Micro-Assembly Printer – a New Tool for Integrating Nanodevices

While lithography was a key technology for making transistors into complex integrated circuits, micro-assembly is potentially a key technology for making nanotechnology into large, complex, heterogeneous, custom systems.  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 micro-assembly, 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.