Transient electronic devices comprising inorganic or hybrid inorganic and organic substrates and encapsulates

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10143086-B2
Application number	US-201615351234-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2016
Priority date	Apr 12, 2013
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

The invention provides transient devices, including active and passive devices that physically, chemically and/or electrically transform upon application of at least one internal and/or external stimulus. Incorporation of degradable device components, degradable substrates and/or degradable encapsulating materials each having a programmable, controllable and/or selectable degradation rate provides a means of transforming the device. In some embodiments, for example, transient devices of the invention combine degradable high performance single crystalline inorganic materials with selectively removable substrates and/or encapsulants.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of using a transient electronic device, said method comprising the steps of:
providing the transient electronic device comprising:
a substrate;
one or more active or passive electronic device components supported by said substrate; wherein said active or passive electronic device components independently comprise a selectively transformable material; and
an encapsulant layer at least partially encapsulating said one or more active or passive electronic device components;
wherein said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently comprise a selectively removable inorganic material responsive to an external or internal stimulus; wherein at least partial removal of said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both in response to said external or internal stimulus initiates at least partial transformation of said one or more active or passive electronic device components providing a programmable transformation of the transient electronic device in response to said external or internal stimulus at a pre-selected time or at a pre-selected rate, wherein said programmable transformation provides a change in function of the transient electronic device from a first condition to a second condition; and

exposing said transient electronic device to said external or internal stimulus resulting in said at least partial removal of said substrate or encapsulant layer to expose said one or more active or passive electronic device components to said external or internal stimulus, thereby providing said programmable transformation of the transient electronic device;
wherein said removal of said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both in response to said internal or external stimulus occurs via a phase change, dissolution, hydrolysis, bioresorption, etching, corrosion, a photochemical reaction, an electrochemical reaction or any combination of these processes.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more active or passive electronic device components comprise one or more inorganic semiconductor components, one or more metallic conductor components or one or more inorganic semiconductor components and one or more metallic conductor components.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of exposing said transient electronic device to said external or internal stimulus results in the entire removal of said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of exposing said transient electronic device to said external or internal stimulus results in less than the entire removal of said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of exposing said transient electronic device to said external or internal stimulus exposes at least 1% of an outer surface of said one or more active or passive electronic device components.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said step of exposing said transient electronic device to said external or internal stimulus exposes 1% to 100% of an outer surface of said one or more active or passive electronic device components.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently comprise an entirely inorganic structure or a composite inorganic and organic structure.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said entirely inorganic structure comprises one or more of SiO 2 , spin-on-glass, Mg, Mg alloys, Fe, W, Zn, Mo, Si, SiGe, Si 3 N 4 and MgO.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein said composite inorganic and organic structure comprises an inorganic layer having a first surface adjacent said active or passive electronic device components and a second surface adjacent to an organic layer or an organic layer having a first surface adjacent said active or passive electronic device components and a second surface adjacent said inorganic layer.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein said inorganic layer comprises one or more of SiO 2 , spin-on-glass, Mg, Mg alloys, Fe, W, Zn, Mo, Si, SiGe, Si 3 N 4 and MgO and said organic layer comprises one or more of a polyanhydride and poly(dimethyl siloxane) (PDMS).

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said device is an entirely inorganic device, wherein said active or passive electronic device components, said substrate and said encapsulant layer each are independently entirely composed of one or more inorganic materials.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently have a preselected transience profile in response to said external or internal stimulus, wherein said preselected transience profile is characterized by a removal of 0.01% to 100% of said substrate or said encapsulant layer over a time interval selected from the range of 1 ms to 5 years or a decrease in average thickness of said substrate or said encapsulant layer at a rate selected over the range of 0.01 nm/day to 100 microns s −1 .

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selectively removable inorganic material of said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently comprises a metal, a metal oxide, a ceramic or a combination of these, a crystalline material, an amorphous material or a combination thereof, a single crystalline material, polycrystalline material or doped crystalline material, a glass, a thin film, a coating, a foil or any combination of these, or a nanostructured layer or a microstructured layer.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein said selectively removable inorganic material of said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently comprises Mg, W, Mo, Fe, Zn, or an alloy thereof, SiO 2 , MgO, N 4 Si 3 , SiC, a spin-on-glass, a solution processable glass, a biocompatible material, a bioinert material or a combination of biocompatible and bioinert materials.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently comprise a multilayer structure comprising one or more thin films, coatings, or foils comprising said selectively removable inorganic material.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently comprises a composite inorganic and organic structure having a multilayer geometry.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said multilayer structure further comprises one or more electrically insulating layers, barrier layers or any combinations thereof; wherein said one or more electrically insulating layers or barrier layers is provided in physical contact, electrical contact or both with said one or more thin films, coatings, or foils; wherein said one or more electrically insulating layers or barrier layers comprises an exterior layer of said multilayer structure or wherein said one or more electrically insulating layers or barrier layers comprises an interior layer of said multilayer structure in physical contact or electrical contact with said one or more active or passive electronic device components; or wherein said one or more electrically insulating layers or barrier layers comprises a polymer, an insulating ceramic, a glass, SiO 2 , spin-on glass, MgO or any combination of these.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein said multilayer structure comprises a metal foil or thin metal film having a first side in physical contact with a first electronically insulating layer or barrier layer; wherein said first electronically insulating layer or barrier layer is an exterior layer of said multilayer structure or wherein said first electronically insulating layer or barrier layer is an interior layer of said multilayer structure in physical contact or electric

Assignees

• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• Rogers John A
• Kang Seung-Kyun
• Hwang Sukwon
• Cheng Jianjun
• Zhang Yanfeng
• Ying Hanze

Classifications

• H10P50/287

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P50/283

  by chemical means · CPC title

• H10P14/69433

  the material being a silicon nitride not containing oxygen, e.g. SixNy or SixByNz · CPC title

• H10P14/69215

  the material being a silicon oxide, e.g. SiO2 · CPC title

• H10P14/6339

  deposition by cyclic CVD, e.g. ALD, ALE or pulsed CVD · CPC title