Abstract
A device for studying the mechanical and electrical behavior of free-standing micro-fabricated metal structures, subjected to a very large deformation, is presented in this paper. The free-standing structures are intended to serve as interconnects in high-density, highly stretchable electronic circuits. For an easy, damage-free handling and mounting of these free-standing structures, the device is designed to be fabricated as a single chip/unit that is separated into two independently movable parts after it is fixed in the tensile test stage. Furthermore, the fabrication method allows for test structures of different geometries to be easily fabricated on the same substrate. The utility of the device has been demonstrated by stretching the free-standing interconnect structures in excess of 1000% while simultaneously measuring their electrical resistance. Important design considerations and encountered processing challenges and their solutions are discussed in this paper.
Highlights
An increasing number of medical instruments are using micro-fabricated devices as the interface between machines and the human body
By assembling electronic components on compliant substrates like PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) or polyurethane, with mechanical properties close to human tissue, applications such as body patches, neural electrodes [8] and tunable hemispherical cameras have already been demonstrated [9]. These devices are fabricated using, what can be generally characterized as a hybrid approach towards making stretchable electronics: the combination of rigid islands that contain the required functionality attached to a stretchable substrate (Figure 1)
At the end of the fabrication process, the test devices remain suspended to the main frame of the wafer, held in place only by means of the polyimide tabs
Summary
An increasing number of medical instruments are using micro-fabricated devices as the interface between machines and the human body (or living tissue in general). By assembling electronic components on compliant substrates like PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) or polyurethane, with mechanical properties close to human tissue, applications such as body patches, neural electrodes [8] and tunable hemispherical cameras have already been demonstrated [9]. These devices are fabricated using, what can be generally characterized as a hybrid approach towards making stretchable electronics: the combination of rigid islands that contain the required functionality attached to a stretchable substrate (Figure 1). A crucial part of such devices are the stretchable interconnects between the rigid islands, since their behavior determines the maximum stretchability and reliability of the entire system
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