Micro-Assembly Printer – A New Tool for Electronics and Materials Integration

We aim to build a new tool for integrating millions of pre-fabricated chiplets or micro-objects into systems, based on deterministic micro-assembly and transfer.  The process uses chips initially in solution, and then sorts, transports, and orients chips with directed electrostatic assembly and parallel control.  Assemblies are then transferred to final substrates with a stamp or continuous feed roll-based methods, and then electrically interconnected. The current laboratory systems have handled small chips (10 um – 500 um), demonstrated fine registration (<1 um and <1°), and produced centimeter scale outputs.  Ultimately, massively parallel automated microassembly, analogous to a xerographic printer using microchips instead of toner, could be used for integrating circuits, microLEDs and other semiconductor components into complex, heterogeneous systems for electronics systems with millions of components such as advanced display and large area detectors.  Microscale sorting and assembly could enable immature material systems, such as 2D material heterostructures for quantum science, to be rapidly studied and even manufactured.  The digital nature of the fabrication process could enable ultra-customized integrated circuits hardware, which the current integrated circuit supply chain does not readily support.