A surface tension driven universal flexible electronic transfer printing method
By using a surface tension-driven flexible electronic transfer method, hollow capillaries and surface-active bubbles or liquid films are utilized to achieve non-destructive and precise transfer of thick and thin electronic devices onto arbitrary curved surfaces. This solves the problem of high transfer difficulty in existing technologies and is applicable to a variety of materials and substrates.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- DALIAN UNIV OF TECH
- Filing Date
- 2022-11-14
- Publication Date
- 2026-04-17
AI Technical Summary
Existing flexible electronic transfer methods are difficult to apply to both thick rigid and thin flexible electronic devices, and it is difficult to achieve precise positioning and non-destructive transfer on arbitrary curved surfaces. Traditional methods are prone to introducing residual stress or positioning difficulties.
By employing a surface tension-driven method, utilizing hollow capillaries and surface-active bubbles or liquid films, and controlling gas pressure and liquid surface tension, conformal contact and separation of electronic devices with donors and acceptors can be achieved. This avoids the traditional interfacial viscosity strength conversion and is suitable for ultra-low interfacial viscosity substrates and complex curved surfaces.
It enables non-destructive transfer of thick and thin electronic devices, is suitable for arbitrary curved surfaces, is transparent and clear, has precise positioning, is simple in process, has a wide range of applications, and is adaptable to a variety of materials and substrates, avoiding the damage and positioning difficulties of traditional methods.
Smart Images
Figure CN115818563B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of micro-nano fabrication and flexible electronics technology, specifically relating to a surface tension-driven general flexible electronic transfer method. Technical Background
[0002] Flexible electronics technology refers to the integration of organic / inorganic electronic devices onto a flexible substrate, enabling them to adapt to large deformations such as stretching, bending, and torsion, and to conform to complex working surfaces. It has wide applications in energy, information, and medical fields, such as flexible electronic displays, flexible solar cells, and flexible electronic skin. Transfer printing is a common fabrication technique for flexible electronics, mainly consisting of two processes: transfer (pick-up) and printing (placement). In the transfer stage, a stamp is used to lift the electronic device from the donor (manufacturing) substrate, requiring strong interfacial adhesion between the stamp and the electronic device. In the printing stage, the electronic device is detached from the stamp and integrated onto the recipient (application) substrate, requiring weaker interfacial adhesion. Therefore, transfer printing requires controllable and on-demand interface detachment, involving the adjustment of the stamp / electronic device interfacial adhesion strength, making the operation quite difficult. Furthermore, it is challenging to simultaneously apply to thick (rigid and non-deformable) and thin (flexible and easily deformable) electronic devices, as well as to transfer onto arbitrary curved surfaces. Currently, reducing the difficulty of transfer printing and making it applicable to electronic devices of different thicknesses and arbitrary curved surfaces has become a key focus and challenge in flexible electronics research. Existing research methods include: contact dry transfer printing: using an elastic stamp to control the interfacial viscosity, but it easily introduces residual stress that can damage the electronic device, and is mostly used for thick, rigid electronic devices; sacrificial layer transfer printing: using a sacrificial layer to enhance the rigidity and maneuverability of the electronic device, but dissolving the sacrificial layer takes a long time and is prone to thermal deformation; wet transfer printing: using liquid film and droplet transfer, which easily causes residual substances and positioning difficulties, and droplet transfer requires the formation of liquid bridges, and is only suitable for thick, rigid electronic devices. It can be seen that most existing transfer printing methods are only suitable for thick, rigid electronic devices, and the transfer process relies heavily on the strength of the interfacial viscosity, which is not conducive to transfer to substrates with ultra-low interfacial viscosity. The strong contact between the stamp and the electronic device is not conducive to the transfer of three-dimensional electronic devices, multilayers, and arbitrary curved surfaces, and the opaque nature of the elastic stamp is not conducive to precise device positioning. Summary of the Invention
