Stretchable, Transparent Graphene Interconnects for Arrays of Microscale Inorganic Light Emitting Diodes on Rubber Substrates

Abstract

This paper describes the fabrication and design principles for using transparent graphene interconnects in stretchable arrays of microscale inorganic light emitting diodes (LEDs) on rubber substrates. We demonstrate several appealing properties of graphene for this purpose, including its ability to spontaneously conform to significant surface topography, in a manner that yields effective contacts even to deep, recessed device regions. Mechanics modeling reveals the fundamental aspects of this process, as well as the use of the same layers of graphene for interconnects designed to accommodate strains of 100% or more, in a completely reversible fashion. These attributes are compatible with conventional thin film processing and can yield high-performance devices in transparent layouts. Graphene interconnects possess attractive features for both existing and emerging applications of LEDs in information display, biomedical systems, and other environments.

Cephalopod-inspired design of electro-mechano-chemically responsive elastomers for on-demand fluorescent patterning

“…S oft material systems that are flexible, remotely controllable and capable of emitting fluorescence and light are playing critical roles in nontraditional displays for applications as diverse as stretchable electronics, foldable lighting devices, flexible and biocompatible luminescent recourses for clinical therapy, and dynamic camouflage [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] . To design these responsive soft material systems, various strategies have been exploited, such as embedding rigid light-emitting diodes into elastomeric substrates [3][4][5][6][7] , employing stretchable electro-luminescent polymers 1,8,9,11 and designing microfluidic networks filled with controlled pigment fluids 10,[12][13][14][15] .…”

Layer-by-layer assembly of vertically conducting graphene devices

“…In addition, with very long spin-flip time 8 and weak spin-orbit coupling 9 , graphene has been proposed as an ideal material for spintronics. High-yield production and large-area synthesis of graphene have been achieved, which facilitate its use in transparent electrodes, interconnections and wafer-scale electronics [10][11][12][13][14][15] . Nevertheless, both fundamental and application-oriented graphene investigations are commonly concerned with the graphene 2D plane.…”

Progress and Prospects in Stretchable Electroluminescent Devices

“…Alternative approaches are to develop effective methods to transfer the ILEDs from high-temperature compatible substrates onto flexible or stretchable substrates. Successful demonstrations were reported with transferred ILEDs onto flexible [21,22] and stretchable conducting substrates [13,23].…”

“…Stretchable EL devices assembled with rigid ILEDs and stretchable electrical interconnects on elastomers are representative examples that conventional techniques can be combined to achieve exceptional applications by implementing new underling strategies [13,17,23,[57][58][59]. In these cases, the light-emitting elements are bonded device islands that can sustain the significantly reduced local strain under stretching (the maximum local strain in the ILEDs is~0.17% with a 24% universal strain on the whole device).…”