Vacuum Tunneling Transistor with Nano Vacuum Chamber for Harsh Environments.

A nano vacuum tube which consists of a vacuum transistor and a nano vacuum chamber was demonstrated. For the device, a vacuum region is an electron transport channel, and a vacuum is a tunneling barrier. Tilted angle evaporation was studied for the formation of the nano level vacuum chamber structure. This vacuum tube was ultraminiaturized with several tens of 10-18 L scale volume and 10-6 Torr of pressure. The device structure made it possible to achieve a high integration density and to sustain the vacuum state in various real operations. In particular, the vacuum transistor performed stably in extreme external environments because the tunneling mechanism showed a wide range of working stability. The vacuum was sustained well by the sealing layer and provided a defect-free tunneling junction. In tests, the high vacuum level was maintained for more than 15 months with high reliability. The Al sealing layer and tube structure can effectively block exposed light such as visible light and UV, enabling the stable operation of the tunneling transistor. In addition, it is estimated that the structure blocks approximately 5 keV of X-ray. The device showed stable operating characteristics in a wide temperature range of 100-390 K. Therefore, the vacuum tube can be used in a wide range of applications involving integrated circuits while resolving the disadvantages of a large volume in old vacuum tubes. Additionally, it can be an important solution for next-generation devices in various fields such as aerospace, artificial intelligence, and THz applications.

High-Quality Microprintable and Stretchable Conductors for High-Performance 5G Wireless Communication.

With the advent of 5G wireless and Internet of Things technologies, flexible and stretchable printed circuit boards (PCBs) should be designed to address all the specifications necessary to receive signal transmissions, maintaining the signal integrity, and providing electrical connections. Here, we propose a silver nanoparticle (AgNP)/silver nanowire (AgNW) hybrid conductor and high-quality microprinting technology for fabricating flexible and stretchable PCBs in high-performance 5G wireless communication. A simple and low-cost reverse offset printing technique using a commercial adhesive hand-roller was adapted to ensure high-resolution and excellent pattern quality. The AgNP/AgNW micropatterns were fabricated in various line widths, from 5 µm to 5 mm. They exhibited excellent pattern qualities, such as fine line spacing, clear edge definition and outstanding pattern uniformity. After annealing via intense pulsed light irradiation, they showed outstanding electrical resistivity (15.7 µΩ cm). Moreover, they could withstand stretching up to a strain of 90% with a small change in resistance. As a demonstration of their practical application, the AgNP/AgNW micropatterns were used to fabricate 5G communication antennas that exhibited excellent wireless signal processing at operating frequencies in the C-band (4-8 GHz). Finally, a wearable sensor fabricated with these AgNP/AgNW micropatterns could successfully detected fine finger movements in real time with excellent sensitivity.

Miniaturized Self-Resonant Micro Coil Array with A Floating Structure for Wireless Multi-Channel Transmission.

Micro size antennas have significant merits due to the small size effect, enabling new device concepts. However, the low-quality factor (Q-factor), the large size of impedance matching components, and the poor selectivity of the multi-array design remain challenging issues. To solve these issues, a floating coil structure stacked on a loop micro-antenna is suggested. Various floating coil designs are prepared with appropriate matching conditions at specific target frequencies, using an easy fabrication process without the need for additional space. A simple one-loop antenna design shows a higher Q-factor than other, more complicated designs. The micro-sized loop antenna with the 80 µm trace width design exhibits the highest Q-factor, around 31 within 7 GHz. The 8 different floating coil designs result in high-frequency selectivity from 1 to 7 GHz. The highest selectivity contrast and WPT efficiency are above 7 and around 1%, respectively. Considering the size of the antenna, the efficiency is not low, mainly due to the good matching effect with the high Q-factor of the floating coil and the loop antenna. This micro-antenna array concept with high integration density can be applied for advanced wireless neural stimulation or in wireless pixel array concepts in flexible displays.

Stress Release Effect of Micro-hole Arrays for Flexible Electrodes and Thin Film Transistors.

The effects of micro-hole arrays in the thin metal films were studied as a method to release bending stress in flexible electrodes and flexible thin film transistors (TFTs). Interest in flexible electronics is increasing, and many approaches have been suggested to solve the issue of the electrical failure of electrodes or electrical components such as TFTs after repeated bending. Here, we demonstrate a micro-hole array structure as a common solution to release bending stress. Although micro-size cracks were generated and propagated from the hole edges, the cracks stopped within a certain range when enough stress was released. Moreover, since the crack sites were predictable and controllable, a fatal electrical breakdown in a conductive layer such as a metal electrode or the semiconducting junction of a TFT can be prevented by specifically arranging the hole arrays. Thin film layers fabricated without holes suffered an electrical breakdown due to random crack propagation during bending tests. Aluminum thin film electrodes prepared with arrays of 3 µm diameter holes and 25% hole area showed excellent durability after 300,000 bending cycles. The change in resistance was below 3%. The electrical characteristics of an a-IGZO TFT with the micro-hole structure were almost equivalent to a standard a-IGZO TFT. After 10,000 bending cycles, ION and the ratio of ION/IOFF remained >107 A and ∼107, respectively. Since the effective hole diameter is micrometer in size, fabrication does not require additional process steps or expensive process equipment. Therefore, the approach can be an important way to enhance the reliability of various electrical devices in flexible and wearable applications.

Wireless thin film transistor based on micro magnetic induction coupling antenna.

A wireless thin film transistor (TFT) structure in which a source/drain or a gate is connected directly to a micro antenna to receive or transmit signals or power can be an important building block, acting as an electrical switch, a rectifier or an amplifier, for various electronics as well as microelectronics, since it allows simple connection with other devices, unlike conventional wire connections. An amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (α-IGZO) TFT with magnetic antenna structure was fabricated and studied for this purpose. To enhance the induction coupling efficiency while maintaining the same small antenna size, a magnetic core structure consisting of Ni and nanowires was formed under the antenna. With the micro-antenna connected to a source/drain or a gate of the TFT, working electrical signals were well controlled. The results demonstrated the device as an alternative solution to existing wire connections which cause a number of problems in various fields such as flexible/wearable devices, body implanted devices, micro/nano robots, and sensors for the 'internet of things' (IoT).