Heterogeneous Material Integration via Autogenous Transfer Printing Using a Graphene Oxide Release Layer

Abstract

The transfer printing method has drawn significant attention as a promising solution to overcome the limitation of substrate dependency in conventional microfabrication. However, several issues, such as pattern distortion, incompatibility of high-temperature processes, and low throughput, still pose challenges in achieving next-generation microfabrication. The present study utilizes graphene oxide (GO), with a thickness in the tens of nanometers, as the release layer to achieve stable, efficient, and highly scalable transfer printing. When an GO layer is exposed to the reducing agent, it undergoes the removal of existing functional groups, resulting in dimensional shrinkage and inducing microcrack formation. These microcracks serve as stress-concentration initiators between GO and the substrate, facilitating efficient exfoliation of the prepared layers above. The exceptional thermal stability of GO releasing layer allows the proposed method to be applied in transferring the high-temperature processed poly silicon and silicon dioxide patterns. Furthermore, the rapid processing time, confirmed through both experimental and numerical analysis, demonstrates a significant improvement in throughput compared to that of conventional transfer printing methods. Additionally, the proposed method involves a minimal aqueous process, effectively addressing pattern distortion issues in chemical sacrificial layer-releasing methods. The successful fabrication of a wearable resistance temperature detector embedded phototherapy device demonstrates the potential of the proposed method for advancing microfabrication techniques.