Stretchable semiconductor elements and stretchable electrical circuits

1. A stretchable semiconductor element comprising:

a prestrained elastic substrate having a supporting surface; and

a printable single crystalline semiconductor structure provided in a curved conformation having a curved surface with at least one concave region and at least one convex region, wherein said curved surface is continuously bonded to said supporting surface of said prestrained elastic substrate, said semiconductor structure comprising a bent structure under strain resulting from application of a force arising from the bonding between said curved surface of said semiconductor structure and said supporting surface of the prestrained elastic substrate.

2. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline inorganic semiconductor structure has a curved external surface opposite said curved surface bonded to said supporting surface of said prestrained elastic substrate.

3. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said curved surface has a plurality of convex regions.

4. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said curved surface has a plurality of concave regions.

5. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said curved surface has a contour profile characterized by a periodic wave.

6. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said curved surface has a contour profile characterized by an aperiodic wave.

7. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said semiconductor structure comprises a bent ribbon having a contour profile characterized by a periodic wave extending the length of said ribbon.

8. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 7 wherein said bent ribbon has a width selected over the range of about 5 microns to about 50 microns and a thickness selected over the range of about 50 nanometers to about 500 nanometers.

9. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said prestrained elastic substrate comprises poly(dimethylsiloxane).

10. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said prestrained elastic substrate has a thickness equal to about 1 millimeter.

11. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said semiconductor structure is an inorganic semiconductor material.

12. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said semiconductor structure comprises single crystalline silicon.

13. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein the concentration of heavy metal impurities in said semiconductor structure is less than 1 part per billion atoms.

14. A stretchable electrical circuit comprising:

a prestrained elastic substrate having a supporting surface; and

an electrical device comprising a plurality of integrated device components; said

electrical device provided in a curved conformation having a curved surface with at least one concave region and at least one convex region, wherein said curved surface is continuously bonded to said supporting surface of said prestrained elastic substrate, said plurality of integrated device components comprising a bent structure under strain resulting from application of a force arising from the bonding between said curved surface of said electrical device and said supporting surface of the prestrained elastic substrate, wherein said plurality of integrated device components includes a single crystalline semiconductor structure provided in said bent structure.

15. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said integrated device components are selected from the group consisting of:

a semiconductor element;

a dielectric element;

an electrode;

a conductor element; and

a doped semiconductor element.

16. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said curved surface has a contour profile characterized by a periodic wave.

17. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said curved surface has a contour profile characterized by an aperiodic wave.

18. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a material selected from the group consisting of: Si, Ge, diamond, SiC, SiGe, AlSb, AlAs, AIn, AlP, BN, GaSb, GaAs, GaN, GaP, InSb, InAs, InN, InP, Al x Ga 1−x As, CsSe, CdS, CdSe, CdTe, ZnO, ZnSe, ZnS, HgS, PbS, ZnTe, CuCl, PbS, PbTe, SnS, PbI2, MoS 2 , GaSe, CuG, Cu 2 O, AlGaAs, AlInAs, AlInP, GaAsP, GaInAs, GaInP, AlGaAsSb, AlGaInP, and GaInAsP.

19. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is doped with a p-type dopant material or is doped with a n-type dopant material.

20. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having oxygen impurities less than about 5 to 25 parts per million atoms.

21. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having carbon impurities less than about 1 to 5 parts per million atoms.

22. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having heavy metal impurities less than or equal to about 1 part per million atoms.

23. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having heavy metal impurities less than or equal to about 100 parts per billion atoms.

24. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having heavy metal impurities less than or equal to about 1 part per billion atoms.

25. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 further comprising a one or more device components operationally connected to said single crystalline semiconductor structure, said one or more device components selected from the group consisting of a dielectric layer, an electrode and an additional semiconductor structure.

26. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said bent structure under strain comprises a thin film transistor.

27. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said bent structure under strain comprises a printable thin film transistor.

28. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said bent structure under strain comprises an array of thin film transistors.

29. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor structure of the electrical device is an inorganic semiconductor material.

30. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a material selected from the group consisting of: Si, Ge, diamond, SiC, SiGe, AlSb, AlAs, AIn, AlP, BN, GaSb, GaAs, GaN, GaP, InSb, InAs, InN, InP, Al x Ga 1−x As, CsSe, CdS, CdSe, CdTe, ZnO, ZnSe, ZnS, HgS, PbS, ZnTe, CuCl, PbS, PbTe, SnS, PbI 2 , MoS 2 , GaSe, CuG, Cu 2 O, AlGaAs, AlInAs, AlInP, GaAsP, GaInAs, GaInP, AlGaAsSb, AlGaInP, and GaInAsP.

31. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is doped with a p-type dopant material or is doped with a n-type dopant material.

32. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having oxygen impurities less than about 25 parts per million atoms.

33. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having carbon impurities less than about 5 parts per million atoms.

34. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having heavy metal impurities less than or equal to about 100 parts per billion atoms.

35. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said single crystalline semiconductor is a high purity semiconductor having heavy metal impurities less than or equal to about 1 part per billion atoms.

36. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said electrical device has a net thickness less than about 10 microns.

37. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said electrical device is selected from the group consisting of a transistor, a diode, a light emitting diodes, a laser, an organic light emitting diode, a microelectromechanical system and a nanoelectromechanical system.

38. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said strain is larger than 0.5%.

39. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said strain is larger than 1%.

40. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said strain is larger than 3%.

41. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said strain is less than 30%.

42. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said strain is less than 10%.

43. The stretchable semiconductor element of claim 1 wherein said strain is less than 1%.

44. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said plurality of integrated device components includes a dielectric layer provided in said bent structure.

45. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said plurality of integrated device components includes a conducting layer provided in said bent structure.

46. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said plurality of integrated device components includes an additional semiconductor layer provided in said bent structure.

47. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said plurality of integrated device components includes an electrode or electrical contact provided in said bent structure.

48. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said strain is larger than 0.5%.

49. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said strain is larger than 1%.

50. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said strain is larger than 3%.

51. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said strain is less than 30%.

52. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said strain is less than 10%.

53. The stretchable electrical circuit of claim 14 wherein said strain is less than 1%.

54. A stretchable electronic device comprising:

a prestrained elastic substrate having a supporting surface; and

a thin film transistor comprising a plurality of integrated device components including a single crystalline semiconductor structure, an electrode and a dielectric layer; said thin film transistor provided in a curved conformation having a curved surface with at least one concave region and at least one convex region, wherein said curved surface is continuously bonded to said supporting surface of said prestrained elastic substrate, said thin film transistor comprising a bent structure under strain resulting from application of a force arising from the bonding between said curved surface of said thin film transistor and said supporting surface of the elastic substrate.

55. The stretchable electronic device of claim 54 wherein said curved surface has a contour profile characterized by a periodic wave.

56. The stretchable electrical device of claim 54 wherein said strain is larger than 0.5%.

57. The stretchable electrical device of claim 54 wherein said strain is larger than 1%.

58. The stretchable electrical device of claim 54 wherein said strain is larger than 3%.

59. The stretchable electrical device of claim 54 wherein said strain is less than 30%.

60. The stretchable electrical device of claim 54 wherein said strain is less than 10%.

61. The stretchable electrical device of claim 54 wherein said strain is less than 1%.