[0003] This invention addresses the aforementioned problems by proposing a surface tension-driven universal flexible electron transfer method, comprising a hollow capillary, a ring structure, a hydrophobic rod, a surface-active bubble, a surface-active liquid film, thick and rigid electronic devices, thin and flexible electronic devices, a donor, and an acceptor with arbitrary curved surfaces and arbitrary interfacial viscosity. This method can achieve the transfer of thick (sub-millimeter and micrometer scale) and rigid electronic devices, as well as thin (sub-micrometer and nanometer scale) and flexible electronic devices. It eliminates the need for the interface strength / viscosity conversion strategy required in traditional contact transfer printing, allowing printing onto substrates with ultra-low interface viscosity. No pre-pressure is required, causing no damage to either the electronic device or the acceptor substrate, and it can be easily transferred to sensitive, incompressible surfaces. The absence of a tight contact surface facilitates the transfer of three-dimensional electronic devices. The volume of the transfer medium is controllable, making it suitable for small-size transfers in compact spaces as well as ultra-large-format transfers. Introducing pressure allows for diverse stamp deformation, making it suitable for transferring arbitrarily complex curved surfaces. The transfer process is transparent and clear, providing a WYSIWYG experience that facilitates precise positioning. The overall process is simple, highly controllable, and versatile, applicable to a wide range of transfer materials and substrates.
[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:
[0005] A surface tension-driven universal flexible electron transfer method includes the following steps:
[0006] (1) After the hollow capillary / ring structure is dipped in the surface active liquid, it is aligned with the electronic device on the donor. Gas is blown into the hollow capillary / ring structure to form pressure, thereby generating surface active liquid bubbles or downward deformed surface active liquid films.
[0007] (2) After the surface-active liquid bubble or the downwardly deformed surface-active liquid film conformally contacts the electronic device and forms a certain contact area, the hollow capillary / ring structure is lifted upward to drive the electronic device to detach from the donor substrate.
[0008] (3) Move the hollow capillary / ring structure to align the electronic device attached to the surface active vacuole / surface active liquid film with the acceptor substrate, control the gas pressure on the surface active vacuole / surface active liquid film to make the electronic device conformally contact the acceptor substrate and form a contact area larger than the size of the electronic device, artificially destroy the surface active vacuole / surface active liquid film, so that the electronic device is integrated on the acceptor substrate and the transfer process is completed.
[0009] A further feature is that the electronic device is a thick, rigid electronic device or a thin, flexible electronic device; the thick, rigid electronic device refers to an electronic device at the sub-millimeter and micrometer scale, and the thin, flexible electronic device refers to an electronic device at the sub-micrometer and nanometer scale.
[0010] A further feature is that the transfer medium is a surface-active liquid bubble and a surface-active liquid film formed by a surface-active liquid with viscous and surface tension properties, with a thickness as low as submicron and nanometer scale. After the transfer is completed, there is little residue, and the electronic device and the acceptor are closely attached, which can form an in-situ measurement effect. The transparency of the surface-active liquid bubble / surface-active liquid film makes the transfer clear, what you see is what you get, and achieves precise positioning.
[0011] A further feature is that the surface-active liquid is soap solution.
[0012] A further feature is that, in step (3), the operation method can be to control the gas pressure on the surface active liquid bubble and adjust the size of the surface active liquid bubble, which can effectively suppress the tilting of electronic devices during the transfer process and the flipping of electronic devices during the printing process.
[0013] A further feature is that in step (3), the operation mode can be to control the gas pressure (pressure magnitude, pressure distance from the surface active liquid film, pressure distance from the center of the surface active liquid film) on the surface active liquid film, so that the surface active liquid film undergoes non-uniform and diversified deformation, so that the electronic device comes into contact with the acceptor substrate, which is suitable for printing on any complex curved surface.
[0014] As a further feature, in step (3), one of the ways to artificially disrupt the liquid film is to contact the surface-active bubble / surface-active liquid film with a hydrophobic material or a conventional material with a size of 2 mm or more.
