Next-Generation Bioelectronics Enabled by Inorganic Single-Crystalline Semiconductor Membranes

Inorganic single-crystalline semiconductors such as Si, GaN, and GaAs form the basis of essentially all modern electronic devices, including various implantable and wearable systems that directly interface with the human body for clinical and fundamental neuroscience applications. However, the bulkiness, rigidity, and non-resorbable nature of conventional semiconductor materials have long been associated with various medical complications.<br/>In this talk, I will introduce layer transfer technologies that allow the production of inorganic single-crystalline semiconductor membranes that are peeled off from their epitaxial wafers, thereby enabling new classes of bioelectronic systems that are significantly less invasive and more bio-friendly.<br/>More specifically, I will talk about my research on developing electronic systems that can: (i) completely dissolve in biofluids at physiological pH/temperatures [1,2], (ii) conformally adhere on skin to enable convenient, nearly imperceptible human-computer interface [3], and (iii) achieve ultrahigh device density through 3D integration of disparate functional layers for near-eye display [4] and neuroscience applications.<br/> <br/>[1] J. Shin, Y. Yan, W. Bai, et al. and John A. Rogers, “Bioresorbable pressure sensors protected with thermally-grown silicon dioxide for the monitoring of chronic diseases and healing processes,” Nature Biomedical Engineering 3, 37–46 (2019)<br/>[2] J. Shin, Z. Liu, W. Bai, et al., and John A. Rogers, “Bioresorbable optical sensor systems for monitoring of intracranial pressure and temperature,” Science Advances 5, eaaw1899 (2019)<br/>[3] Y. Kim, J. M. Suh, J. Shin, Y. Liu, et al., and Jeehwan Kim, “Chip-less wireless electronic skins by remote epitaxial freestanding compound semiconductors,” Science 377, 859–864 (2022)<br/>[4] J. Shin, H. Kim, S. Sundaram, J. Jeong, et al., and Jeehwan Kim, “Vertical full-colour micro-LEDs via 2D materials-based layer transfer,” Nature 614, 81–87 (2023)