakdown strength of E{sub br} ~ 10{sup 4}–10{sup 5} V/cm. Multilayered “porous silicon-on-insulator” structures are shown to be promising for integrated chemical micro- and nanosensors.

MEMS-based silicon cantilevers with integrated electrothermal heaters for airborne ultrafine particle sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Wasisto, Hutomo Suryo; Merzsch, Stephan; Waag, Andreas; Peiner, Erwin

2013-05-01

The development of low-cost and low-power MEMS-based cantilever sensors for possible application in hand-held airborne ultrafine particle monitors is described in this work. The proposed resonant sensors are realized by silicon bulk micromachining technology with electrothermal excitation, piezoresistive frequency readout, and electrostatic particle collection elements integrated and constructed in the same sensor fabrication process step of boron diffusion. Built-in heating resistor and full Wheatstone bridge are set close to the cantilever clamp end for effective excitation and sensing, respectively, of beam deflection. Meanwhile, the particle collection electrode is located at the cantilever free end. A 300 μm-thick, phosphorus-doped silicon bulk wafer is used instead of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) as the starting material for the sensors to reduce the fabrication costs. To etch and release the cantilevers from the substrate, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) cryogenic dry etching is utilized. By controlling the etching parameters (e.g., temperature, oxygen content, and duration), cantilever structures with thicknesses down to 10 - 20 μm are yielded. In the sensor characterization, the heating resistor is heated and generating thermal waves which induce thermal expansion and further cause mechanical bending strain in the out-of-plane direction. A resonant frequency of 114.08 +/- 0.04 kHz and a quality factor of 1302 +/- 267 are measured in air for a fabricated rectangular cantilever (500x100x13.5 μm3). Owing to its low power consumption of a few milliwatts, this electrothermal cantilever is suitable for replacing the current external piezoelectric stack actuator in the next generation of the miniaturized cantilever-based nanoparticle detector (CANTOR).

Surface thiolation of silicon for antifouling application.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaoning; Gao, Pei; Hollimon, Valerie; Brodus, DaShan; Johnson, Arion; Hu, Hongmei

2018-02-07

Thiol groups grafted silicon surface was prepared as previously described. 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorodecanethiol (PFDT) molecules were then immobilized on such a surface through disulfide bonds formation. To investigate the contribution of PFDT coating to antifouling, the adhesion behaviors of Botryococcus braunii (B. braunii) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were studied through biofouling assays in the laboratory. The representative microscope images suggest reduced B. braunii and E. coli accumulation densities on PFDT integrated silicon substrate. However, the antifouling performance of PFDT integrated silicon substrate decreased over time. By incubating the aged substrate in 10 mM TCEP·HCl solution for 1 h, the fouled PFDT coating could be removed as the disulfide bonds were cleaved, resulting in reduced absorption of algal cells and exposure of non-fouled silicon substrate surface. Our results indicate that the thiol-terminated substrate can be potentially useful for restoring the fouled surface, as well as maximizing the effective usage of the substrate.

Silicon Nanowires for All-Optical Signal Processing in Optical Communication

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pu, Minhao; Hu, Hao; Ji, Hua

2012-01-01

Silicon (Si), the second most abundant element on earth, has dominated in microelectronics for many decades. It can also be used for photonic devices due to its transparency in the range of optical telecom wavelengths which will enable a platform for a monolithic integration of optics...... and microelectronics. Silicon photonic nanowire waveguides fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates are crucial elements in nano-photonic integrated circuits. The strong light confinement in nanowires induced by high index contrast SOI material enhances the nonlinear effects in the silicon nanowire core...... such as four-wave mixing (FWM) which is an imperative process for optical signal processing. Since the current mature silicon fabrication technology enables a precise dimension control on nanowires, dispersion engineering can be performed by tailoring nanowire dimensions to realize an efficient nonlinear...

