Wonho Lee

Quantum Confinement Effects in Transferrable Silicon Nanomembranes and Their Applications on Unusual Substrates

Two dimensional (2D) semiconductors have attracted attention for a range of electronic applications, such as transparent, flexible field effect transistors and sensors owing to their good optical transparency and mechanical flexibility. Efforts to exploit 2D semiconductors in electronics are hampered, however, by the lack of efficient methods for their synthesis at levels of quality, uniformity, and reliability needed for practical applications. Here, as an alternative 2D semiconductor, we study single crystal Si nanomembranes (NMs), formed in large area sheets with precisely defined thicknesses ranging from 1.4 to 10 nm. These Si NMs exhibit electronic properties of two-dimensional quantum wells and offer exceptionally high optical transparency and low flexural rigidity. Deterministic assembly techniques allow integration of these materials into unusual device architectures, including field effect transistors with total thicknesses of less than 12 nm, for potential use in transparent, flexible, and stretchable forms of electronics.

Epitaxial Growth of Thin Ferroelectric Polymer Films on Graphene Layer for Fully Transparent and Flexible Nonvolatile Memory.

Enhancing the device performance of organic memory devices while providing high optical transparency and mechanical flexibility requires an optimized combination of functional materials and smart device architecture design. However, it remains a great challenge to realize fully functional transparent and mechanically durable nonvolatile memory because of the limitations of conventional rigid, opaque metal electrodes. Here, we demonstrate ferroelectric nonvolatile memory devices that use graphene electrodes as the epitaxial growth substrate for crystalline poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) polymer. The strong crystallographic interaction between PVDF-TrFE and graphene results in the orientation of the crystals with distinct symmetry, which is favorable for polarization switching upon the electric field. The epitaxial growth of PVDF-TrFE on a graphene layer thus provides excellent ferroelectric performance with high remnant polarization in metal/ferroelectric polymer/metal devices. Furthermore, a fully transparent and flexible array of ferroelectric field effect transistors was successfully realized by adopting transparent poly[bis(4-phenyl)(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)amine] semiconducting polymer.

Flexible graphene-PZT ferroelectric nonvolatile memory

We report the fabrication of a flexible graphene-based nonvolatile memory device using Pb(Zr0.35,Ti0.65)O3 (PZT) as the ferroelectric material. The graphene and PZT ferroelectric layers were deposited using chemical vapor deposition and sol–gel methods, respectively. Such PZT films show a high remnant polarization (Pr) of 30 μC cm−2 and a coercive voltage (Vc) of 3.5 V under a voltage loop over ±11 V. The graphene–PZT ferroelectric nonvolatile memory on a plastic substrate displayed an on/off current ratio of 6.7, a memory window of 6 V and reliable operation. In addition, the device showed one order of magnitude lower operation voltage range than organic-based ferroelectric nonvolatile memory after removing the anti-ferroelectric behavior incorporating an electrolyte solution. The devices showed robust operation in bent states of bending radii up to 9 mm and in cycling tests of 200 times. The devices exhibited remarkable mechanical properties and were readily integrated with plastic substrates for the production of flexible circuits.

Stretchable Si Logic Devices with Graphene Interconnects

Stretchable integrated circuits consisting of ultrathin Si transistors connected by multilayer graphene are demonstrated. Graphene interconnects act as an effective countervailing component to maintain the electrical performance of Si integrated circuits against external strain. Concentration of the applied strain on the graphene interconnect parts can stably protect the Si active devices against applied strains over 10%.

Flexible MgO Barrier Magnetic Tunnel Junctions.

Flexible MgO barrier magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) devices are fabricated using a transfer printing process. The flexible MTJ devices yield significantly enhanced tunneling magnetoresistance of ≈300% and improved abruptness of switching, as residual strain in the MTJ structure is released during the transfer process. This approach could be useful for flexible electronic systems that require high-performance memory components.

Two-dimensional materials in functional three-dimensional architectures with applications in photodetection and imaging

Efficient and highly functional three-dimensional systems that are ubiquitous in biology suggest that similar design architectures could be useful in electronic and optoelectronic technologies, extending their levels of functionality beyond those achievable with traditional, planar two-dimensional platforms. Complex three-dimensional structures inspired by origami, kirigami have promise as routes for two-dimensional to three-dimensional transformation, but current examples lack the necessary combination of functional materials, mechanics designs, system-level architectures, and integration capabilities for practical devices with unique operational features. Here, we show that two-dimensional semiconductor/semi-metal materials can play critical roles in this context, through demonstrations of complex, mechanically assembled three-dimensional systems for light-imaging capabilities that can encompass measurements of the direction, intensity and angular divergence properties of incident light. Specifically, the mechanics of graphene and MoS2, together with strategically configured supporting polymer films, can yield arrays of photodetectors in distinct, engineered three-dimensional geometries, including octagonal prisms, octagonal prismoids, and hemispherical domes.The strain tolerance and promising optoelectronic properties of 2D materials can be leveraged to design functional optical sensing devices. Here, the authors provide a demonstration of arrays of independently addressable photodetectors constructed from graphene and MoS2 engineered in 3D Kirigami geometries.

Epidural Electrotherapy for Epilepsy

Penetrating electronics have been used for treating epilepsy, yet their therapeutic effects are debated largely due to the lack of a large-scale, real-time, and safe recording/stimulation. Here, the proposed technology integrates ultrathin epidural electronics into an electrocorticography array, therein simultaneously sampling brain signals in a large area for diagnostic purposes and delivering electrical pulses for treatment. The system is empirically tested to record the ictal-like activities of the thalamocortical network in vitro and in vivo using the epidural electronics. Also, it is newly demonstrated that the electronics selectively diminish epileptiform activities, but not normal signal transduction, in live animals. It is proposed that this technology heralds a new generation of diagnostic and therapeutic brain-machine interfaces. Such an electronic system can be applicable for several brain diseases such as tinnitus, Parkinsons disease, Huntingtons disease, depression, and schizophrenia.