Rigid-flex Printed Circuit Board Research Articles

Fast Prediction Method for Scattering Parameters of Rigid-Flex PCBs Based on ANN.

InGaAs detection systems have been increasingly used in the aerospace field, and due to the high signal-to-noise ratio requirements of short-wave infrared quantitative payloads, there is an urgent need for methods for the rapid and precise evaluation and the optimal design of these systems. The rigid-flex printed circuit board (PCB) is a vital component of InGaAs detectors, as its grid ground plane design parameters impact parasitic capacitance and thus affect weak infrared analog signals. To address the time-intensive and costly nature of design optimization achieved with simulations and experimental measurements, we propose an innovative method based on a neural network to predict the scattering parameters of rigid-flex boards for InGaAs detection links. This is the first study in which the effects of rigid-flex boards on weak infrared detection signals have been considered. We first obtained sufficient samples with software simulation. A backpropagation (BP) neural network prediction model was trained on existing sample sets and then verified on a rigid-flex board used in a crucial aerospace short-wave infrared quantitative mission. The model efficiently and accurately predicted high-speed interconnect scattering parameters under various rigid-flex board grid plane parameter conditions. The prediction error was less than 1% compared with a 3D field solver, indicating an overcoming of the iterative optimization inefficiency and showing improved design quality for InGaAs detection circuits.

Finite Element Modeling of Rigid-Flex Printed-Circuit-Board Origami Robotics Subjected to Large-Scale Deformations

Rigid-flex printed circuit board (PCB) robotics have been investigated for exploring planetary terrain currently inaccessible to traditional aluminum body rovers. To push the technology to flight readiness, there must be rigorous methodologies for modeling these structures. This paper presents a modeling methodology for rigid-flex PCB robots subjected to large deformations, failure criteria for each component of the robot (PCB, Nomex hinges, flex cable), validation with drop testing of the rigid-flex PCB robot Pop-Up Flat Folding Explorer Robot (PUFFER), and an application of the method to assess survivability under lunar impact scenarios. A numerically stable and computationally efficient model of rigid-flex PCB robotics was permitted by using a combination of pre-existing element types and a hyperelastic material model for the flexible hinges.

A Hand-Held 190+190 Row–Column Addressed CMUT Probe for Volumetric Imaging

This paper presents the design, fabrication, and characterization of a 190+190 row-column addressed (RCA) capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) array integrated in a custom hand-held probe handle. The array has a designed 4.5 MHz center frequency in immersion and a pitch of 95 μm which corresponds to ≈ λ/4. The array has a 2.14 × 2.14 cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> footprint including an integrated apodization scheme to reduce ghost echoes when performing ultrasound imaging. The array was fabricated using a combination of fusion and anodic bonding, and a deposit, remove, etch, multistep (DREM) etch to reduce substrate coupling and improve electrode conductivity. The transducer array was wire-bonded to a rigid-flex printed circuit board (PCB), encapsulated in room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) silicone polymer, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielded, and mounted in a 3D-milled PPSU probe handle. The probe was characterized using the SARUS experimental scanner and 3D volumetric imaging was demonstrated on scatter and wire phantoms. The imaging depth was derived from tissue mimicking phantom measurements (0.5 dB MHz <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-1</sup> cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-1</sup> attenuation) by estimating the SNR at varying depths. For a synthetic aperture imaging sequence with 96+96 emissions the imaging depth was 3.6 cm. The center frequency measured from the impulse response spectra in transmit and pulse-echo was 6.0 ± 0.9 MHz and 5.3 ± 0.4 MHz, and the corresponding relative bandwidths were 62.8 ± 4.5 % and 86.2 ± 10.4 %. The fabrication process showed clear improvement in relative receive sensitivity and transmit pressure uniformity compared to earlier silicon-on-insulator (SOI) based designs. However, at the same time it presented yield problems resulting in only around 55 % elements with a good response.

