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

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9496229-B2
Application number	US-201414250671-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2014
Priority date	Apr 12, 2013
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

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 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.

2. The device 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 device of claim 2 , wherein said one or more inorganic semiconductor components comprise a polycrystalline semiconductor material, single crystalline semiconductor material or a doped polycrystalline or single crystalline semiconductor material, Si, Ga, GaAs, ZnO or any combination of these.

4. The device of claim 2 , wherein said one or more metallic conductor components comprise Mg, W, Mo, Fe, Zn or an alloy thereof.

5. The device of claim 2 , wherein said one or more inorganic semiconductor components, one or more metallic conductor components or both comprise a component of an electronic device selected from the group consisting of a transistor, a diode, an amplifier, a multiplexer, a light emitting diode, a laser, a photodiode, an integrated circuit, a sensor, a temperature sensor, an electrochemical cell, a thermistor, a heater, a resistive heater, an antenna, a battery, an energy storage system, an actuator, a nanoelectromechanical system or a microelectromechanical system, and an actuator and arrays thereof.

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

7. The device of claim 6 , 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.

8. The device of claim 6 , 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 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.

9. The device of claim 6 , 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).

10. The device 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.

11. The device 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.

12. The device 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.

13. The device 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.

14. The device 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.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both independently comprises a composite inorganic and organic structure having a multilayer geometry.

16. The device of claim 14 , 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.

17. The device of claim 14 , 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 electrical contact with said active or passive electronic device components; wherein said first electronically insulating layer or barrier layer comprises a polymer layer or coating, a metal oxide layer or coating, a glass layer or coating or any combination of these; wherein said multilayer structure comprises said metal foil or thin metal film having a second side coated in contact with a second electronically insulating layer or barrier layer; or wherein said metal foil or thin metal film is provided between said first electronically insulating layer or barrier layer and said second electronically insulating layer or barrier layer.

18. The device of claim 14 , wherein said thin film, coating, or foil has an average thickness over or underneath of said one or more active or passive electronic device components less than or equal to 1000 μm prior to said at least partial removal of said substrate, said encapsulant layer or both in response to said external or internal stimulus

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