Monolithic thin film elements and performance electronics, solar powered systems and fabrication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11056517-B2
Application number	US-201615556542-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2016
Priority date	Mar 10, 2015
Publication date	Jul 6, 2021
Grant date	Jul 6, 2021

Abstract

Methods and devices that monolithically integrate thin film elements/devices, e.g., environmental sensors, batteries and biosensors, with high performance integrated circuits, i.e., integrated circuits formed in a high quality device layer. Preferred embodiments further monolithically integrate a solar cell array. Preferred embodiments provide pin-size and integrated solar powered wearable electronic, ionic, molecular, radiation, etc. sensors and circuits.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A monolithically integrated device, comprising,
a polymer base layer;
an oxide layer adhered to the polymer base layer;
a CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer that does not exceed 200 nm in thickness on top of the oxide layer;
a polymer dielectric layer on top of the CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer, the polymer dielectric layer having a thickness in the range of 2 μm to 10 μm;
a thin film device layer formed on the polymer dielectric layer, the thin film device layer having thickness of less than 200 nm;
contact vias through the polymer dielectric layer;
interconnect metal in the contact vias connecting the CMOS circuitry to the thin film device layer, wherein a total thickness of the monolithically integrated device is less than ˜50 μm thick.

2. The device of claim 1 , comprising a sensor device, wherein the thin film device layer comprises a sensor and the CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer comprises a read-out circuit.

3. The sensor device of claim 2 , wherein the sensor device is less than ˜20 μm thick.

4. The sensor device of claim 3 , wherein the total thickness is in the range of ˜10.5 to 11 μm.

5. The device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer dielectric layer has a thickness of 2 μm to 10 μm.

6. The device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer dielectric layer comprises polyimide or parylene C.

7. The device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer dielectric layer consists of polyimide.

8. The sensor device of claim 2 , comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein the sensors are exposed for epidermal contact.

9. The device of claim 1 , wherein the thin film device layer comprises a biosensor.

10. The device of claim 1 , wherein the thin film device layer comprises a thin film battery, a biosensor or an environmental sensor, and the CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer comprises a read-out circuit.

11. The device of claim 1 , comprising:
a silicon dioxide layer, the CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer being upon the silicon dioxide layer; and
a bottom polymer layer adhered to the silicon dioxide layer.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the polymer base layer and the polymer dielectric have the same thickness to keep the CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer in a neutral stress plane.

13. A monolithically integrated device, comprising:
a CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer including a CMOS circuit;
a polymer dielectric layer on top of the CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer covering the CMOS circuit, the polymer dielectric layer having a thickness in the range of 2 μm to 10 μm;
doped microwires extending from the CMOS circuitry epitaxial layer extending through the polymer dielectric layer defining a shallow solar cell junction therein, wherein the solar cell junction depth is 60 nm-100 nm; and
connection between the solar cell junction and the CMOS circuitry to power the CMOS circuitry, wherein a total thickness of the monolithically integrated device is less than −50 μm thick.

14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the microwire array solar cell comprises a plurality of individual, spaced apart doped microwires and the shallow junction comprises a shell p-n junction.

15. The sensor device of claim 14 , wherein the microwires are in the range of 8.5-10 μm long and about 2-3 μm in diameter.

16. The device of claim 13 , wherein the shallow solar cell junction is doped to a concentration of 10 18 cm −3 -10 19 cm −3 .

17. The sensor device of claim 16 , wherein microwires are doped beyond the shallow junction to about 5×10 16 cm −3 .

Assignees

• Univ California

Inventors

• Dayeh Shadi A
• Ro Yun Goo
• Park Namseok
• Tanaka Atsunori
• Vishniakou Siarhei
• Youssef Ahmed
• Buckwalter James
• Levy Cooper

Classifications

• A61B5/389

  Electromyography [EMG] · CPC title

• A61B5/369

  Electroencephalography [EEG] · CPC title

• A61B5/318

  Heart-related electrical modalities, e.g. electrocardiography [ECG] · CPC title

• H10F77/1437

  Quantum wires or nanorods · CPC title

• H10F77/147

  Shapes of bodies · CPC title