Design and Synthesis of Sustainable Dielectric Materials for Flexible Electronics

在新兴的柔性器件领域中，需要表现出高电气和机械性能的柔性电子材料。在柔性电子器件的制造中需要许多潜在的材料。这些材料的范围从有机材料，如聚合物和其他碳基分子，到金属和碳。其中，介电材料的使用由于有限的电性能和不足的机械耐久性而受到限制。这里的研究建立了高度透明，坚固，灵活的介电材料，通过了解介电薄膜的物理化学结构之间的关系，和他们的其他材料性能，在机械应力下。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。这项技术对于美国的持续繁荣和安全至关重要，美国越来越多地在消费者和国家安全应用中使用轻质柔性设备。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，并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。教育活动包括为包括妇女和代表性不足的学生在内的各种群体编制高级教材和提供研究机会。本项目由土木、机械和制造创新部（CMMI）和刺激竞争力研究既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。本研究旨在实现高度透明、坚固和灵活的可编程逻辑器件，并具有电气和机械稳定性，可广泛应用于柔性电子产品。该项目将完成三个目标，以建立可持续的柔性介电材料，具有上级材料和机械稳定性和耐久性，基于来自硅氧烷（Si-O）和甲基衍生硅化合物（Si-CH 3）（OSM）的无定形氧化物：（一）确定柔性介电薄膜的生长机制，并根据具体情况优化微观结构中的极化率和密度沉积参数，（2）确定物理化学变化与介电膜性能之间的关系，以及（3）评估后固化工艺（使用热退火和紫外辐照）对微结构以及膜的光学、电学和机械性能的影响。研究成果不仅将大大推进柔性电介质材料的制造工艺，而且还将在柔性电子材料的合成，结构，性质和性能的基本框架中产生新的知识。该项目将开发具有良好光学、电气和机械性能的柔性电介质材料，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知识价值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.