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Highly Stretchable High-Performance Silicon Nanowire Field Effect Transistors Integrated on Elastomer Substrates
Xiaopan Song1, Ting Zhang1, Lei Wu1
1National Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, School of Electronics Science and Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, P. R. China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|January 29, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed stretchable silicon nanowire (SiNW) field-effect transistors (FETs) using a novel growth and transfer method. These robust SiNW-FETs demonstrate high performance and stability under significant strain, paving the way for advanced flexible electronics.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Electronics Engineering
Background:
- Stretchable electronics require robust semiconductor channels capable of withstanding mechanical deformation.
- Silicon nanowires (SiNWs) offer excellent electronic properties but integrating them into flexible platforms remains challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a scalable method for fabricating high-performance, stretchable silicon nanowire field-effect transistors (SiNW-FETs).
- To demonstrate the stability and reliability of these SiNW-FETs under mechanical strain and ambient conditions.
Main Methods:
- Precise growth of slim SiNW channels (<80 nm diameter) using an in-plane solid-liquid-solid (IPSLS) mechanism.
- Batch transfer of SiNWs onto large-area polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomers.
- Fabrication of SiNW-FETs in a discrete FETs-on-islands architecture.
Main Results:
- SiNW-FETs sustained up to 50% stretching strain and over 1000 cycles at 20% strain.
- Achieved high hole carrier mobility (≈70 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹), Ion/Ioff ratio (>10⁵), and stable subthreshold swing (134–277 mV decade⁻¹).
- Demonstrated stable operation in ambient conditions for over 270 days without passivation.
Conclusions:
- A novel routine for batch manufacturing and integration of stretchable SiNW-FETs is presented.
- The developed SiNW-FETs exhibit exceptional performance and stability in harsh, large-strain environments.
- This work is crucial for the practical realization of future flexible displays and wearable electronics.