[0015] A further feature is that the cross-section or morphology of the hollow capillary / ring structure is preferably a feature of the electronic device and can be appropriately scaled, which can achieve the effect of self-alignment and self-correction of the electronic device during the transfer process, effectively improving the alignment accuracy.
[0016] This invention enables the transfer of thick (sub-millimeter and micrometer scale) rigid electronic devices and thin (sub-micrometer and nanometer scale) flexible electronic devices. It eliminates the need for traditional strong-weak adhesion conversion strategies during the printing process, allowing electronic devices to be transferred to any complex curved surface with ultra-low interfacial viscosity. No pre-pressure is required, and contact stress is minimal, causing no damage to the recipient substrate or the electronic device film. It allows for lossless or minimal-damage transfer of electronic devices to recipient surfaces that cannot support the substrate. When applied to nanometer-scale ultra-thin electronic devices, it supports large-format electronic device transfer. The soap bubble can freely conform to complex curved and inclined surfaces, adapting to the transfer of electronic devices to non-uniform curvature surfaces and inclined surfaces, achieving diverse transfer capabilities. The transfer process is transparent and clear, providing a WYSIWYG experience, which facilitates precise positioning. The overall process is simple and versatile, adaptable to numerous transfer materials and substrate materials. The liquid film residue formed by the viscous liquid does not affect the electromagnetic properties of the electronic device or cause performance degradation. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of a thick and rigid electronic device on a donor substrate;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of thin and flexible electronic devices on a donor substrate;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of using hollow capillary tubes to generate surface-active liquid bubbles to lift thick and rigid electronic devices from the donor substrate. At this time, the thick and rigid electronic devices do not deform, and the surface-active liquid bubbles have an outward convex liquid bridge morphology.
[0020] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of using hollow capillaries to generate surface-active liquid bubbles to lift thin and flexible electronic devices from the donor substrate. At this time, the thin and flexible electronic devices conformally deform with the surface-active liquid bubbles.
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the downward movement of the hollow capillary to make the surface-active vacuole and electronic device conformally contact the acceptor, and the use of a hydrophobic rod to contact and destroy the surface-active vacuole, successfully transferring the electronic device to the acceptor substrate. At this time, the electronic device can be a thick and rigid electronic device or a thin and flexible electronic device.
[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of thick and rigid electronic devices being transferred onto a receptor substrate.
[0023] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of thin and flexible electronic devices being transferred onto a receptor substrate.
[0024] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of using surface-active liquid bubbles to lift thick and rigid electronic devices from the donor substrate. At this time, the surface-active liquid bubbles are small in volume, and the thick and rigid electronic devices do not deform, but they do rotate and tilt.
[0025] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of using surface-active liquid bubbles to lift thin and flexible electronic devices from the donor substrate. At this time, the surface-active liquid bubbles are small in volume, and the thin and flexible electronic devices adhere to the surface-active liquid bubbles and slide to one side, causing tilting.
[0026] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of using surface-active liquid bubbles to lift thick and rigid electronic devices from a donor substrate. As the volume of the surface-active liquid bubble increases, the thick and rigid electronic devices gradually adjust from an inclined state to a horizontal state.
[0027] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of using surface-active liquid bubbles to lift thin and flexible electronic devices from the donor substrate. As the volume of the surface-active liquid bubble increases, the thin and flexible electronic devices gradually change from an inclined state to a centrally symmetrical and surface-deformed state.
[0028] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of placing thick and rigid electronic devices on a acceptor substrate using surface-active vacuoles. At this time, the surface-active vacuoles are small in volume, and the thick and rigid electronic devices are flipped and deformed when they come into contact with the acceptor substrate.
[0029] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of placing thin and flexible electronic devices on a acceptor substrate using surface-active vacuoles. At this time, the surface-active vacuoles are small in volume, and the thin and flexible electronic devices undergo local flipping and deformation when they come into contact with the acceptor substrate.
