TEXTILE INTEGRATION OF ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS

• US 20160100480A1
• Filed: 06/26/2015
• Published: 04/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IMEC International, Universiteit Gent Vzw
• Original Assignee: IMEC International, Universiteit Gent Vzw
• Inventors: Vervust, Thomas, Van Keymeulen, Bjorn, Bossuyt, Frederick
• Granted Patent: US 10,149,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A41D 1/002 adapted to accommodate electronic equipment patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0283 Stretchable printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/038 Textiles used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/189 characterised by the use of a flexible or folded printed circuit H05K3/326 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0263 Details about a collection of particles
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/0969 Apertured conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10977 Encapsulated connections applying non-metallic protective coatings for encapsulating mounted components H05K3/284
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2203/107 Using laser light shaping a substrate by laser ablation H05K3/0026
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/0026 by laser ablation
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/321 by conductive adhesives
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/46 Manufacturing multilayer circuits

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of integrating a interposer device with a textile layer, wherein the interposer device is a stretchable interposer device comprising a stretchable electrically conductive structure with at least one contact pad for establishing at least one electrically conductive path towards the textile layer. The interposer device is arranged to be mechanically attached to a textile layer comprising a plurality of yarns, at least one of which is an electrically conductive yarn. An electrical connection is established between the at least one conductive yarn of the textile layer and the at least one contact pad, which electrical connection is established after the interposer device has been mechanically attached to the textile layer.

Claims

1. A method of integrating an interposer device with a textile layer, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a textile layer comprising a plurality of yarns, at least one of which is an electrically conductive yarn;

providing a stretchable interposer device comprising a stretchable electrically conductive structure with at least one contact pad for establishing at least one electrically conductive path towards an electrically conductive yarn of the textile layer;

positioning the interposer device such that at least one of its contact pads is aligned with at least one of the electrically conductive yarns of the textile layer, thereby defining at least one contacting location between the interposer device and the textile layer;

mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer; and

establishing an electrical contact between the at least one contact pad and the at least one electrically conductive yarn at the at least one contacting location, wherein the step of establishing an electrical contact is performed after the step of mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer and wherein the step of establishing an electrical contact comprises

locally removing, at the at least one contacting location, electrically insulating materials present between the at least one contact pad and the at least one electrically conductive yarn, and

providing an electrically conductive material at the at least one contacting location so that an electrically conductive contact is formed between the respective contact pad and the respective electrically conductive yarn.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the interposer device comprises a supporting layer.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of locally removing the insulating materials comprises the formation of at least one opening in the supporting layer at the at least one contacting location.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of locally removing the insulating materials is performed by laser ablation.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the laser ablation is performed from the textile layer side.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the laser ablation is performed from the interposer device side.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer comprises the step of arranging an electrically non-conductive adhesive between the textile layer and the interposer device.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the step of mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer further comprises the step of curing the electrically non-conductive adhesive, thereby providing a permanent bond between the textile layer and the interposer device.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing an electrically conductive material at the predetermined contact location is performed from the textile layer side.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the electrically conductive material is an isotropic conductive adhesive material comprising metal particles.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of providing an electrically conductive material at the predetermined contact location comprises the step of curing the electrically conductive material for providing a permanent bond between the respective contact pad and the respective electrically conductive yarn.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the step of providing at least one encapsulation layer for at least partly encapsulating the interposer device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the encapsulation layer is made from a stretchable insulating polymer-based material.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the method further comprises the step of curing the at least one encapsulating layer.

15. The method according to claim 8, wherein the curing steps of the method are performed at a curing temperature of at least 15°

C. and at most 25°

C.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the curing steps of the method are performed at a curing temperature of at least 15°

C. and at most 25°

C.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the curing steps of the method are performed at a curing temperature of at least 15°

C. and at most 25°

C.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one contact pad has a central opening.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the central opening is used as an alignment marker for performing the step of locally removing, at the at least one contacting location, electrically insulating materials present between the at least one contact pad and the at least one electrically conductive yarn.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein the stretchable electrically conductive structure comprises at least one stretchable interconnect.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the at least one stretchable interconnect comprises a meander-shaped metal track.

22. A textile fabric comprising a stretchable interposer device integrated with a textile layer of the textile fabric using the method according to claim 1.