Stretchable glucose biofuel cell with wirings made of multiwall carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimagari, Yusuke; Nishioka, Yasushiro

2015-01-01

In this study, we fabricated a flexible and stretchable glucose-biofuel cell with wirings made of multi wall carbon nanotube (MWCNTs) on a polydimethylsiloxane substrate. The biofuel cell investigated consists of a porous carbon anode (area of 30 mm 2 ) modified by glucose oxidase and ferrocene, and a cathode (area of 30 mm 2 ) modified by bilirubin oxidase. The anode and the cathode were connected with the MWCNT wirings. The maximum power of 0.31 μW at 76.6 mV, which corresponds to a power density of 1.04 μW/cm 2 , was realized by immersing the biofuel cell in a phosphate buffer solution with a glucose concentration of 100 mM, at room temperature. (paper)

Fabrication of detectors and transistors on high-resistivity silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holland, S.

1988-06-01

A new process for the fabrication of silicon p-i-n diode radiation detectors is described. The utilization of backside gettering in the fabrication process results in the actual physical removal of detrimental impurities from critical device regions. This reduces the sensitivity of detector properties to processing variables while yielding low diode reverse-leakage currents. In addition, gettering permits the use of processing temperatures compatible with integrated-circuit fabrication. P-channel MOSFETs and silicon p-i-n diodes have been fabricated simultaneously on 10 kΩ/centerreverse arrowdot/cm silicon using conventional integrated-circuit processing techniques. 25 refs., 5 figs

Textile-Based, Interdigital, Capacitive, Soft-Strain Sensor for Wearable Applications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ozgur Atalay

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The electronic textile area has gained considerable attention due to its implementation of wearable devices, and soft sensors are the main components of these systems. In this paper, a new sensor design is presented to create stretchable, capacitance-based strain sensors for human motion tracking. This involves the use of stretchable, conductive-knit fabric within the silicone elastomer matrix, as interdigitated electrodes. While conductive fabric creates a secure conductive network for electrodes, a silicone-based matrix provides encapsulation and dimensional-stability to the structure. During the benchtop characterization, sensors show linear output, i.e., R2 = 0.997, with high response time, i.e., 50 ms, and high resolution, i.e., 1.36%. Finally, movement of the knee joint during the different scenarios was successfully recorded.

Optimization and validation of highly selective microfluidic integrated silicon nanowire chemical sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Ehfaed, Nuri. A. K. H.; Bathmanathan, Shillan A. L.; Dhahi, Th S.; Adam, Tijjani; Hashim, Uda; Noriman, N. Z.

2017-09-01

The study proposed characterization and optimization of silicon nanosensor for specific detection of heavy metal. The sensor was fabricated in-house and conventional photolithography coupled with size reduction via dry etching process in an oxidation furnace. Prior to heavy metal heavy metal detection, the capability to aqueous sample was determined utilizing serial DI water at various. The sensor surface was surface modified with Organofunctional alkoxysilanes (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) to create molecular binding chemistry. This has allowed interaction between heavy metals being measured and the sensor component resulting in increasing the current being measured. Due to its, excellent detection capabilities, this sensor was able to identify different group heavy metal species. The device was further integrated with sub-50 µm for chemical delivery.

Impurity engineering of Czochralski silicon used for ultra large-scaled-integrated circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Deren; Chen, Jiahe; Ma, Xiangyang; Que, Duanlin

2009-01-01

Impurities in Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si) used for ultra large-scaled-integrated (ULSI) circuits have been believed to deteriorate the performance of devices. In this paper, a review of the recent processes from our investigation on internal gettering in Cz-Si wafers which were doped with nitrogen, germanium and/or high content of carbon is presented. It has been suggested that those impurities enhance oxygen precipitation, and create both denser bulk microdefects and enough denuded zone with the desirable width, which is benefit of the internal gettering of metal contamination. Based on the experimental facts, a potential mechanism of impurity doping on the internal gettering structure is interpreted and, a new concept of 'impurity engineering' for Cz-Si used for ULSI is proposed.

