The present invention provides stretchable, and optionally printable, semiconductors and electronic circuits capable of providing good performance when stretched, compressed, flexed or otherwise deformed. Stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention preferred for some applications are flexible, in addition to being stretchable, and thus are capable of significant elongation, flexing, bending or other deformation along one or more axes. Further, stretchable semiconductors and electronic circuits of the present invention may be adapted to a wide range of device configurations to provide fully flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices.

http://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/311/5758/208.full.pdf

Stretchable form of single crystal silicon for high performance electronics on rubber substrates

This article reviews the history and current progress in high-mobility strained Si, SiGe, and Ge channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). We start by providing a chronological overview of important milestones and discoveries that have allowed heterostructures grown on Si substrates to transition from purely academic research in the 1980’s and 1990’s to the commercial development that is taking place today. We next provide a topical review of the various types of strain-engineered MOSFETs that can be integrated onto relaxed Si1−xGex, including surface-channel strained Si n- and p-MOSFETs, as well as double-heterostructure MOSFETs which combine a strained Si surface channel with a Ge-rich buried channel. In all cases, we will focus on the connections between layer structure, band structure, and MOS mobility characteristics. Although the surface and starting substrate are composed of pure Si, the use of strained Si still creates new challenges, and we shall also review the litera...

Strained Si, SiGe, and Ge channels for high-mobility metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors

The present invention is a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor body having a top surface and laterally opposite sidewalls formed on a substrate. A gate dielectric layer is formed on the top surface of the semiconductor body and on the laterally opposite sidewalls of the semiconductor body. A gate electrode is formed on the gate dielectric on the top surface of the semiconductor body and adjacent to the gate dielectric on the laterally opposite sidewalls of the semiconductor body.

Tri-gate devices and methods of fabrication

The invention provides methods and devices for fabricating printable semiconductor elements and assembling printable semiconductor elements onto substrate surfaces. Methods, devices and device components of the present invention are capable of generating a wide range of flexible electronic and optoelectronic devices and arrays of devices on substrates comprising polymeric materials. The present invention also provides stretchable semiconductor structures and stretchable electronic devices capable of good performance in stretched configurations.

Methods and devices for fabricating and assembling printable semiconductor elements

Provided are optical devices and systems fabricated, at least in part, via printing-based assembly and integration of device components. In specific embodiments the present invention provides light emitting systems, light collecting systems, light sensing systems and photovoltaic systems comprising printable semiconductor elements, including large area, high performance macroelectronic devices. Optical systems of the present invention comprise semiconductor elements assembled, organized and/or integrated with other device components via printing techniques that exhibit performance characteristics and functionality comparable to single crystalline semiconductor based devices fabricated using conventional high temperature processing methods. Optical systems of the present invention have device geometries and configurations, such as form factors, component densities, and component positions, accessed by printing that provide a range of useful device functionalities. Optical systems of the present invention include devices and device arrays exhibiting a range of useful physical and mechanical properties including flexibility, shapeability, conformability and stretchablity.

Optical systems fabricated by printing-based assembly

Strained-semiconductor-on-insulator device structures

Semiconductor structures and devices including strained material layers having impurity-free zones, and methods for fabricating same. Certain regions of the strained material layers are kept free of impurities that can interdiffuse from adjacent portions of the semiconductor. When impurities are present in certain regions of the strained material layers, there is degradation in device performance. By employing semiconductor structures and devices (e.g., field effect transistors or “FETs”) that have the features described, or are fabricated in accordance with the steps described, device operation is enhanced.

Semiconductor structures employing strained material layers with defined impurity gradients and methods for fabricating same

Methods of Forming Strained-Semiconductor-on-Insulator Device Structures

A method is disclosed of forming buried channel devices and surface channel devices on a heterostructure semiconductor substrate. In an embodiment, the method includes the steps of providing a structure including a first layer having a first oxidation rate disposed over a second layer having a second oxidation rate wherein the first oxidation rate is greater than the second oxidation rate, reacting said first layer to form a sacrificial layer, and removing said sacrificial layer to expose said second layer.

Method of selective removal of SiGe alloys

Circuits for processing radio frequency (“RF”) and microwave signals are fabricated using field effect transistors (“FETs”) that have one or more strained channel layers disposed on one or more planarized substrate layers. FETs having such a configuration exhibit improved values for, for example, transconductance and noise figure. RF circuits such as, for example, voltage controlled oscillators (“VCOs”), low noise amplifiers (“LNAs”), and phase locked loops (“PLLs”) built using these FETs also exhibit enhanced performance.

Richard Hammond

Papers

Strained-semiconductor-on-insulator device structures

Semiconductor structures employing strained material layers with defined impurity gradients and methods for fabricating same

Methods of Forming Strained-Semiconductor-on-Insulator Device Structures

Method of selective removal of SiGe alloys

RF Circuits Including Transistors Having Strained Material Layers