On the operation mechanism of the flexible diodes under mechanical bending conditions

Abstract

The performance variations of flexible electronics with bending strains are of great concern, and the investigation on the operation mechanism of bended flexible devices is highly desirable. In this paper, we fabricate a most fundamental structure flexible single-crystalline silicon p-intrinsic-n diode as a representative example to determine the major mechanism and dominant influencing factors of the flexible devices under mechanical bending conditions. Experimental and two-dimensional device modeling results reveal that other than the carrier mobility, the electric field also has significant influence on the operation mechanism of the flexible diodes with bending strains. Specifically, electric field contributes up to similar to 47.3% of current reduction of the bended device, and the influence of the electric field is almost independent of device bias. In addition, the flexible diodes with thinner substrates have smaller performance variations under bending conditions. The analysis and discussion are presented to explain the phenomenon. The results provide useful guideline for the design and application of flexible electronics.