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Printed circuit board technology inspired stretchable circuits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2012

J. Vanfleteren ,
M. Gonzalez ,
F. Bossuyt ,
Y.-Y. Hsu ,
T. Vervust ,
I. De Wolf  and
M. Jablonski
J. Vanfleteren
Affiliation:
Centre for Microsystems Technology, Ghent University and Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Ghent, Belgium; Jan.Vanfleteren@ugent.be
M. Gonzalez
Affiliation:
Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Leuven, Belgium; mario.gonzalez@imec.be
F. Bossuyt
Affiliation:
Centre for Microsystems Technology, Ghent University and Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Ghent, Belgium; Frederick.bossuyt@ugent.be
Y.-Y. Hsu
Affiliation:
MC10 Inc., Cambridge, MA 02140, USA
T. Vervust
Affiliation:
Centre for Microsystems Technology, Ghent University and Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Ghent, Belgium; thomas.vervust@ugent.be
I. De Wolf
Affiliation:
Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; Ingrid.dewolf@imec.be
M. Jablonski
Affiliation:
Centre for Microsystems Technology, Ghent University and Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre, Ghent, Belgium; michal.jablonski@ugent.be
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Abstract

In the past 15 years, stretchable electronic circuits have emerged as a new technology in the domain of assembly, interconnections, and sensor circuit technologies. In the meantime, a wide variety of processes using many different materials have been explored in this new field. In the current contribution, we present an approach inspired by conventional rigid and flexible printed circuit board (PCB) technology. Similar to PCBs, standard packaged, rigid components are assembled on copper contact pads using lead-free solder reflow processes. Stretchability is obtained by shaping the copper tracks as horseshoe-shaped meanders. Elastic materials, predominantly polydimethylsiloxanes, are used to embed the conductors and the components, thus serving as a circuit carrier. We describe mechanical modeling, aimed at optimizing the build-up toward maximum mechanical reliability of the structures. Details on the production process, reliability assessment, and a number of functional demonstrators are described.

Keywords

Polymerbiomedicalmicroelectronicssimulationfatigue
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Bulletin , Volume 37 , Issue 3: Materials for stretchable electronics , March 2012 , pp. 254 - 260
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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