Flexible and Stretchable Energy Storage: Recent Advances and Future Perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Wei; Song, Min-Sang; Kong, Biao; Cui, Yi

2017-01-01

Energy-storage technologies such as lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors have become fundamental building blocks in modern society. Recently, the emerging direction toward the ever-growing market of flexible and wearable electronics has nourished progress in building multifunctional energy-storage systems that can be bent, folded, crumpled, and stretched while maintaining their electrochemical functions under deformation. Here, recent progress and well-developed strategies in research designed to accomplish flexible and stretchable lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors are reviewed. The challenges of developing novel materials and configurations with tailored features, and in designing simple and large-scaled manufacturing methods that can be widely utilized are considered. Furthermore, the perspectives and opportunities for this emerging field of materials science and engineering are also discussed. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Additive advantage in characteristics of MIMCAPs on flexible silicon (100) fabric with release-first process

KAUST Repository

Ghoneim, Mohamed T.

2013-11-20

We report the inherent increase in capacitance per unit planar area of state-of-the art high-κ integrated metal/insulator/metal capacitors (MIMCAPs) fabricated on flexible silicon fabric with release-first process. We methodically study and show that our approach to transform bulk silicon (100) into a flexible fabric adds an inherent advantage of enabling higher integration density dynamic random access memory (DRAM) on the same chip area. Our approach is to release an ultra-thin silicon (100) fabric (25 μm thick) from the bulk silicon wafer, then build MIMCAPs using sputtered aluminium electrodes and successive atomic layer depositions (ALD) without break-ing the vacuum of a high-κ aluminium oxide sandwiched between two tantalum nitride layers. This result shows that we can obtain flexible electronics on silicon without sacrificing the high density integration aspects and also utilize the non-planar geometry associated with fabrication process to obtain a higher integration density compared to bulk silicon integration due to an increased normalized capacitance per unit planar area. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Ag/Au/Polypyrrole Core-shell Nanowire Network for Transparent, Stretchable and Flexible Supercapacitor in Wearable Energy Devices

OpenAIRE

Moon, Hyunjin; Lee, Habeom; Kwon, Jinhyeong; Suh, Young Duk; Kim, Dong Kwan; Ha, Inho; Yeo, Junyeob; Hong, Sukjoon; Ko, Seung Hwan

2017-01-01

Transparent and stretchable energy storage devices have attracted significant interest due to their potential to be applied to biocompatible and wearable electronics. Supercapacitors that use the reversible faradaic redox reaction of conducting polymer have a higher specific capacitance as compared with electrical double-layer capacitors. Typically, the conducting polymer electrode is fabricated through direct electropolymerization on the current collector. However, no research have been cond...

Silicon-integrated thin-film structure for electro-optic applications

Science.gov (United States)

McKee, Rodney A.; Walker, Frederick Joseph

2000-01-01

A crystalline thin-film structure suited for use in any of an number of electro-optic applications, such as a phase modulator or a component of an interferometer, includes a semiconductor substrate of silicon and a ferroelectric, optically-clear thin film of the perovskite BaTiO.sub.3 overlying the surface of the silicon substrate. The BaTiO.sub.3 thin film is characterized in that substantially all of the dipole moments associated with the ferroelectric film are arranged substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate to enhance the electro-optic qualities of the film.

Design Considerations for Optimized Lateral Spring Structures for Wearable Electronics

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.

2016-03-07

The market for wearable electronics has been gaining momentum in the recent years. For completely electronic wearable textiles with integrated sensors, actuators, computing units and communication circuitry, it is important that there is significant stretchability. This stretchability can be obtained by introducing periodic stretchable structures between the electronic circuits. In this work, we derive the equations and constraints governing the stretchability in horseshoe lateral spring structures. We have derived the optimum design and the parameters therein, to help develop the best spring structures for a given stretchability. We have also developed a figure of merit, called area efficiency of stretchability, to compare all twodimensional stretchable systems. Finally, we experimentally verify the validity of our equations by fabricating a metal/polymer bilayer thin film based stretchable horseshoe lateral spring structures. We obtain a stretchability of 1.875 which is comparable to the theoretical maxima of 2.01 for the given parameters.