[0030] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of placing thick and rigid electronic devices on a receptor substrate using surface-active vacuoles. At this time, the volume of the surface-active vacuole and the contact area with the receptor substrate are much larger than the size of the electronic device. The thick and rigid electronic device is integrated on the receptor substrate in a flat and wrinkle-free state.
[0031] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of placing thin and flexible electronic devices on a receptor substrate using surface-active vacuoles. At this time, the volume of the surface-active vacuole and the contact area with the receptor substrate are much larger than the size of the electronic device. The thin and flexible electronic device is integrated on the receptor substrate in a flat and wrinkle-free state.
[0032] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram showing the alignment of a surface-active liquid film in a hollow capillary or annular structure with a thick and rigid electronic device on a donor substrate.
[0033] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram showing the alignment of a surface-active liquid film in a hollow capillary or ring structure with a thin and flexible electronic device on a donor substrate.
[0034] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram showing how pressure is applied to the surface-active liquid film through a hollow capillary tube, causing the surface-active liquid film to deform and come into contact with a thick and rigid electronic device on the donor substrate. At this time, the surface-active liquid film exhibits an outward convex liquid bridge morphology.
[0035] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram showing how pressure is applied to a surface-active liquid film through a hollow capillary tube, causing the surface-active liquid film to deform and come into contact with a thin and flexible electronic device on the donor substrate. At this time, the electronic device conformally deforms with the surface-active liquid film.
[0036] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of successfully lifting a thick and rigid electronic device from a donor substrate using a surfactant liquid film. At this point, the thick and rigid electronic device is attached to the surfactant liquid film that has restored its horizontal morphology.
[0037] Figure 21This is a schematic diagram of successfully lifting a thin and flexible electronic device from a donor substrate using a surfactant liquid film. At this point, the thin and flexible electronic device is attached to the surfactant liquid film that has restored its horizontal morphology.
[0038] Figure 22 It is a schematic diagram of the alignment of a moving hollow capillary, a ring structure, a surface-active liquid film, a thick and rigid electronic device with the acceptor matrix;
[0039] Figure 23 This is a schematic diagram showing the alignment of a moving hollow capillary, a ring structure, a surface-active liquid film, thin and flexible electronic devices with a receptor substrate.
[0040] Figure 24 This diagram illustrates how pressure is applied to a surface-active liquid film through a hollow capillary tube, causing the film to deform and facilitating contact between a thick and rigid electronic device and the acceptor substrate. At this point, the surface-active liquid film and the acceptor substrate generate a contact area far exceeding the size of the electronic device.
[0041] Figure 25 This diagram illustrates how pressure is applied to a surface-active liquid film through a hollow capillary tube, causing the film to deform and facilitating contact between a thin and flexible electronic device and the acceptor substrate. At this point, the surface-active liquid film and the acceptor substrate generate a contact area far exceeding the size of the electronic device.
[0042] Figure 26 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how a hydrophobic rod can be used to puncture a surface-active liquid film, allowing thick and rigid electronic devices to be integrated onto a receptor substrate.
[0043] Figure 27 This is a schematic diagram illustrating how a hydrophobic rod can puncture a surface-active liquid film to integrate thin and flexible electronic devices onto a receptor substrate.
[0044] Figure 28 This is a schematic diagram of lifting a misaligned electronic device using a hollow capillary. The medium can be a surface-active bubble or a surface-active liquid film. The square electronic device can be a thick and rigid electronic device or a thin and flexible electronic device. The hollow capillary adopts the same cross-sectional shape as the electronic device, which can be square or other shapes. The cross-section of the hollow capillary can be smaller than (left), equal to (middle), or larger than (right) the cross-section of the electronic device.
[0045] Figure 29 This is a schematic diagram of the electronic device self-correcting and self-aligning after being lifted by a hollow capillary tube. At this time, the surface energy drives the electronic device to automatically align with the hollow capillary tube.
