Can we build a truly high performance computer which is flexible and transparent?

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• High-performance transistors are crucial for modern computers, enabling low power consumption and extended battery life.
• Current silicon-based transistors, while cost-effective, are limited by silicon's inherent rigidity and brittleness.
• Integrating billions of transistors relies on mature silicon fabrication processes, balancing performance and cost.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a generic batch process for converting rigid silicon electronics into flexible and semi-transparent versions.
• To maintain the performance, process compatibility, integration density, and cost-effectiveness of traditional silicon transistors.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of this process on high-performance transistors.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a generic batch process applied to bulk silicon (100) wafers.
• Fabricated high-k/metal gate stack based p-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (pMOSFETs).
• Released the transistors onto a flexible silicon fabric from the bulk wafer.

Main Results:

• Achieved flexible and semi-transparent pMOSFETs with a sub-threshold swing of 80 mV/decade and an on/off ratio near 10^4.
• Demonstrated device uniformity within 10% across the fabricated transistors.
• Confirmed a minimum bending radius of 5 mm and an average visible light transmittance of approximately 7%.

Conclusions:

• The developed batch process successfully transforms high-performance silicon transistors into flexible and semi-transparent devices.
• This method retains critical electronic performance metrics and manufacturing compatibility, offering a pathway to novel electronic applications.
• The resulting flexible silicon transistors open possibilities for next-generation portable electronics and wearable devices.