Design Considerations for Optimized Lateral Spring Structures for Wearable Electronics

KAUST Repository

Hussain, Aftab M.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

2016-01-01

The market for wearable electronics has been gaining momentum in the recent years. For completely electronic wearable textiles with integrated sensors, actuators, computing units and communication circuitry, it is important that there is significant stretchability. This stretchability can be obtained by introducing periodic stretchable structures between the electronic circuits. In this work, we derive the equations and constraints governing the stretchability in horseshoe lateral spring structures. We have derived the optimum design and the parameters therein, to help develop the best spring structures for a given stretchability. We have also developed a figure of merit, called area efficiency of stretchability, to compare all twodimensional stretchable systems. Finally, we experimentally verify the validity of our equations by fabricating a metal/polymer bilayer thin film based stretchable horseshoe lateral spring structures. We obtain a stretchability of 1.875 which is comparable to the theoretical maxima of 2.01 for the given parameters.

Towards Cost-Effective Crystalline Silicon Based Flexible Solar Cells: Integration Strategy by Rational Design of Materials, Process, and Devices

KAUST Repository

Bahabry, Rabab R.

2017-11-30

The solar cells market has an annual growth of more than 30 percent over the past 15 years. At the same time, the cost of the solar modules diminished to meet both of the rapid global demand and the technological improvements. In particular for the crystalline silicon solar cells, the workhorse of this technology. The objective of this doctoral thesis is enhancing the efficiency of c-Si solar cells while exploring the cost reduction via innovative techniques. Contact metallization and ultra-flexible wafer based c-Si solar cells are the main areas under investigation. First, Silicon-based solar cells typically utilize screen printed Silver (Ag) metal contacts which affect the optimal electrical performance. To date, metal silicide-based ohmic contacts are occasionally used for the front contact grid lines. In this work, investigation of the microstructure and the electrical characteristics of nickel monosilicide (NiSi) ohmic contacts on the rear side of c-Si solar cells has been carried out. Significant enhancement in the fill factor leading to increasing the total power conversion efficiency is observed. Second, advanced classes of modern application require a new generation of versatile solar cells showcasing extreme mechanical resilience. However, silicon is a brittle material with a fracture strains <1%. Highly flexible Si-based solar cells are available in the form thin films which seem to be disadvantageous over thick Si solar cells due to the reduction of the optical absorption with less active Si material. Here, a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology based integration strategy is designed where corrugation architecture to enable an ultra-flexible solar cell module from bulk mono-crystalline silicon solar wafer with 17% efficiency. This periodic corrugated array benefits from an interchangeable solar cell segmentation scheme which preserves the active silicon thickness and achieves flexibility via interdigitated back contacts. These cells

Efficient generation of single and entangled photons on a silicon photonic integrated chip

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mower, Jacob; Englund, Dirk

2011-01-01

We present a protocol for generating on-demand, indistinguishable single photons on a silicon photonic integrated chip. The source is a time-multiplexed spontaneous parametric down-conversion element that allows optimization of single-photon versus multiphoton emission while realizing high output rate and indistinguishability. We minimize both the scaling of active elements and the scaling of active element loss with multiplexing. We then discuss detection strategies and data processing to further optimize the procedure. We simulate an improvement in single-photon-generation efficiency over previous time-multiplexing protocols, assuming existing fabrication capabilities. We then apply this system to generate heralded Bell states. The generation efficiency of both nonclassical states could be increased substantially with improved fabrication procedures.

