Semiconductor Wires and Ribbons for High- Performance Flexible Electronics

• Published in: Angewandte Chemie International Edition 2008-07, Vol.47 (30), p.5524-5542
• Main Authors: Baca, Alfred J., Ahn, Jong-Hyun, Sun, Yugang, Meitl, Matthew A., Menard, Etienne, Kim, Hoon-Sik, Choi, Won Mook, Kim, Dae-Hyeong, Huang, Young, Rogers, John A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: lithography; macroelectronics; microfabrication; nanostructures; wavy silicon
• ISSN: 1433-7851; 1521-3773
• DOI: 10.1002/anie.200703238

This article reviews the properties, fabrication and assembly of inorganic semiconductor materials that can be used as active building blocks to form high‐performance transistors and circuits for flexible and bendable large‐area electronics. Obtaining high performance on low temperature polymeric substrates represents a technical challenge for macroelectronics. Therefore, the fabrication of high quality inorganic materials in the form of wires, ribbons, membranes, sheets, and bars formed by bottom‐up and top‐down approaches, and the assembly strategies used to deposit these thin films onto plastic substrates will be emphasized. Substantial progress has been made in creating inorganic semiconducting materials that are stretchable and bendable, and the description of the mechanics of these form factors will be presented, including circuits in three‐dimensional layouts. Finally, future directions and promising areas of research will be described. Large‐area electronics that offer mechanical flexibility or stretchability are promising for many emerging areas of application. Micro‐ to nanoscale semiconductor elements, in the form of wires, ribbons, membranes, and related structures, can serve as building blocks for these systems. A silicon‐based flexible electrical circuit is shown as an example.