[0046] Figure 30 This is a schematic diagram of transferring thin and flexible electronic devices onto a planar acceptor substrate;
[0047] Figure 31This is a schematic diagram of transferring thin and flexible electronic devices onto an inclined planar acceptor substrate;
[0048] Figure 32 This is a schematic diagram of transferring thin and flexible electronic devices onto a receptor substrate (sponge) with a microstructured surface;
[0049] Figure 33 This is a schematic diagram of transferring thin and flexible electronic devices onto a planar acceptor substrate in multiple layers.
[0050] Figure 34 This is a schematic diagram of transferring thin and flexible electronic devices and thick and rigid electronic devices sequentially onto a planar acceptor substrate in multiple layers.
[0051] Figure 35 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the integration of thick and rigid electronic devices as well as thin and flexible electronic devices onto an ultra-low interfacial viscosity acceptor substrate with a protruding surface using surface-active vacuoles.
[0052] In the figure: 1. Thick and rigid electronic device; 2. Donor substrate; 3. Thin and flexible electronic device; 4. Hollow capillary; 5. Surfactant vacuole; 6. Hydrophobic rod; 7. Acceptor substrate; 8. Ring structure; 9. Surfactant liquid film. Detailed Implementation
[0053] The embodiments of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the technical solutions and accompanying drawings.
[0054] Example 1: A general flexible electron transfer method driven by surface tension
[0055] (1) As follows Figure 1 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 2 The thin and flexible electronic device shown is placed on the donor substrate;
[0056] (2) Using a hollow capillary tube to pick up the surfactant liquid and generate surfactant bubbles, the surfactant bubbles are then used to react with... Figure 3 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 4 The thin and flexible electronic device shown comes into contact with and forms a certain contact area. The hollow capillary is lifted upward, which drives the electronic device to be lifted from the donor substrate in the form of a liquid bridge or conformal deformation, so that the electronic device is separated from the donor substrate.
[0057] (3) The moving hollow capillary aligns the surface-active vacuoles and electronic devices with the acceptor matrix, and the hollow capillary moves downwards, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the surface-active vacuole and electronic device are conformally contacted with the acceptor substrate, and the contact area between the surface-active vacuole and the acceptor substrate exceeds the size of the electronic device. Then, a hydrophobic rod is used to artificially disrupt the surface-active vacuole, so that... Figure 6The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 7 The thin and flexible electronic devices shown are integrated on the receptor substrate.
[0058] like Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 This is an example illustration of how thick and rigid electronic devices can be picked up from a donor substrate. In this case, the surface-active vacuoles are small, and thick and rigid electronic devices cannot be picked up as... Figure 3 It appears to exist in a horizontal state, but instead it exists in a tilted state. For example... Figure 10 As shown, as the volume of the surface-active vacuole continues to increase, the thick and rigid electronic devices gradually return to a horizontal state, facilitating alignment and transfer.
[0059] like Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9 This is an example illustration of how thin and flexible electronic devices can be picked up from a donor substrate. In this case, the surface-active vacuoles are small, and the thin and flexible electronic devices cannot be picked up as... Figure 4 The surface-active vacuoles are not centered as shown, but rather exist in a tilted state on one side. For example... Figure 11 As shown, as the volume of the surface-active vacuole continues to increase, the thin and flexible electronic devices gradually return to a centered alignment state, facilitating alignment and transfer.
[0060] like Figure 12 As shown, Figure 12 This is an example illustration of printing thick and rigid electronic devices onto a acceptor substrate, as provided in this application. In this case, the surface-active vacuoles are small in volume, and the thick and rigid electronic devices cannot be printed as... Figure 5 Instead of adhering to the receptor matrix, it suddenly flips over. For example... Figure 14 As shown, the use of large-volume surface-active vacuoles when in contact with the acceptor substrate can effectively suppress the flipping of thick and rigid electronic devices.