Ultra-Stretchable Ionic Nanocomposites: From Dynamic Bonding to Multi-Responsive Behavior

KAUST Repository

Odent, Jeremy

2017-06-12

Although multi-responsive materials have the potential to revolutionize a wide spectrum of technologies, the design of systems that combine a range of responses to a variety of different external changes without the associated property trade-offs has remained elusive. We herein demonstrate a new family of multi-responsive nanocomposites that leverage the dynamic and reversible nature of electrostatic interactions present in ionic systems with the reinforcement ability of nanoparticles in nanocomposites. This new design leads to a unique property profile that combines simultaneous improvements in stiffness, toughness and extensibility. In addition to their exceptional stretchability, the new, ionic nanocomposites exhibit unique strain-dependent behavior (i.e. the deformation increases with increasing strain rate) and return to normal state after deformation including shape-memory and scratching recovery.

Ultra-Stretchable Ionic Nanocomposites: From Dynamic Bonding to Multi-Responsive Behavior

KAUST Repository

Odent, Jeremy; Raquez, Jean-Marie; Dubois, Philippe; Giannelis, Emmanuel P.

2017-01-01

Although multi-responsive materials have the potential to revolutionize a wide spectrum of technologies, the design of systems that combine a range of responses to a variety of different external changes without the associated property trade-offs has remained elusive. We herein demonstrate a new family of multi-responsive nanocomposites that leverage the dynamic and reversible nature of electrostatic interactions present in ionic systems with the reinforcement ability of nanoparticles in nanocomposites. This new design leads to a unique property profile that combines simultaneous improvements in stiffness, toughness and extensibility. In addition to their exceptional stretchability, the new, ionic nanocomposites exhibit unique strain-dependent behavior (i.e. the deformation increases with increasing strain rate) and return to normal state after deformation including shape-memory and scratching recovery.

Effect of preliminary annealing of silicon substrates on the spectral sensitivity of photodetectors in bipolar integrated circuits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blynskij, V.I.; Bozhatkin, O.A.; Golub, E.S.; Lemeshevskaya, A.M.; Shvedov, S.V.

2010-01-01

We examine the results of an effect of preliminary annealing on the spectral sensitivity of photodetectors in bipolar integrated circuits, formed in silicon grown by the Czochralski method. We demonstrate the possibility of substantially improving the sensitivity of photodetectors in the infrared region of the spectrum with twostep annealing. The observed effect is explained by participation of oxidation in the gettering process, where oxidation precedes formation of a buried n + layer in the substrate. (authors)

Material synthesis for silicon integrated-circuit applications using ion implantation

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Xiang

As devices scale down into deep sub-microns, the investment cost and complexity to develop more sophisticated device technologies have increased substantially. There are some alternative potential technologies, such as silicon-on-insulator (SOI) and SiGe alloys, that can help sustain this staggering IC technology growth at a lower cost. Surface SiGe and SiGeC alloys with germanium peak composition up to 16 atomic percent are formed using high-dose ion implantation and subsequent solid phase epitaxial growth. RBS channeling spectra and cross-sectional TEM studies show that high quality SiGe and SiGeC crystals with 8 atomic percent germanium concentration are formed at the silicon surface. Extended defects are formed in SiGe and SiGeC with 16 atomic percent germanium concentration. X-ray diffraction experiments confirm that carbon reduces the lattice strain in SiGe alloys but without significant crystal quality improvement as detected by RBS channeling spectra and XTEM observations. Separation by plasma implantation of oxygen (SPIMOX) is an economical method for SOI wafer fabrication. This process employs plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) for the implantation of oxygen ions. The implantation rate for Pm is considerably higher than that of conventional implantation. The feasibility of SPIMOX has been demonstrated with successful fabrication of SOI structures implementing this process. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) analysis and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) micrographs of the SPIMOX sample show continuous buried oxide under single crystal overlayer with sharp silicon/oxide interfaces. The operational phase space of implantation condition, oxygen dose and annealing requirement has been identified. Physical mechanisms of hydrogen induced silicon surface layer cleavage have been investigated using a combination of microscopy and hydrogen profiling techniques. The evolution of the silicon cleavage phenomenon is recorded by a series

Thin-film silicon solar cell technology

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Shah, A. V.; Schade, H.; Vaněček, Milan; Meier, J.; Vallat-Sauvain, E.; Wyrsch, N.; Kroll, U.; Droz, C.; Bailat, J.

