IP Library Granted Patent US 10,396,137
Granted Patent B2
US 10,396,137 · App. 15/915,711 · Granted Aug 27, 2019

Testing transfer-print micro-devices on wafer

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,396,137
App. No.
15/915,711
Granted
Aug 27, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A method of making and testing transfer-printable micro-devices on a source wafer includes providing a source wafer comprising a plurality of sacrificial portions spatially separated by anchors, the source wafer comprising one or more test contact pads, providing a micro-device entirely over each of the plurality of sacrificial portions, each micro-device physically connected to at least one anchor with one or more tethers, providing one or more electrical test connections from each micro-device to a corresponding test contact pad, testing the micro-devices through the test connections to determine functional micro-devices and faulty micro-devices, and removing at least a portion of the one or more test connections.

Claims (34)

1. A method of making and testing transfer-printable micro-devices on a source wafer, comprising:

providing the source wafer comprising a plurality of sacrificial portions spatially separated by anchors, the source wafer comprising one or more test contact pads;

providing at least one micro-device disposed entirely over each of the plurality of sacrificial portions, each of the at least one micro-device physically connected to at least one of the anchors;

providing one or more electrical test connections from each of the at least one micro-device to a corresponding test contact pad;

testing the at least one micro-device disposed over each of the plurality of sacrificial portions through the one or more test connections to determine one or more functional micro-devices and one or more faulty micro-devices; and

removing at least a portion of the one or more test connections.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising etching the plurality of sacrificial portions thereby suspending each micro-device over a corresponding sacrificial portion by at least one corresponding tether.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein etching the plurality of sacrificial portions also removes at least a portion of the one or more test connections.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein removing at least a portion of the one or more test connections at least partially defines the at least one corresponding tether for each micro-device.

5. The method of claim 2 , comprising providing a destination substrate and micro-transfer printing the at least one micro-device disposed entirely over each of the plurality of sacrificial portions to the destination substrate.

6. The method of claim 5 , comprising removing the one or more faulty micro-devices from the destination substrate.

7. The method of claim 1 , comprising removing the one or more faulty micro-devices from the source wafer.

8. The method of claim 7 , comprising:

providing a destination substrate; and

micro-transfer printing only the one or more functional micro-devices to the destination substrate.

9. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

providing one or more test circuits disposed on or in the source wafer, wherein the test circuits are connected to the one or more test contact pads; and

operating the one or more test circuits to test the micro-devices.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the micro-devices comprise light emitters.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising:

providing an optical device for receiving light from the light emitters; and determining the one or more functional micro-devices and the one or more faulty micro-devices using the optical device.

12. The method of claim 1 , comprising:

providing an external test controller; and

electrically connecting the external test controller to the one or more test contact pads to test the at least one micro-device disposed over each of the plurality of sacrificial portions.

13. A transfer-printable micro-device wafer system, comprising:

a source wafer comprising a plurality of sacrificial portions spatially separated by anchors, the source wafer further comprising one or more test contact pads;

a micro-device disposed entirely over each of the plurality of sacrificial portions, the micro-device physically connected to at least one of the anchors by one or more tethers; and

one or more electrical test connections electrically connecting the micro-device to a corresponding test contact pad,

wherein the one or more test connections are formed on a part of the source wafer other than the one or more tethers.

14. The transfer-print micro-device wafer system of claim 13 , wherein the micro-device comprises one or more inorganic light-emitting diodes.

15. The transfer-print micro-device wafer system of claim 14 , wherein the micro-device comprises a device substrate separate from the source wafer and each of the one or more inorganic light-emitting diodes (iLEDs) comprises an iLED substrate separate from the source wafer and the device substrate.

16. The transfer-print micro-device wafer system of claim 14 , wherein the micro-device comprises a controller for controlling the one or more inorganic light-emitting diodes.

17. The transfer-print micro-device wafer system of claim 16 , wherein the controller comprises a controller substrate separate from the source wafer and the device substrate.

18. The transfer-print micro-device wafer system of claim 16 , wherein the one or more test connections are electrically connected to the controller and the controller controls the one or more iLEDs to emit light in response to test signals provided through the one or more test connections.

Assignments (3)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Sep 16, 2021
From: X-CELEPRINT LIMITED
To: X DISPLAY COMPANY TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 057499/0314 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 11, 2020
From: X-CELEPRINT LIMITED
To: X DISPLAY COMPANY TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 052631/0800 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 25, 2018
From: COK, RONALD S.; BOWER, CHRISTOPHER ANDREW
To: X-CELEPRINT LIMITED
Reel/Frame 045631/0733 →