Impact reliability analysis of a rigid-flex PCB system under acceleration loads

The dynamic response of a microsystem based on rigid-flex printed circuit board (rigid-flex PCB) with three layers of rigid circuit boards connected by flexible circuits was investigated, and the impact reliability of the ball grid array (BGA) solders and redistribution layer (RDL) were determined. A finite element model (FEM) was established. The epoxy fill was considered a viscoelastic material and was modeled by the Prony series, and the BGA solders were modeled with the Johnson-Cook model. Horizontal acceleration and vertical acceleration with a maximum amplitude of 15,000 g were used as impact loads. The results showed that the system sustained far less stress under vertical acceleration than under horizontal acceleration, and the stress distribution was related to the stiffness distribution. Under horizontal acceleration, the system sustained both shear and compressive deformation, whereas only compressive deformation occurred under vertical acceleration. A sudden spatial change in the stiffness caused higher stress of the BGA and RDL under vertical acceleration.

Flexible 23-channel coil array for high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla.

PurposeThe purpose of this work is the design, implementation and evaluation of a mechanically flexible receive-only coil array for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3 T that can be applied to various target organs and provides high parallel imaging performance.MethodsA 23-channel array was designed based on a rigid-flex printed circuit board (PCB). The flexible multi-layer part contains the copper traces forming the coil elements. The rigid part of the PCB houses the solder joints and lumped elements. The coil housing consists of rigid caps mounted above the rigid parts. Adhesive PTFE sheets cover all flexible parts. The developed array was tested on the bench as well as in phantom and in vivo MRI experiments employing parallel imaging acceleration factors up to six.ResultsEfficient mutual decoupling between receive elements and detuning between receive array and body coil was achieved. An increased signal-to-noise ratio in comparison to commercial reference coils is demonstrated, especially in regions close to the developed array and for high parallel imaging acceleration factors. Exemplary in vivo images of head, ankle, knee, shoulder and hand are presented.ConclusionBased on high sensitivity close to the array and low g-factors, this flexible coil is well suited for studies of occipital and temporal cortex, as well as musculoskeletal targets like knee, ankle, elbow and wrist.

Electromagnetic Energy Harvester with Embedded Ferrofluid In PCB Technology

This paper reports an electromagnetic energy harvester fabricated with Rigid-Flex Printed Circuit Board (PCB) technology by a commercial PCB supplier. Rigid FR-4 boards were used for transduction coil routing and mechanical support; flexible polyimide (PI) films were used to design elastic springs and magnet mounting platforms. Ferrofluid (FF) was injected into the embedded cavities inside the rigid PCB to increase the effective permeability of the medium around the magnet and thus increase the induced electromotive force (emf). Experiments showed up to 70% increase of output emf and 190% increase of output power compared with harvesters without embedded ferrofluid.

A batch-fabricated electromagnetic energy harvester based on flex-rigid structures

In this paper, an electromagnetic energy harvester device is designed and fabricated, based on a rigid-flex structure. The device has a FR4 proof mass carrying a bi-layer copper planar coil, suspended by four soft polyimide springs over a disc permanent magnet. The device is batch-fabricated with a standard production process of rigid-flex Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The assembled energy harvester is excited by sinusoidal accelerations and characterized dynamically. At an acceleration of 2g peak-to-peak amplitude (±1g, ±9.8m/s2), a maximum output peak-to-peak voltage of 9.85mV and an output power of 1.24μW are measured, at the device’s resonance frequency of 155Hz. With an elevated acceleration of 10g (±5g), a maximum output peak-to-peak voltage of 22.58mV and an output power of 7.21μW are achieved.

A Wireless Headstage for Combined Optogenetics and Multichannel Electrophysiological Recording

This paper presents a wireless headstage with real-time spike detection and data compression for combined optogenetics and multichannel electrophysiological recording. The proposed headstage, which is intended to perform both optical stimulation and electrophysiological recordings simultaneously in freely moving transgenic rodents, is entirely built with commercial off-the-shelf components, and includes 32 recording channels and 32 optical stimulation channels. It can detect, compress and transmit full action potential waveforms over 32 channels in parallel and in real time using an embedded digital signal processor based on a low-power field programmable gate array and a Microblaze microprocessor softcore. Such a processor implements a complete digital spike detector featuring a novel adaptive threshold based on a Sigma-delta control loop, and a wavelet data compression module using a new dynamic coefficient re-quantization technique achieving large compression ratios with higher signal quality. Simultaneous optical stimulation and recording have been performed in-vivo using an optrode featuring 8 microelectrodes and 1 implantable fiber coupled to a 465-nm LED, in the somatosensory cortex and the Hippocampus of a transgenic mouse expressing ChannelRhodospin (Thy1::ChR2-YFP line 4) under anesthetized conditions. Experimental results show that the proposed headstage can trigger neuron activity while collecting, detecting and compressing single cell microvolt amplitude activity from multiple channels in parallel while achieving overall compression ratios above 500. This is the first reported high-channel count wireless optogenetic device providing simultaneous optical stimulation and recording. Measured characteristics show that the proposed headstage can achieve up to 100% of true positive detection rate for signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) down to 15 dB, while achieving up to 97.28% at SNR as low as 5 dB. The implemented prototype features a lifespan of up to 105 minutes, and uses a lightweight (2.8 g) and compact [Formula: see text] rigid-flex printed circuit board.