2004-01-01

Roč. 12, - (2004), s. 113-142 ISSN 1062-7995 R&D Projects: GA MŽP SN/320/11/03 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : thin-film silicon modules * hydrogenerated amorphous silicon(a-Si:H) * hydrogenerated microcrystalline (ćc-Si:H) * transparent conductive oxydes(TCOs) * building-integrated photovoltaics(BIPV) Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.196, year: 2004

Integration Science and Technology of Silicon-Based Ceramics and Composites:Technical Challenges and Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, M.

2013-01-01

Ceramic integration technologies enable hierarchical design and manufacturing of intricate ceramic and composite parts starting with geometrically simpler units that are subsequently joined to themselves and/or to metals to create components with progressively higher levels of complexity and functionality. However, for the development of robust and reliable integrated systems with optimum performance for high temperature applications, detailed understanding of various thermochemical and thermomechanical factors is critical. Different technical approaches are required for the integration of ceramic to ceramic and ceramic to metal systems. Active metal brazing, in particular, is a simple and cost-effective method to integrate ceramic to metallic components. Active braze alloys usually contain a reactive filler metal (e.g., Ti, Cr, V, Hf etc) that promotes wettability and spreading by inducing chemical reactions with the ceramics and composites. In this presentation, various examples of brazing of silicon nitride to themselves and to metallic systems are presented. Other examples of joining of ceramic composites (C/SiC and SiC/SiC) using ceramic interlayers and the resulting microstructures are also presented. Thermomechanical characterization of joints is presented for both types of systems. In addition, various challenges and opportunities in design, fabrication, and testing of integrated similar (ceramic-ceramic) and dissimilar (ceramic-metal) material systems will be discussed. Potential opportunities and need for the development of innovative design philosophies, approaches, and integrated system testing under simulated application conditions will also be presented.

Strong quantum-confined stark effect in germanium quantum-well structures on silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuo, Y.; Lee, Y. K.; Gei, Y.; Ren, S; Roth, J. E.; Miller, D. A.; Harris, J. S.

2006-01-01

Silicon is the dominant semiconductor for electronics, but there is now a growing need to integrate such component with optoelectronics for telecommunications and computer interconnections. Silicon-based optical modulators have recently been successfully demonstrated but because the light modulation mechanisms in silicon are relatively weak, long (for example, several millimeters) devices or sophisticated high-quality-factor resonators have been necessary. Thin quantum-well structures made from III-V semiconductors such as GaAs, InP and their alloys exhibit the much stronger Quantum-Confined Stark Effect (QCSE) mechanism, which allows modulator structures with only micrometers of optical path length. Such III-V materials are unfortunately difficult to integrate with silicon electronic devices. Germanium is routinely integrated with silicon in electronics, but previous silicon-germanium structures have also not shown strong modulation effects. Here we report the discovery of the QCSE, at room temperature, in thin germanium quantum-well structures grown on silicon. The QCSE here has strengths comparable to that in III-V materials. Its clarity and strength are particularly surprising because germanium is an indirect gap semiconductor, such semiconductors often display much weak optical effects than direct gap materials (such as the III-V materials typically used for optoelectronics). This discovery is very promising for small, high-speed, low-power optical output devices fully compatible with silicon electronics manufacture. (author)

Rapid Prototyping Human Interfaces Using Stretchable Strain Sensor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tokiya Yamaji

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In the modern society with a variety of information electronic devices, human interfaces increase their importance in a boundary of a human and a device. In general, the human is required to get used to the device. Even if the device is designed as a universal device or a high-usability device, the device is not suitable for all users. The usability of the device depends on the individual user. Therefore, personalized and customized human interfaces are effective for the user. To create customized interfaces, we propose rapid prototyping human interfaces using stretchable strain sensors. The human interfaces comprise parts formed by a three-dimensional printer and the four strain sensors. The three-dimensional printer easily makes customized human interfaces. The outputs of the interface are calculated based on the sensor’s lengths. Experiments evaluate three human interfaces: a sheet-shaped interface, a sliding lever interface, and a tilting lever interface. We confirm that the three human interfaces obtain input operations with a high accuracy.

