Flexible multi-level cable

• US 20060042830A1
• Filed: 08/25/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Krulevitch, Peter A., Hamilton, Julie K., Maghribi, Mariam N., Davidson, James Courtney
• Application Number:
  US10/926,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20060042830A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/256
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/032 consisting of one material
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0393 Flexible materials H05K1/038 takes precedence; specific organic compositions are classified in H05K1/0313 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0162 Silicon containing polymer, e.g. silicone
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/4676 Single layer compositions

Abstract

A flexible cable comprises a cable body of a silicone material and circuits in the flexible cable body. In one embodiment the flexible cable body comprises a multiple number of individual layers of poly(dimethylsiloxane). In one embodiment silicone material encapsulates the individual layers. The flexible cable is made by providing a multiplicity of substrates of a flexible silicone material, producing circuits in the substrates, and stacking the multiplicity of substrates to produce the high density flexible cable.

Claims

1. A flexible cable apparatus, comprising:

a cable body of a silicone material, and

circuits in said flexible cable body of a silicone material.

2. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible cable body of a silicone material comprises a multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material with circuits in said multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material.

3. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible cable body of a silicone material comprises a multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material with circuits in said multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material, said multiple layer stacked one on the other to form said flexible cable body.

4. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible cable body of a silicone material comprises a multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material with circuits in said multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material, said multiple layer stacked vertically one on the other to form said flexible cable body.

5. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible cable body of a silicone material comprises a multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material with circuits in said multiple number of individual layers of a silicone material, said multiple layer stacked in a radial arrangement one on the other to form said flexible cable body.

6. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said silicone material is poly(dimethylsiloxane).

7. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said silicone material contains a multiplicity of separate metal traces in said silicone material to form said circuits.

8. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said silicone material contains a multiplicity of separate fluidic circuits in said silicone material to form said circuits.

9. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cable body comprises a stratum of individual sections of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said sections of said silicone material.

10. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cable body comprises a stratum of individual flat layers of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said flat layers of said silicone material.

11. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cable body comprises a stratum of circular layers of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said circular layers of said silicone material.

12. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cable body comprises a stratum of individual sections of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said sections of said silicone material and silicone material encapsulating said stratum of individual sections of silicone material with metal circuits.

13. The flexible cable apparatus of claim 1 wherein said flexible cable body of a silicone material comprises a multiplicity of flat layers of poly(dimethylsiloxane).

14. A high density flexible cable apparatus, comprising:

cable body means for providing a high density flexible silicone material cable body, and

circuit means in said cable body means for providing a circuit in said cable body.

15. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said cable body means comprises poly(dimethylsiloxane).

16. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said circuit mean comprises a multiplicity of separate metal traces in said cable body that form said circuits.

17. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said circuit mean comprises fluidic circuits in said cable body that form said circuits.

18. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said cable body means comprises a stratum of individual sections of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said sections of said silicone material.

19. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said cable body means comprises a stratum of individual flat layers of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said flat layers of said silicone material.

20. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said cable body means comprises a stratum of circular layers of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said circular layers of said silicone material.

21. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said cable body means comprises a stratum of individual sections of silicone material with metal circuits in each of said sections of said silicone material and silicone material encapsulating said stratum of individual sections of silicone material with metal circuits.

22. The high density flexible cable apparatus of claim 14 wherein said cable body means comprises a multiplicity of flat layers of poly(dimethylsiloxane).

23. A method of making a high density flexible cable, comprising the steps of:

providing a multiplicity of substrates of a flexible silicone material,

producing circuits in said substrates, and

stacking said multiplicity of substrates to produce the high density flexible cable.

24. The method of making a high density flexible cable of claim 23, including the step of encapsulating said multiplicity of substrates and said circuits with a flexible silicone material.

25. The method of making a high density flexible cable of claim 23, wherein said step of providing a multiplicity of substrates of a flexible silicone material comprises providing a multiplicity of substrates of poly(dimethylsiloxane).

26. The method of making a high density flexible cable of claim 23, wherein said step of producing circuits in said substrates comprises producing electronic circuits in said substrates.

27. The method of making a high density flexible cable of claim 23, wherein said step of producing circuits in said substrates comprises producing fluidic circuits in said substrates.

28. The method of making a high density flexible cable of claim 23, wherein said step of providing a multiplicity of substrates of a flexible silicone material comprises providing a multiplicity of flat substrates and said step of stacking said multiplicity of substrates to produce the high density flexible cable comprises stacking said multiplicity of substrates on top of each other to produce the high density flexible cable.

29. The method of making a high density flexible cable of claim 23, wherein said step of providing a multiplicity of substrates of a flexible silicone material comprises providing a multiplicity of flat substrates and said step of stacking said multiplicity of substrates to produce the high density flexible cable comprises stacking said multiplicity of substrates radially to produce the high density flexible cable.