Waterproof AlInGaP optoelectronics on stretchable substrates with applications in biomedicine and robotics

Abstract

Inorganic light-emitting diodes and photodetectors represent important, established technologies for solid-state lighting, digital imaging and many other applications. Eliminating mechanical and geometrical design constraints imposed by the supporting semiconductor wafers can enable alternative uses in areas such as biomedicine and robotics. Here we describe systems that consist of arrays of interconnected, ultrathin inorganic light-emitting diodes and photodetectors configured in mechanically optimized layouts on unusual substrates. Light-emitting sutures, implantable sheets and illuminated plasmonic crystals that are compatible with complete immersion in biofluids illustrate the suitability of these technologies for use in biomedicine. Waterproof optical-proximity-sensor tapes capable of conformal integration on curved surfaces of gloves and thin, refractive-index monitors wrapped on tubing for intravenous delivery systems demonstrate possibilities in robotics and clinical medicine. These and related systems may create important, unconventional opportunities for optoelectronic devices.

Progress and Prospects in Stretchable Electroluminescent Devices

“…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).…”

“…The final structure is shown in Figure 3c [17]. Different from the previous design with a "wavy" structure, the devices used an arch-shape interconnect, which can buckle out of plane from the underlying substrate.…”

“…Advantage of the strategy is that conventional technologies in the LED fabrication can be exploited. Earlier works were reported by Rogers's group and Someya's group based on the strategy [13,[15][16][17]. Limitations in the structural strategy might be the challenge to develop effective approaches that can manipulate the stretchable structures and integrate all the active components with mismatched mechanical properties onto a single elastomer.…”

Ambient Electronics

“…Thus far, the development of stretchable electronics has been actively carried out worldwide by transferring highly conductive materials such as metals and graphene onto rubber sheets for use in stretchable interconnections, and by machining metal-evaporated films into a mesh structure to make them stretchable. [59][60][61][62][63][64][65] 4.1 Background to research on stretchable electronics In 2003, Sigurd Wagner of Princeton University and colleagues reported inverter circuits and transistor arrays that were stretchable by up to approximately 10% by mounting specially prepared amorphous silicon in silicone rubber and forming transistors consisting of wavy gold electrodes. 59) This is the first reported example of stretchable electronics comprising active elements to the best of our knowledge.…”

Flexible Photodetectors Based on 1D Inorganic Nanostructures

“…Several kinds of innovative flexible electronic devices have been successfully fabricated, such as flexible solar cells, electronic skins, flexible transistors and circuits, flexible light‐emitting diodes (LEDs), flexible batteries. and flexible photodetectors 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15. Photodetectors (PDs) are a kind of electronic sensor for sensing light.…”