Neuromorphic Silicon Neuron Circuits

Science.gov (United States)

Indiveri, Giacomo; Linares-Barranco, Bernabé; Hamilton, Tara Julia; van Schaik, André; Etienne-Cummings, Ralph; Delbruck, Tobi; Liu, Shih-Chii; Dudek, Piotr; Häfliger, Philipp; Renaud, Sylvie; Schemmel, Johannes; Cauwenberghs, Gert; Arthur, John; Hynna, Kai; Folowosele, Fopefolu; Saighi, Sylvain; Serrano-Gotarredona, Teresa; Wijekoon, Jayawan; Wang, Yingxue; Boahen, Kwabena

2011-01-01

Hardware implementations of spiking neurons can be extremely useful for a large variety of applications, ranging from high-speed modeling of large-scale neural systems to real-time behaving systems, to bidirectional brain–machine interfaces. The specific circuit solutions used to implement silicon neurons depend on the application requirements. In this paper we describe the most common building blocks and techniques used to implement these circuits, and present an overview of a wide range of neuromorphic silicon neurons, which implement different computational models, ranging from biophysically realistic and conductance-based Hodgkin–Huxley models to bi-dimensional generalized adaptive integrate and fire models. We compare the different design methodologies used for each silicon neuron design described, and demonstrate their features with experimental results, measured from a wide range of fabricated VLSI chips. PMID:21747754

Neuromorphic silicon neuron circuits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giacomo eIndiveri

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Hardware implementations of spiking neurons can be extremely useful for a large variety of applications, ranging from high-speed modeling of large-scale neural systems to real-time behaving systems, to bidirectional brain-machine interfaces. The specific circuit solutions used to implement silicon neurons depend on the application requirements. In this paper we describe the most common building blocks and techniques used to implement these circuits, and present an overview of a wide range of neuromorphic silicon neurons, which implement different computational models, ranging from biophysically realistic and conductance based Hodgkin-Huxley models to bi-dimensional generalized adaptive Integrate and Fire models. We compare the different design methodologies used for each silicon neuron design described, and demonstrate their features with experimental results, measured from a wide range of fabricated VLSI chips.

Thermal performances of ETFE cushion roof integrated amorphous silicon photovoltaic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Jianhui; Chen, Wujun; Qiu, Zhenyu; Zhao, Bing; Zhou, Jinyu; Qu, Yegao

2015-01-01

Highlights: • Thermal performances of a three layer ETFE cushion integrated a-Si PV is evaluated. • Temperature of a-Si PV obviously affects temperature field and temperature boundary. • The maximum temperature difference of 3.4 K between measured and numerical results. • Main transport mechanisms in upper and lower chambers are convection and conduction. • Heat transfer coefficients of this roof are less than those of other ETFE cushion roofs. - Abstract: Thermal performances of the ETFE cushion roof integrated amorphous silicon photovoltaic (a-Si PV) are essential to estimate building performances, such as temperature distribution and heat transfer coefficient. To investigate these thermal performances, an experimental mock-up composed of a-Si PV and a three-layer ETFE cushion roof was built and the experiment was carried out under summer sunny condition. Meanwhile, numerical model with real boundary conditions was performed in this paper. The experimental results show that the temperature sequence of the three layers was the middle, top and bottom layer and that the PV temperature caused by solar irradiance was 353.8 K. This gives evidence that the PV has a significant effect on the temperature distribution. The experimental temperature was in good agreement with the corresponding location of the numerical temperature since the maximum temperature difference was only 3.4 K. Therefore, the numerical results were justified and then used to analyze the airflow characteristics and calculate the thermal performances. For the airflow characteristics, it is found that the temperature distribution was not uniform and the main transport mechanisms in the upper and lower chambers formed by the three layers were the convection and conduction, respectively. For the thermal performances, the surface convective heat transfer coefficients were obtained, which have validated that thermal performances of the three-layer ETFE cushion integrated a-Si PV are better than

