Deployable 3D architectures from wafer-fabricated precursors
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Wang, Yue
Shum, Kelvin
Song, Yuyang
Chen, Tian
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We demonstrate that standard wafer fabrication can produce free-standing, mechanically stable, doubly-curved 3D structures with prescribed Gaussian curvature — a capability not previously achieved through semiconductor manufacturing. The stability of the deployed structures is realized through the bistable nature of their constituent auxetic unit cells. To impose prescribed Gaussian curvatures through deployment, we conformally flatten the target 3D mesh onto the 2D plane and locally tune the microstructure of each unit cell such that its second stable equilibrium occurs at the required isotropic expansion. The resulting precursor features a spatially heterogeneous tessellation. This generative method is validated on a spherical cap deployed from a flat disk through indentation, with deployment accuracy and structural stability confirmed numerically and experimentally. The method is further applied to a range of complex 3D shapes with both positive and negative curvatures. As a functional demonstration, paraboloidal reflectors with tunable focal lengths are fabricated and deployed, with reflected patterns agreeing with geometric optics predictions. This work establishes a route from flexible electronics towards deployable electronics, broadening the spectrum of realizable 3D semiconductor devices.
Date Issued
2026-08-26
Date Acceptance
2026-07-17
Citation
Nature Communications, 2026, 17
ISSN
2041-1723
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Journal / Book Title
Nature Communications
Volume
17
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1038/s41467-026-76052-y
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 9047
Date Publish Online
2026-07-25