[0061] like Figure 13 As shown, Figure 13 This is an example illustration of printing thin and flexible electronic devices onto a acceptor substrate, as provided in this application. In this case, the surface-active vacuoles are small in volume, and the thin and flexible electronic devices cannot be printed as... Figure 5 The image shows adhesion to the receptor matrix, but it is not actually adhered to the receptor matrix in a localized manner, with localized overturning and deformation. For example... Figure 15 As shown, the use of large-volume surface-active vacuoles when in contact with the acceptor substrate can effectively suppress local flipping of thin and flexible electronic devices.
[0062] Example 2: A surface tension-driven universal flexible electron transfer method
[0063] (1) The surface-active liquid film generated in the hollow capillary and annular structure is combined with... Figure 16 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 17 The thin and flexible electronic devices shown are aligned;
[0064] (2) Using a hollow capillary tube to blow air deforms the surfactant liquid film, such as... Figure 18 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 19 The thin and flexible electronic device shown is lifted from the donor substrate by means of liquid bridging and conformal deformation;
[0065] (3) Figure 20 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 21 The thin electronic device shown is attached to the surfactant liquid film in a flat, wrinkle-free state;
[0066] (4) The surface-active liquid film attached to it, such as Figure 22 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 23 The thin electronic device shown is aligned with the acceptor substrate;
[0067] (5) Using a hollow capillary tube to blow air deforms the surfactant liquid film and brings it into contact with the receptor substrate, so that the surfactant liquid film / receptor substrate contact area exceeds the specified value. Figure 24 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 25 The size of the thin and flexible electronic device shown.
[0068] (6) Using hydrophobic rods to break the load-bearing structure Figure 26 The thick and rigid electronic devices shown and such Figure 27 The thin and flexible surface-active liquid film of the electronic device shown enables the electronic device to be integrated onto the acceptor substrate, thus completing the transfer.
[0069] Preferably, such as Figure 28 As shown, the hollow capillary cross-section of Example 1 and the annular structure morphology of Example 2 are consistent with the shape of the electronic device and are scalable, which can achieve self-alignment and self-correction of misaligned electronic devices during the transfer process. Figure 29 As shown, the electronic device automatically aligns with the cross-section of the hollow capillary or the morphology of the ring structure.
[0070] like Figure 30 As shown, Figure 30 This is an example of transferring thin and flexible electronic devices onto a planar substrate, as provided in this application. In this example, the recipient is a 3D-printed ABS plastic substrate, the thickness of the electronic device is 0.85 micrometers, and the flexible electronic device can be transferred well onto the plastic planar substrate.
[0071] like Figure 31 As shown, Figure 31This is an example of transferring thin and flexible electronic devices onto a tilted substrate, as provided in this application. In this example, the recipient is a 3D-printed ABS plastic substrate with a tilt angle of 45 degrees. The thickness of the electronic device is 0.85 micrometers, and the thin and flexible electronic device can be transferred well onto the tilted plastic substrate.
[0072] like Figure 32 As shown, Figure 32 This is an example of transferring a thin and flexible electronic device onto a receptor substrate with ultra-low interfacial adhesion and surface microprotrusions, as provided in this application. In this example, the receptor is an everyday sponge, and the thickness of the electronic device is 0.85 micrometers. The thin and flexible electronic device can be transferred well onto the receptor substrate with ultra-low interfacial adhesion and surface microprotrusions.
[0073] like Figure 33 As shown, Figure 33 This is an example illustration of the sequential transfer of multiple thin and flexible electronic devices onto a planar substrate, as provided in this application. In this example, the acceptors are and Figure 31 Using the same 3D-printed ABS plastic substrate, the electronic components are all 0.85 micrometers thick, and multiple thin and flexible electronic components can be sequentially transferred to the planar substrate in multiple layers.
[0074] like Figure 34 As shown, Figure 34 This is an example illustration of the sequential transfer of thick, rigid electronic devices and thin, flexible electronic devices onto a planar substrate, as provided in this application. In this example, the acceptors are and Figure 31 The same 3D-printed ABS plastic substrate can be used for thin and flexible electronic devices with a thickness of 0.85 micrometers and thick and rigid electronic devices with a thickness of 25 micrometers. Thick and rigid electronic devices and thin and flexible electronic devices can be transferred to the planar substrate in multiple layers in sequence.
