Contents 1. Introduction
Fig. 1 schematically illustrates a next-generation wearable bioelectronic system. For many applications (e.g. epidermal electronics), it is essential to enhance the overall flexibility and often stretchability of the system to improve its contact to non-planar surfaces [1]. It is also essential to make wearables compact and energy-efficient without limiting their functionality. However, it is difficult to meet these challenging requirements using one device technology. Flexible hybrid electronics is emerging as a new class of technology, which aims at combining the benefits of the state-of-the-art electronic devices and circuits that are made of silicon and III-V materials with those of the conventional flexible electronic schemes such as printed electronics. Here, we provide an overview of the controlled spalling for producing high-performance flexible devices, including silicon integrated circuits on plastic and high-efficiency flexible GaAs photovoltaics. We also present an integrated 4-terminal biosensor that demonstrates the amplification of the biochemical signals at the device level.