Partial slip effect in flow of magnetite-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles between rotating stretchable disks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hayat, Tasawar [Department of Mathematics, Quaid-I-Azam University 45320, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Nonlinear Analysis and Applied Mathematics (NAAM) Research Group, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia); Qayyum, Sumaira [Department of Mathematics, Quaid-I-Azam University 45320, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Imtiaz, Maria, E-mail: mi_qau@yahoo.com [Department of Mathematics, Quaid-I-Azam University 45320, Islamabad 44000 (Pakistan); Alzahrani, Faris; Alsaedi, Ahmed [Nonlinear Analysis and Applied Mathematics (NAAM) Research Group, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589 (Saudi Arabia)

2016-09-01

This paper addresses the flow of magnetic nanofluid (ferrofluid) between two parallel rotating stretchable disks with different rotating and stretching velocities. Water based fluid comprising magnetite-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles is addressed. Velocity slip and temperature jump at solid–fluid interface are also taken into account. Appropriate transformations reduce the nonlinear partial differential system to ordinary differential system. Convergent series solutions are obtained. Effects of various pertinent parameters on the velocity and temperature profiles are shown and evaluated. Computations for skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number are presented and examined for the influence of involved parameters. It is noted that tangential velocity of fluid decreases for larger velocity slip parameter. Fluid temperature also reduces for increasing value of thermal slip parameter. Surface drag force and heat transfer rate at lower disk are enhanced when magnetic field strength is increased. - Highlights: • Flow and heat transfer of ferrofluid induced by two stretchable rotating disks with velocity and thermal slips are explored. • Fluid temperature increases for larger solid volume fraction of nanofluid. • Heat transfer rate decreases for increasing values of thermal slip parameter.

Highly Sensitive and Stretchable Strain Sensor Based on Ag@CNTs.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qiang; Liu, Lihua; Zhao, Dong; Duan, Qianqian; Ji, Jianlong; Jian, Aoqun; Zhang, Wendong; Sang, Shengbo

2017-12-04

Due to the rapid development and superb performance of electronic skin, we propose a highly sensitive and stretchable temperature and strain sensor. Silver nanoparticles coated carbon nanowires (Ag@CNT) nanomaterials with different Ag concentrations were synthesized. After the morphology and components of the nanomaterials were demonstrated, the sensors composed of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and CNTs or Ag@CNTs were prepared via a simple template method. Then, the electronic properties and piezoresistive effects of the sensors were tested. Characterization results present excellent performance of the sensors for the highest gauge factor (GF) of the linear region between 0-17.3% of the sensor with Ag@CNTs1 was 137.6, the sensor with Ag@CNTs2 under the strain in the range of 0-54.8% exhibiting a perfect linearity and the GF of the sensor with Ag@CNTs2 was 14.9.

A Flexible, Stretchable and Shape-Adaptive Approach for Versatile Energy Conversion and Self-Powered Biomedical Monitoring

KAUST Repository

Yang, Po Kang

2015-05-15

A flexible triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) based on wavy-structured Kapton film and a serpentine electrode on stretchable substrates is presented. The as-fabricated FTENG is capable of harvesting ambient mechanical energy via both compressive and stretching modes. Moreover, the FTENG can be a bendable power source to work on curved surfaces; it can also be adaptively attached onto human skin for monitoring gentle body motions. © 2015 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Position-controlled epitaxial III-V nanowires on silicon

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roest, A.L.; Verheijen, M.A.; Wunnicke, O.; Serafin, S.N.; Wondergem, H.J.; Bakkers, E.P.A.M.

2006-01-01

We show the epitaxial integration of III-V semiconductor nanowires with silicon technology. The wires are grown by the VLS mechanism with laser ablation as well as metal-organic vapour phase epitaxy. The hetero-epitaxial growth of the III-V nanowires on silicon was confirmed with x-ray diffraction