Extremely stretchable electronics

• US 9,894,757 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Medidata Solutions Incorporated (Dassault Systemes SA)
• Original Assignee: MC10, Inc.
• Inventors: Arora, William J., Ghaffari, Roozbeh
• Primary Examiner(s): Norris, Jeremy C
• Application Number:
  US15/337,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20170110417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 473 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/958 Inflatable balloons for placing stents or stent-grafts
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/3121 a substrate forming part of the encapsulation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/4985 Flexible insulating substrates H01L23/49572 and H01L23/49855 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/52 Arrangements for conducting electric current within the device in operation from one component to another , i.e. interconnections, e.g. wires, lead frames optical interconnections G02B6/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/528 Geometry or layout of the interconnection structure H01L27/0207 takes precedence; algorithms G06F30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/564 Details not otherwise provided for, e.g. protection against moisture getters H01L23/26
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/16 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different main groups of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N, e.g. forming hybrid circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/00 Printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/0283 Stretchable printed circuits
• 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 2201/09263 Meander
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 2201/10106 Light emitting diode [LED]
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/326 the printed circuit having integral resilient or deformable parts, e.g. tabs or parts of flexible circuits H05K3/365 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49204 Contact or terminal manufacturing

Abstract

In embodiments, the present invention may attach at least two isolated electronic components to an elastomeric substrate, and arrange an electrical interconnection between the components in a boustrophedonic pattern interconnecting the two isolated electronic components with the electrical interconnection. The elastomeric substrate may then be stretched such that the components separate relative to one another, where the electrical interconnection maintains substantially identical electrical performance characteristics during stretching, and where the stretching may extend the separation distance between the electrical components to many times that of the unstretched distance.

Claims

1. A stretchable integrated circuit (IC) system comprising:

a flexible substrate;

a first device island mounted to the flexible substrate and comprising a first integrated circuit (IC) device fabricated from a rigid semiconductor material;

a second device island mounted to the flexible substrate and comprising a second integrated circuit (IC) device fabricated from a rigid semiconductor material; and

a flexible electrical interconnect electrically connecting the first IC device to the second IC device, such that a distance between the first IC device and the second IC device can be changed while maintaining an electrical connection between the first IC device and the second IC device.

2. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first IC device and the second IC device comprises a physical sensor, a biological sensor, a chemical sensor, a light emitting diode (LED), or any combination thereof.

3. The stretchable IC system of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the first IC device and the second IC device comprises the physical sensor, the physical sensor includes at least one of a temperature sensor, a pH sensor, a light sensor, a radiation sensor, a pressure sensor, and a contact sensor.

4. The stretchable IC system of claim 2, wherein the at least one of the first IC device and the second IC device comprises the biological sensor, the biological sensor includes at least one of an electrophysiological sensor, a skin temperature sensor, and a skin pH sensor.

5. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first IC device and the second IC device comprises an amplifier, a buffer, an A/D converter, a D/A converter, an optical collector, an electro-mechanical transducer, a piezeo-electric actuator, or any combination thereof.

6. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first IC device comprises a high performance microprocessor and the second IC device comprises a physical sensor, a biological sensor, a chemical sensor, an LED, or any combination thereof.

7. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first device island and the second device island are coated in a flexible polymeric material.

8. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first device island, the second device island, and the flexible electrical interconnect are encapsulated by a flexible encapsulation layer.

9. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate, the first device island, the second device island, and the flexible electrical interconnect are encapsulated by a fluid layer, and the fluid layer is encapsulated by a flexible encapsulation layer.

10. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first device island and the second device island are adhered to the flexible substrate, and wherein the flexible electrical interconnect lacks adhesion to the substrate.

11. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first device island and the second device island are adhered to a first horizontal surface of the flexible substrate and the flexible electrical interconnect is spaced from a second horizontal surface of the flexible substrate.

12. The stretchable IC system of claim 11, wherein the second horizontal surface of the flexible substrate includes a wavy form which permits the flexible substrate to expand during stretching.

13. The stretchable IC system of claim 11, wherein the first device island and the second device island are adhered to a first horizontal surface of a flexible encapsulation layer and the flexible electrical interconnect is spaced from a second horizontal surface of the flexible encapsulation layer, wherein the flexible encapsulation layer encases the first device island, the second device island, and the flexible electrical interconnect between the flexible substrate and the flexible encapsulation layer.

14. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is a single-piece electrically conductive body.

15. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the distance between the first IC device and the second IC device is increased by 1000%.

16. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is configured to maintain the electrical connection between the first IC device and the second IC device when the first IC device and the second IC device are twisted up to approximately 180 degrees relative to one another.

17. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is configured to maintain the electrical connection between the first IC device and the second IC device when the flexible electrical interconnect is stretched by 1000%.

18. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is configured to maintain the electrical connection between the first IC device and the second IC device when the flexible substrate is subjected to a translational stretching or a rotational stretching.

19. The stretchable IC system of claim 13, wherein responsive to the translational stretching of the flexible substrate, the distance between the first IC device and the second IC device is increased by 1000%.

20. The stretchable IC system of claim 13, wherein responsive to the rotational stretching of the flexible substrate, the first IC device and the second IC device are rotated up to approximately 180 degrees relative to one another.

21. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is made from a semiconductor material.

22. The stretchable IC system of claim 18, wherein the semiconductor material of the flexible electrical interconnect is the same or substantially the same as the rigid semiconductor material.

23. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first IC device and the second IC device each comprises a thin membrane semiconductor having a width or diameter of about 10-100 micrometers (μ

m).