Flexible chips

New thin-film semiconductor techniques invented by

engineers promise to add sensing, computing and imaging capability to an array of materials.

According to UW-Madison, the semiconductor industry has relied on flat, two-dimensional chips upon which to grow and etch the thin films of material that become electronic circuits for computers and other electronic devices. But as thin as those chips might seem, they are quite large in comparison to the result of a new UW semiconductor fabrication process.

A team, led by Electrical and Computer Engineering Assistant Professor Zhenqiang (Jack) Ma and Materials Science and Engineering Professor Max Lagally, developed a process to remove a single-crystal film of semiconductor from the substrate on which it is built.

This thin layer can be transferred to glass, plastic or other flexible materials, opening a wide range of possibilities for flexible electronics. In addition, the semiconductor film can be flipped as it is transferred to its new substrate, making its other side available for more components. This doubles the possible number of devices that can be placed on the film. By repeating the process, layers of double-sided, thin-film semiconductors can be stacked together, creating powerful, low-power, three-dimensional electronic devices.