Nonlinear electromagnetic energy harvesters fabricated by rigid-flex printed circuit board technology

In this paper, a wideband electromagnetic energy harvester designed and fabricated by commercial rigid-flex PCB technology is demonstrated. The rigid FR-4 boards are used for mechanical frames and coil winding whereas the flexible polyimide film is used for mechanical springs and mass platforms. The total dimension of the device is 20 × 20 × 2 mm3. The internal coil resistance is 15 Ω. In vibration tests, nonlinearity can be observed even at 0.1 g vibration level due to the spring hardening effect. The peak frequency was increased as the vibration level increased. The effective bandwidth was increased from 6 Hz at 0.1 g to 21 Hz at 0.5 g and 27 Hz at 1 g, respectivel, due to the hysteresis effect. For a matched load and 1 g vibration at 240 Hz, the maximum output power is 24.5 nW, corresponding to a power density of 31 nW/cm3.

A Wireless Optogenetic Headstage with Multichannel Electrophysiological Recording Capability.

We present a small and lightweight fully wireless optogenetic headstage capable of optical neural stimulation and electrophysiological recording. The headstage is suitable for conducting experiments with small transgenic rodents, and features two implantable fiber-coupled light-emitting diode (LED) and two electrophysiological recording channels. This system is powered by a small lithium-ion battery and is entirely built using low-cost commercial off-the-shelf components for better flexibility, reduced development time and lower cost. Light stimulation uses customizable stimulation patterns of varying frequency and duty cycle. The optical power that is sourced from the LED is delivered to target light-sensitive neurons using implantable optical fibers, which provide a measured optical power density of 70 mW/mm2 at the tip. The headstage is using a novel foldable rigid-flex printed circuit board design, which results into a lightweight and compact device. Recording experiments performed in the cerebral cortex of transgenic ChR2 mice under anesthetized conditions show that the proposed headstage can trigger neuronal activity using optical stimulation, while recording microvolt amplitude electrophysiological signals.

Pop-up book MEMS

We present a design methodology and manufacturing process for the construction of articulated three-dimensional microstructures with features on the micron to centimeter scale. Flexure mechanisms and assembly folds result from the bulk machining and lamination of alternating rigid and compliant layers, similar to rigid-flex printed circuit board construction. Pop-up books and other forms of paper engineering inspire designs consisting of one complex part with a single assembly degree of freedom. Like an unopened pop-up book, mechanism links reside on multiple interconnected layers, reducing interference and allowing folding mechanisms of greater complexity than achievable with a single folding layer. Machined layers are aligned using dowel pins and bonded in parallel. Using mechanical alignment that persists during bonding allows device layers to be anisotropically pre-strained, a feature we exploit to create self-assembling structures. These methods and three example devices are presented.

Modeling the Etching Rate and Uniformity of Plasma-Aided Manufacturing Using Statistical Experimental Design

The response characteristics of an O2/CF4-based plasma process used to desmear and etch back multi-layer rigid-flex printed circuit board were examined using a two-level fractional factorial experimental design. The effects of variation in RF power, temperature, gas proportion and gas flow (CF4 and O2) on several output variables, including etch rate, process uniformity and selectivity were investigated. The screening factorial experiment was designed to isolate the most significant input parameters. In the experiments conducted, increases in the etching rate generally corresponded to decreases in uniformity. Etch uniformity was strongly dependent on temperature and gas proportion. The relative significance of polymer deposition and ion bombardment was separated. Using this information as a platform from which to proceed, the subsequent phase of the experiment developed empirical models of etch behavior using response surface 3-D plots. The models were subsequently used to optimize the etching process.