Design and Synthesis of Sustainable Dielectric Materials for Flexible Electronics

在柔性器件的新兴领域中，需要具有高电气和机械性能的柔性电子材料。柔性电子器件的制造需要很多潜在的材料。这些材料的范围从有机材料，如聚合物和其他碳基分子，到金属和电介质。其中，介电材料的使用由于电学性能的限制和机械耐久性不足而受到限制。通过了解介质薄膜的物理化学结构与其在机械应力作用下的其他材料性能之间的关系，本研究建立了高度透明、坚固和灵活的介质材料。这些柔性介电材料将用于现有的半导体器件制造以及未来更苛刻的应用。这项技术对美国的持续繁荣和安全至关重要，美国在消费和国家安全应用中越来越多地使用轻便灵活的设备。这项研究跨越多个学科，包括材料科学、材料力学、电气工程、半导体器件物理和化学，将为学生提供在多学科研究环境中工作的知识和实践经验。教育活动包括编写高级材料的课程，并为包括妇女和代表性不足的学生在内的不同群体提供研究机会。该项目由民用、机械和制造创新部门(CMMI)和既定的激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)共同资助。该研究旨在实现高度透明、坚固和灵活的介电材料，具有电气和机械稳定性，以便在柔性电子产品中广泛应用。该项目将完成三个目标，以建立基于硅氧烷(Si-O)和甲基衍生硅化合物(Si-CH3)(OSMS)的无定形氧化物的可持续柔性介质材料，具有优异的材料及机械稳定性和耐久性：(1)确定柔性介质薄膜的生长机制，并根据特定的沉积参数优化微结构中的极化率和密度，(2)确定物理化学变化与介质膜性能之间的关系，以及(3)评估使用热退火和紫外线照射的后固化工艺对薄膜微结构和光学、电学和机械性能的影响。研究成果不仅将显著推进柔性介质材料的制造工艺，还将在与柔性电子材料的合成、结构、性能和性能相关的基本框架中产生新的知识。该项目将开发具有良好的光学、电学和机械性能的柔性介质材料，适用于广泛的柔性电子应用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Flexible electronic materials exhibiting high electrical and mechanical performance are required in the emerging field of flexible devices. There are many potential materials which are required in the fabrication of flexible electronics. These materials range from organic materials, like polymers and other carbon-based molecules, to metals and dielectrics. Among them, the use of dielectric materials has been restricted due to limiting electrical properties and insufficient mechanical durability. The research here establishes highly transparent, strong, and flexible dielectric materials developed through the understanding of the relationship between the physicochemical structure of the dielectric thin films, and their other material properties, under mechanical stress. These flexible dielectric materials would find use in the existing semiconductor device manufacturing as well as in future, more demanding applications. This technology is critical for the continued United States prosperity and security which increasingly employs lightweight flexible devices in consumer and national security applications. This research crosses multiple disciplines including materials science, mechanics of materials, electrical engineering, semiconductor device physics, and chemistry, and will offer to students both knowledge and hands-on experience working within a multidisciplinary research environment. The education activities includes the course development in advanced materials and provision of research opportunities for a diverse group including women and underrepresented students. This project is jointly funded by Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation Division (CMMI) and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This research aims to achieve highly transparent, strong, and flexible dielectrics with electrical and mechanical stability for broad application in flexible electronics. The project will complete three objectives to establish sustainable flexible dielectric materials, with superior material and mechanical stability and durability, based on amorphous oxides derived from the siloxane (Si–O) and methyl-derived silicon compounds (Si–CH3) (OSMs): (1) determine the growth mechanism of flexible dielectric thin films and optimize the polarizability and density in the microstructure as related to the specific deposition parameters, (2) identify the relationship between physicochemical changes and the dielectric film properties, and (3) evaluate the effect of post-curing process, using thermal annealing and ultraviolet irradiation, on the microstructure and the films’ optical, electrical, and mechanical performance. The research outcomes will not only significantly advance manufacturing processes for flexible dielectric materials, but also generate new knowledge in a fundamental framework relating synthesis, structure, property, and performance of materials for flexible electronics. This project will develop flexible dielectric materials with good optical, electrical, and mechanical performance useful for a wide array of flexible electronics applications.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.