Enhanced adhesion with pedestal-shaped elastomeric stamps for transfer printing

Abstract

Microscale elastomeric relief structures with "pedestal" shapes provide enhanced operation in stamps designed for deterministic materials assembly via transfer printing. Experimental measurements of adhesion and finite element analysis both show that for certain geometries, exceptionally large enhancements in adhesion strength (over 15x) can be achieved. Transfer printing of microscale platelets of silicon and ultrathin gallium nitride light emitting diodes onto a silicon substrate without adhesive coatings demonstrates some capabilities in assembly that result from this type of stamp, of interest in diverse applications, including those that involve heterogeneous materials integration. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4706257]