SBIR Phase II: Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Highly Crystalline Thin Film Semiconductor Substrates for Flexible Electronics

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力将有助于通过新的剥离式传感器节点实现物联网(IoT)的扩展。此类物联网节点需要较低的设备成本，因此感测元件、处理电路、通信和电源的子组件成本也较低。此外，它们受功率限制，在传感器数据收集、处理和传输过程中只需最低能耗。使用传统的半导体制造材料和工艺，将低成本和低功耗组件集成到单个尺寸受限的器件中成为一个巨大的挑战。这个SBIR二期项目将使用一种新颖的箔上系统方法，将高效的硅电路直接图案化为新型柔性硅衬底，同时还将形成低成本的印刷电子产品。这种方法能够集成所有核心物联网元素，包括微处理器、传感器、天线、互连和电源，使强大的系统应用于民用基础设施、人体健康监测、汽车、电网电池管理、风力涡轮机、航空航天和工业设备的状态监测。这一小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目将推进一种新型半导体再结晶技术，以支持新一代柔性电子产品。为了包括板上处理、通信和存储电路，当前最先进的柔性电子产品依赖于现成硅芯片的表面安装和焊接，类似于刚性印刷电路板组件。这种拾取和放置方法不仅降低了设备的灵活性，还导致了严重影响设备可靠性的互连挑战。该项目利用薄膜再结晶工艺，现在可以将等效的硅电路直接图案化成柔性硅，从而实现高度可扩展的制造工艺，大大提高了器件的可靠性。通过将所有元件直接构图到高温基板中，可以制造出即使在剧烈的振动和冲击环境中也能耐用的共形电子产品。项目目标包括将原型再结晶工艺过渡到更高产量和更高质量的中试再结晶系统。由此产生的柔性硅衬底将用于集成电路制造的初步开发，以生产有源硅组件，作为迈向完全图案化的箔上系统电子学的一步。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will help enable the expansion of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) through new peel-and-stick sensor nodes. Such IoT nodes require low device cost, and thus low sub-component costs for sensing elements, processing circuits, communications, and power. In addition, they are power constrained, requiring minimal energy consumption during sensor data collection, processing, and transmission. Integrating low-cost and low-power components into a single size-limited device becomes a substantial challenge using conventional semiconductor fabrication materials and processes. This SBIR Phase II project will use a novel System-on-Foil approach that patterns efficient silicon circuitry directly into a novel flexible silicon substrate, alongside low-cost printed electronics. This approach enables the integration of all core IoT elements, including microprocessors, sensors, antennas, interconnects, and power supplies, making robust systems with applications in condition monitoring for civil infrastructure, human health monitoring, automotive, grid battery management, wind turbines, aerospace, and industrial equipment.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will advance a novel semiconductor recrystallization technology to support a new generation of flexible electronics. To include on-board processing, communication, and memory circuitry, current state-of-the-art flexible electronics rely on surface mounting and soldering of off-the-shelf silicon chips, similar to rigid printed circuit board assemblies. This pick-and-place approach not only reduces device flexibility, but also leads to interconnection challenges that severely compromise device reliability. This project leverages a thin film recrystallization process where equivalent silicon circuits can now be patterned directly into flexible silicon, resulting in a highly scalable manufacturing process that drastically improves device reliability. By patterning all components directly into a high-temperature substrate, conformal electronics can be made that are durable even in heavy vibration and shock environments. The project objectives include the transition of prototype recrystallization processes to a higher throughput and higher quality pilot-scale recrystallization system. The resulting flexible silicon substrates will then be used for preliminary development of integrated circuit fabrication to produce active silicon components as a step toward fully patterned System-on-Foil electronics.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.