SBIR-STTR Award

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I is the development of a disruptive manufacturing technology that will enable a new class of nanomembrane-based electronic devices to be assembled and integrated on flexible substrates. This innovative technology promises to provide flexible electronics developers and manufacturers a new option for fabricating a wide range of flexible devices that require the integration of high-performance semiconductors. It is anticipated that printing tools and processes based on this core technology will significantly lower the technological barriers that are hindering the widespread manufacture of next-generation flexible devices.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project aims to develop a direct printing tool that surpasses the available technologies in terms of both precision and scalability. Current flexible device manufacturing processes do not have the capabilities needed to realize high-performance flexible devices through the integration of high-quality semiconductor materials. Therefore, new strategies are required for fabricating and printing the thin device layers that are essential in emerging high-performance flexible electronics. This project will involve mechanics simulations,tool design and fabrication, process experiments to meet resolution and yield metrics, and establishment of design constraints and operating conditions for a manufacturing process.

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will advance a novel probe-based direct transfer (PBDT) printing technology for manufacturing flexible hybrid electronic (FHE) devices. PBDT promises to deliver unprecedented selective, high-fidelity component transfer of a broad range of low-dimensional, high-performance electronic components with diverse architectures and sizes to flexible substrates. The technology will accelerate manufacturing capability to meet a critical need in the flexible and printed electronics market. The development of a stand-alone, automatic PBDT tool will provide flexible electronics developers and manufacturers an unparalleled solution for integrating high-performance thin and ultra-thin electronic materials into next-generation flexible devices. The impact on the market and on daily life has the potential to be transformative, with everything from consumer devices (e.g., flexible phones and tablets), to imaging and sensing, to health care and homeland security being improved by advancements in flexible device manufacturing. Furthermore, PBDT will enable new directions in flexible device research and product development. The overall objective of the Phase II project is to produce a prototype of a commercial version of a PBDT tool. In addition, detailed performance specs of the process and tool will be established, and functional FHE devices will be assembled using automated PBDT printing. The Phase I feasibility study demonstrated that the PBDT approach of handling a flexible substrate as both a stamp and as the destination substrate allows for defect-free transfer of semiconductor components that are an order of magnitude thinner and more complex laterally than what conventional tools can handle. Based on the Phase I accomplishments, Phase II funding will be used to develop and demonstrate a prototype tool that will serve as the template for a fully automated commercial product. Successful commercialization of PBDT will require advances in PBDT processes and hardware; therefore, the specific objectives of the Phase II project are focused on (i) characterizing the full process space of PBDT technology, (ii) demonstrating a complete process flow for assembling and metalizing functional FHE devices, and (iii) validating the prototype in terms of printing rate and fidelity. The collaborating university partner will contribute to the design and fabrication of thin and ultra-thin silicon components to assess the performance of the tool and demonstrate viable FHE sensors.