High-Precision and Wafer-Scale Transfer Lithography of Commercial Photoresists via Reversible Adhesion for Sustainable Microfabrication on Diverse Substrates

Abstract: Photolithography conventionally requires flat and rigid substrates, limiting its applications in flexible, curved, and transient electronics. Here, we report a breakthrough approach employing a reversibly adhesion-switchable phase-changing polymer to transfer commercial photoresists onto previously inaccessible substrates. It achieves wafer-scale (4-inch) transfer with global registration error below 60 microns and support precise patterning on solvent-sensitive, curved, microtextured or delicate surfaces. Combined with dry etching, we demonstrated high-resolution patterning of quantum dots and organic semiconductors. The process also supports a sustainable dry lift-off for patterning functional materials. The reusability of both the transfer carrier and photoresist introduces a new level of sustainability and scalability, establishing a significant advancement in microfabrication. We additionally fabricated a micro-sized UV-photodetector array directly on a curved glass bottle to demonstrate this unprecedented capability.