Materials, device designs, and integration approaches for transient, bio-resorbable silicon electronic systems

A remarkable feature of a silicon-based electronics is its capability to operate functionally and physically invariant for many practical purposes. Here, we introduce a technology that offers the opposite behavior: it gradually vanishes over time, in a well-controlled, programmed manner. Devices that are ‘transient’ in this sense have potential applications that cannot be addressed with conventional electronic devices, such as implantable biomedical devices that remain for medically useful time periods, but then completely dissolve/resorb into the body. We report a set of materials, manufacturing schemes, device components and theoretical design tools for a silicon-based complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology and power scavenging system with oscillators as a building block of wireless communication, which has this type of ‘transient’ behavior, together with various integrated sensors. A transient silicon device capable of delivering thermal therapy in an implantable mode and its demonstration in animal models illustrate a system-level example of this technology. Another discovery for this type of transient electronics is materials and fabrication procedures that the key device processing steps occur on silicon wafer substrates, in schemes compatible with established methods used in conventional microelectronics. The approach relies on an unusual type of silicon on insulator wafer, and yields devices that use ultrathin sheets of monocrystalline silicon for the semiconductor, thin films of magnesium for the electrodes and interconnects, silicon dioxide and magnesium oxide for the dielectrics and silk for the substrates. A range of component examples, with detailed measurements of their electrical characteristics and dissolution properties, illustrate the capabilities. In vivo toxicity tests demonstrate biocompatibility in sub-dermal implants. The results have significance for broad classes of water-soluble, ‘transient’ electronic devices.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Materials Science & Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Hwang, SukWon

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rogers, John A.
• Braun, Paul V.
• Cheng, Jianjun
• Li, Xiuling

• transient electronics
• bioresorbable device
• biocompatible
• silicon dissolution

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2013 SukWon Hwang

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/45581

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/45581