Novel fabrication techniques for ultra-thin silicon based flexible electronics

Abstract Flexible electronics offer a multitude of advantages, such as flexibility, lightweight property, portability, and high durability. These unique properties allow for seamless applications to curved and soft surfaces, leading to extensive utilization across a wide range of fields in consumer electronics. These applications, for example, span integrated circuits, solar cells, batteries, wearable devices, bio-implants, soft robotics, and biomimetic applications. Recently, flexible electronic devices have been developed using a variety of materials such as organic, carbon-based, and inorganic semiconducting materials. Silicon (Si) owing to its mature fabrication process, excellent electrical, optical, thermal properties, and cost efficiency, remains a compelling material choice for flexible electronics. Consequently, the research on ultra-thin Si in the context of flexible electronics is studied rigorously nowadays. The thinning of Si is crucially important for flexible electronics as it reduces its bending stiffness and the resultant bending strain, thereby enhancing flexibility while preserving its exceptional properties. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent efforts in the fabrication techniques for forming ultra-thin Si using top-down and bottom-up approaches and explores their utilization in flexible electronics and their applications.