Monolithic optical microlithography of high-density elastic circuits

Polymeric electronic materials have enabled soft and stretchable electronics. However, the lack of a universal micro/nanofabrication method for skin-like and elastic circuits results in low device density and limited parallel signal recording and processing ability relative to silicon-based devices. We present a monolithic optical microlithographic process that directly micropatterns a set of elastic electronic materials by sequential ultraviolet light-triggered solubility modulation. We fabricated transistors with channel lengths of 2 micrometers at a density of 42,000 transistors per square centimeter. We fabricated elastic circuits including an XOR gate and a half adder, both of which are essential components for an arithmetic logic unit. Our process offers a route to realize wafer-level fabrication of complex, high-density, and multilayered elastic circuits with performance rivaling that of their rigid counterparts.

Automated summary

This study presents a monolithic optical microlithographic process that directly micro-patterns a set of elastic electronic materials by sequential ultraviolet light-triggered solubility modulation. The experimental results show the ability to fabricate transistors with a channel length of 2 micrometers at high density, as well as the fabrication of multiple elastic circuits.