Design and implementation of flexible and stretchable systems

Abstract

This paper presents a summary of the modeling and technology developments for flexible and stretchable electronics. These technologies can achieve mechanically bendable and stretchable subsystems by incorporating the electronic circuit into a matrix made of a soft polymer. The base substrate used for the fabrication of flexible circuits is a uniform polyimide layer, while silicones or polyurethanes materials are preferred for the stretchable circuits. The method developed for chip embedding and interconnections is named Ultra Thin Chip Package (UTCP). Extensions of this technology can be achieved by stacking and embedding thin dies in polyimide, providing large benefits in electrical performance and still allowing some mechanical flexibility. These flexible circuits can be converted into stretchable circuits by replacing the polyimide by a soft and elastic silicone material. The integration of ultra thin dies at package level, with thickness in the range of 10–30 μm, into flexible and/or stretchable materials are demonstrated. Furthermore, the design and reliability test of stretchable metal interconnections at board level are analyzed by both experiments and finite element modeling. We have shown through finite element modeling and experimental validation that an appropriate thermo-mechanical design is necessary to achieve mechanically reliable circuits and thermally optimized packages.