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Compliant thin film patterns of stiff materials as platforms for stretchable electronics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 2005

Teng Li ,
Zhigang Suo ,
Stéphanie P. Lacour  and
Sigurd Wagner
Teng Li
Affiliation:
Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Zhigang Suo*
Affiliation:
Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Stéphanie P. Lacour
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
Sigurd Wagner
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author.e-mail: suo@deas.harvard.edu
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Abstract

A thin film of a stiff material, patterned as a serpentine on a flat elastomeric substrate, can elongate substantially when the substrate is pulled. We showed that the film elongates by twisting out of plane, accommodated by the compliance of the substrate and the pattern of the film. Consequently, large elongations of the substrate induce small strains in the film, even when the width of the film is much larger than its thickness. Such a wide serpentine, or other compliant patterns of stiff materials, can serve as a platform on which electronic circuits can be fabricated. This architecture will make electronics elastically stretchable.

Keywords

Electronic materialMetallic conductorThin film
Type
Rapid Communications
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 20 , Issue 12 , December 2005 , pp. 3274 - 3277
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2005

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References

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