A Flash-Induced Robust Cu Electrode on Glass Substrates and Its Application for Thin-Film mu LEDs

Abstract

A robust Cu conductor on a glass substrate for thin-film mu LEDs using the flash-induced chemical/physical interlocking between Cu and glass is reported. During millisecond light irradiation, CuO nanoparticles (NPs) on the display substrate are transformed into a conductive Cu film by reduction and sintering. At the same time, intensive heating at the boundary of CuO NPs and glass chemically induces the formation of an ultrathin Cu2O interlayer within the Cu/glass interface for strong adhesion. Cu nanointerlocking occurs by transient glass softening and interface fluctuation to increase the contact area. Owing to these flash-induced interfacial interactions, the flash-activated Cu electrode exhibits an adhesion energy of 10 J m(-2), which is five times higher than that of vacuum-deposited Cu. An AlGaInP thin-film vertical mu LED (VLED) forms an electrical interconnection with the flash-induced Cu electrode via an ACF bonding process, resulting in a high optical power density of 41 mW mm(-2). The Cu conductor enables reliable VLED operation regardless of harsh thermal stress and moisture infiltration under a high-temperature storage test, temperature humidity test, and thermal shock test. 50 x 50 VLED arrays transferred onto the flash-induced robust Cu electrode show high illumination yield and uniform distribution of forward voltage, peak wavelength, and device temperature.