MSGID: 1:317/3 64b0cf95   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Researchers develop approach that can enable inexpensive mass   
   manufacturing of micro-LED displays    
    A continuous roller printing approach can precisely transfer thousands of   
   microscopic semiconductor devices in a single shot    
      
     Date:   
         July 13, 2023   
     Source:   
         Optica   
     Summary:   
         New research describes a continuous roller printing approach that   
         can precisely transfer thousands of microscopic semiconductor   
         devices in a single shot. This method paves the way to creating   
         large-scale arrays of optical components and could be used to   
         rapidly manufacture micro-LED displays.   
      
      
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   Researchers have demonstrated a continuous roller printing process that   
   can pick up and transfer over 75,000 micrometer-scale semiconductor   
   devices in a single roll with very high accuracy. The new method paves   
   the way to creating large-scale arrays of optical components and could   
   be used to rapidly manufacture micro-LED displays.   
      
   Micro-LED display technology is of great interest because it can   
   accomplish highly accurate color rendering with high speed and resolution   
   while using little power. These displays can be applied in a wide range   
   of formats including smartphone screens, virtual and augmented reality   
   devices and large displays several meters across. For larger micro-LED   
   displays, in particular, the challenges of integrating millions of tiny   
   LEDs -- which are sometimes smaller than a grain of fine sand -- onto   
   an electronic control backplane are enormous.   
      
   "Transferring micrometer-scale semiconductor devices from their native   
   substrate to a variety of receiving platforms is a challenge being tackled   
   internationally by both academic research groups and industries," said   
   research team leader Eleni Margariti from the University of Strathclyde   
   in the UK. "Our roller-based printing process offers a way to achieve   
   this in a scalable manner while meeting the demanding accuracy necessary   
   for this application."  In the journal Optical Materials Express,   
   the researchers report that their new roller technology can match the   
   designed device layout with an accuracy of less than 1 micron. The setup   
   is also inexpensive and simple enough to be constructed in locations   
   with limited resources.   
      
   "This printing process could also be used for other types of devices   
   including silicon and printed electronics such as transistors, sensors   
   and antennas for flexible and wearable electronics, smart packaging and   
   radio-frequency identification tags," said Margariti, who developed the   
   new printing process.   
      
   "It could also be useful for making photovoltaics and for biomedical   
   applications such as drug delivery systems, biosensors and tissue   
   engineering."  Large-scale device transfer Today's semiconductor   
   devices are typically manufactured on wafers using growth techniques   
   that deposit exquisitely detailed, multi-layer semiconductor thin films   
   onto semiconductor substrates. Compatibility issues between these thin   
   film structures and the types of substrates suitable for this deposition   
   constrain the ways in which the devices can be used.   
      
   "We wanted to improve the transfer of large numbers of semiconductor   
   devices from one substrate to another to improve the performance and   
   scaling of electronic systems used in applications such as displays and   
   on-chip photonics, where the aim is to combine various materials that   
   manipulate light on a very small scale," said Margariti. "To be used for   
   large-scale manufacturing, it is crucial to use methods that can transfer   
   these devices efficiently, accurately and with minimal errors."  The new   
   approach starts with an array of tiny devices that are loosely attached to   
   their growth substrate. The surface of a cylinder containing a slightly   
   sticky silicone polymer film is then rolled over the suspended array of   
   devices, allowing adhesive forces between the silicone and semiconductor   
   to detach the devices from their growth substrate and array them on   
   the cylinder drum. Because the printing process is continuous it can   
   be used to simultaneously print numerous devices, which makes it highly   
   efficient for large-scale production.   
      
   Highly accurate printing "By carefully selecting the properties of the   
   silicone and receiving substrate surface and the speed and mechanics   
   of the rolling process, the devices can be successfully rolled   
   over and released onto the receiver substrate while preserving the   
   spatially arrayed format they had on the original substrate," explained   
   Margariti. "We also developed a custom analysis method that scans the   
   printed sample for defects and provides the printing yield and positioning   
   accuracy in just minutes."  The researchers tested the new approach   
   with gallium nitride on silicon (GaN/ Si) semiconductor structures. GaN   
   is the dominant semiconductor technology used for micro-LED displays,   
   and using silicon substrates facilitated the preparation of the devices   
   as suspended structures that could be picked up by the roller. They   
   were able to transfer more than 99% of the devices in an array of over   
   76,000 individual elements with a spatial precision below a micron with   
   no significant rotational errors.   
      
   Next, the researchers are working to further improve the accuracy of   
   the printing process while also scaling up the number of devices that   
   can be transferred at once. They also plan to test the method's ability   
   to combine different types of devices onto the same receiving platform   
   and determine if it can be used to print to specific locations of the   
   receiving platform.   
      
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   Them Story Source: Materials provided by Optica. Note: Content may be   
   edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Eleni Margariti, Gemma Quinn, Dimitars Jevtics, Benoit Guilhabert,   
      Martin   
         D. Dawson, Michael J. Strain. Continuous roller transfer-printing   
         and automated metrology of >75,000 micro-LED pixels in a   
         single shot. Optical Materials Express, 2023; 13 (8): 2236 DOI:   
         10.1364/OME.483657   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230713142011.htm   
      
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