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Highly effective transfer of micro-LED pixels to the intermediate and rigid substrate with weak and tunable adhesion
Kui Pan1, Jie Sun1,2,3, Chang Lin1,2
1National and Local United Engineering Laboratory of Flat Panel Display Technology, College of Physics and Information Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350100, China. jie.sun@fzu.edu.cn.
Nanoscale
|February 7, 2023
Summary
Researchers developed a novel method for transferring micro-light-emitting diode (micro-LED) pixels using laser lift-off and a sacrificial polystyrene layer. This technique enables efficient micro-LED transfer to rigid substrates, paving the way for diverse display applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Optoelectronics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) are crucial for advanced display technologies.
- Efficient transfer of micro-LEDs from epitaxial substrates to various driving circuits is a key challenge.
- Existing methods often face limitations in scalability and substrate compatibility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and demonstrate a robust method for transferring micro-LED pixels.
- To enable the integration of micro-LEDs onto diverse and flexible substrates.
- To investigate the role of sacrificial layers in micro-device transfer.
Main Methods:
- Utilized laser lift-off (LLO) to separate GaN-based micro-LEDs from sapphire substrates.
- Employed a flexible semiconductor wafer processing (SWP) tape for initial pixel handling.
- Applied a sacrificial layer of non-crosslinked oligomeric polystyrene (PS) for transfer to an intermediate rigid substrate (IRS).
- Functionalized the IRS surface with thiol (-SH) modification for tunable adhesion and Au-S bonding with micro-LED electrodes.
Main Results:
- Achieved efficient transfer of 25 μm × 30 μm micro-LED pixels using LLO and sacrificial layer assistance.
- Demonstrated successful pixel fixation onto the IRS via Au-S bonds, maintaining precise spacing.
- The weak and tunable adhesion facilitated efficient pickup and transfer of micro-LEDs.
- The process provides a viable pathway for subsequent transfers to different driving substrates.
Conclusions:
- The developed transfer printing technique effectively integrates micro-LEDs onto rigid substrates.
- This method offers a promising solution for fabricating micro-LED displays with varied applications.
- The insights gained into polymer sacrificial layer-assisted transfer are valuable for micro-nano device fabrication.
