Abstract
With most of the critical data being stored in silicon (Si) based electronic devices, there is a need to develop such devices with a transient nature. Here, we have focused on developing a programmable and controllable heat triggered shattering transience mechanism for any off-the-shelf (OTS) Si microchip as a means to develop transient electronics which can then be safely and rapidly disabled on trigger when desired. This transience mechanism is based on irreversible and spontaneous propagation of cracks that are patterned on the back of the OTS chip in the form of grooves and then filled with thermally expandable (TE) material. Two types of TE materials were used in this study, commercially available microsphere particles and a developed elastomeric material. These materials expand >100 times their original volume on the application of heat which applies wedging stress of the groove boundaries and induces crack propagation resulting in the complete shattering of the OTS Si chip into tiny silicon pieces. Transience was controlled by temperature and can be triggered at ~160–190 °C. We also demonstrated the programmability of critical parameters such as transience time (0.35–12 s) and transience efficiency (5–60%) without the knowledge of material properties by modeling the swelling behavior using linear viscoelastic models.
Highlights
In today’s world of technology, electronic devices are designed to provide consistent and continuous operation over a long period of time
The transience time in seconds was calculated by counting the total frames from the start of the trigger mechanism to the point when the first cracks appear on the chip surface and dividing that number by 25
An effective shattering transience mechanism for OTS complementary metal-oxide semiconductors (CMOS) Si chips through the wedging stresses applied by the thermally expandable actuator materials filled in the backside grooves has been successfully demonstrated in this work
Summary
In today’s world of technology, electronic devices are designed to provide consistent and continuous operation over a long period of time These devices have permeated every aspect of our daily activities and many microchips within these devices are used to store important and sensitive data. These microchips could be part of mission-critical hardware in defense applications or emergency supplies, electronic systems used in climate and nature studies, wearable medical and smart devices, or even portable devices such as laptop and universal serial bus (USB) drives which could contain personal, financial, or other sensitive information.
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