[0075] like Figure 35 As shown, Figure 35 This application provides an example of transferring and placing thick, rigid, and thin, flexible electronic devices onto surface protrusions using surface-active bubbles. In this example, the acceptor is a micropillar lattice with a diameter of 1.68 mm and a spacing of 2.80 mm. The thin, flexible electronic device has a thickness of 0.85 μm, and the thick, rigid electronic device has a thickness of 25 μm. Both the thick, rigid, and thin, flexible electronic devices can be transferred and placed onto the surface protrusions.
Claims
1. A surface tension-driven universal flexible electron transfer method, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) After dipping the hollow capillary / ring structure in the surfactant liquid, align it with the electronic device on the donor and apply it to the hollow capillary. When gas is blown into a capillary / ring structure to create pressure, surface-active liquid bubbles or surface-active liquid films that deform downwards are generated. (2) Utilize surface-active liquid bubbles or downwardly deformed surface-active liquid films to conformally contact and form a contact with electronic devices. After the area is measured, the hollow capillary / ring structure is lifted upwards, causing the electronic device to detach from the donor substrate; (3) Moving the hollow capillary / ring structure to connect the electronic device attached to the surface-active bubble / surface-active liquid film with the receiver. The substrate is aligned with the substrate, and the gas pressure on the surface-active vacuole / surface-active liquid film is controlled to make the electronic device conformally contact the acceptor substrate and form a contact area larger than the size of the electronic device. The surface-active vacuole / surface-active liquid film is artificially destroyed so that the electronic device is integrated onto the acceptor substrate, thus completing the transfer process.
2. A surface tension driven universal flexible electronic transfer printing method according to claim 1, wherein, The electronic device is either a thick, rigid electronic device or a thin, flexible electronic device; the thick, rigid electronic device refers to an electronic device at the sub-millimeter or micrometer scale, and the thin, flexible electronic device refers to an electronic device at the sub-micrometer or nanometer scale.
3. A surface tension driven universal flexible electronic transfer printing method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The transfer medium consists of surface-active liquid bubbles and surface-active liquid films formed by surface-active liquids with viscous and surface tension properties. The thickness is as low as submicron or nanometer scale. After the transfer is completed, there is little residue, and the electronic devices and the acceptor are closely attached, which can form an in-situ measurement effect. The transparency of the surface-active liquid bubbles / surface-active liquid films makes the transfer clear, what you see is what you get, and achieves precise positioning.
4. A surface tension driven universal flexible electronic transfer printing method according to claim 3, wherein, The surface-active liquid is soap solution.
5. A surface tension-driven universal flexible electron transfer method according to claim 1, 2, or 4, characterized in that, The operation involves controlling the gas pressure on the surface-active liquid bubble and adjusting the size of the surface-active liquid bubble, which can effectively suppress the tilting of electronic devices during the transfer process and the flipping of electronic devices during the printing process.
6. A surface tension driven universal flexible electronic transfer printing method according to claim 5, wherein, The operation involves controlling the gas pressure on the surface-active liquid film to cause non-uniform and diverse deformation of the surface-active liquid film, allowing electronic devices to come into contact with the acceptor substrate, making it suitable for printing on any complex curved surface.
7. A surface tension driven universal flexible electronic transfer method according to claim 1, 2, 4 or 6, characterized in that, In step (3), the deliberate damage is to contact the surface-active bubble / surface-active liquid film with a hydrophobic material or a conventional material with a size of more than 2 mm.
8. A surface tension driven universal flexible electronic transfer method according to claim 1, 2, 4 or 6, wherein, The cross-section or morphology of the hollow capillary / ring structure is a characteristic of the electronic device and can be appropriately scaled. During the transfer process, it achieves the effect of self-alignment and self-correction of the electronic device, thereby improving alignment accuracy.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Nanoscale flexible electronic transfer printing method driven by surface tension
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