Researchers use graphene to create detachable flexible microLED devices

Researchers from the University of Texas at Dallas developed a new method to create highly flexible microLED chips, that can be folded and twisted. The LEDs are detachable, and can be attached to almost an surface.

The researchers used remote epitaxy, to grow the LED crystals on a sapphire crystal substrate, coated with a one-atom layer of 2D graphene, which prevents the LED to stick to the sapphire substrate.

The graphene does not form any chemical bonds with the LED, which enables the peeling of the LEDs from the wafer. This also means that the sapphire wafer with the graphene coating can be re-used many times.