A characteristic feature of modern silicon integrated circuit technology is its ability to operate in a stable, reliable fashion, almost indefinitely for practical purposes. Recent work demonstrates that carefully selected sets of materials and device designs enable a class of silicon electronics that have the opposite behavior -- it physically disappears in water or biofluids, in a controlled manner, at programmed times. This talk summarizes recent work on this type of ‘transient’ electronics technology, ranging from basic studies of dissolution of the key materials, to development of components and systems with radio frequency operation, to invention of schemes for externally ‘triggering’ transient behavior. Emphasis is on bioresorbable forms of such devices, for use in non-antibiotic bacteriocides and other applications of relevance to clinical healthcare.
This presentation was part of the Materials Today Virtual Conference: Biomaterials (19-21 November, 2013).
Speakers
John A. Rogers, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign