A single micro-LED manipulation system based on micro-gripper

Micro-LEDs (mu LEDs) have advantages in terms of brightness, power consumption, and response speed. In addition, they can also be used as micro-sensors implanted in the body via flexible electronic skin. One of the key techniques involved in the fabrication of mu LED-based devices is transfer printing. Although numerous methods have been proposed for transfer printing, improving the yield of mu LED arrays is still a formidable task. In this paper, we propose a novel method for improving the yield of mu LED arrays transferred by the stamping method, using an innovative design of piezoelectrically driven asymmetric micro-gripper. Traditional grippers are too large to manipulate mu LEDs, and therefore two micro-sized cantilevers are added at the gripper tips. A mu LED manipulation system is constructed based on the micro-gripper together with a three-dimensional positioning system. Experimental results using this system show that it can be used successfully to manipulate mu LED arrays.