Extremely stretchable electronics

• US 9,516,758 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• 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:
  US14/488,544
• Publication Number:
  US 20150069617A1
• Time in Patent Office: 811 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 un-stretched 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 single-crystal semiconductor;

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

a flexible electrical interconnect electrically coupling the first IC device to the second IC device, wherein the flexible interconnect includes a polymer passivation layer and maintains electrical connectivity under translational and rotational strains.

2. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein each of the IC devices comprises a thin-membrane single-crystal semiconductor with a width or diameter of about 10-100 micrometers (μ

m).

3. The stretchable IC system of claim 2, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect electrically and mechanically coupling the first IC device to the second IC device, the flexible electrical interconnect maintains electrical conductivity and integrity under high translational and rotational strains.

4. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the polymer passivation layer is pattered to only cover the flexible interconnect.

5. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the polymer passivation layer is patterned to leave a border around the flexible interconnect.

6. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the polymer passivation layer includes polyimide.

7. The stretchable IC system of claim 6, wherein the polyimide polymer passivation layer covers at least a portion of the first device island and the second device island.

8. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first and second IC devices each comprises one or more physical sensors, one or more chemical sensors, one or more packaged light emitting diodes (LED), or any combination thereof.

9. The stretchable IC system of claim 8, wherein the first IC device comprises at least one of the physical sensors, the at least one physical sensor selected from a group consisting of:

temperature sensors, pH sensors, light sensors, and radiation sensors.

10. 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 chemical sensor, an LED, or any combination thereof.

11. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first and second IC devices each comprises at least one high performance biological sensor, the at least one high performance biological sensor selected from a group consisting of:

electrophysiological sensors, skin temperature sensors, and skin pH sensors.

12. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first and second device islands include a thin polymeric layer between each device island and the flexible elastomeric substrate.

13. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the first and second device islands and the flexible electrical interconnect are encased within the flexible elastomeric substrate.

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

15. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect includes rectilinear rungs connected by rectilinear short bars.

16. The stretchable IC system of claim 15, wherein a plurality of the rungs are parallel or substantially parallel with one another, and a plurality of the short bars are parallel or substantially parallel with one another.

17. The stretchable IC system of claim 16, wherein the plurality of the rungs have substantially the same length and have substantially the same displacement therebetween.

18. The stretchable IC system of claim 15, wherein a ratio of the length of the plurality of the rungs and the displacement between the plurality of the rungs is at least about 10:

1.

19. The stretchable IC system of claim 18, wherein each of the rungs has a respective width of about 0.1-10 microns.

20. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect includes two interconnect layers separated by a polymer passivation layer.

21. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is configured to maintain electrical integrity and conductivity when a distance between the first and second IC devices is increased by 1000%.

22. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is configured to maintain electrical integrity and conductivity when the first and second IC devices are twisted up to approximately 180 degrees.

23. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect includes a metal material.

24. The stretchable IC system of claim 1, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect includes a semiconductor material.

25. The stretchable IC system of claim 24, wherein the semiconductor material of the flexible electrical interconnect is the same or substantially the same as the single-crystal semiconductor material.

26. A method of making a stretchable integrated circuit (IC) system, the method comprising:

mounting a first device island comprising a first integrated circuit (IC) device fabricated from a rigid single-crystal semiconductor to a polymer layer;

mounting a second device island comprising a second integrated circuit (IC) device fabricated from a rigid single-crystal semiconductor to the polymer layer;

electrically connecting the first device island to the second device island by a flexible electrical interconnect formed on the polymer layer; and

adhering the first device island and the second device island to a flexible elastomeric substrate.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the polymer layer includes polyimide.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein the polymer layer is patterned to only cover the device islands and flexible electrical interconnect.

29. The method according to claim 28, wherein the polymer layer is patterned to leave a border around the flexible electrical interconnect.

30. The method according to claim 26, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect is encapsulated in the polymer layer.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein the first device island, the second device island and the flexible electrical interconnect are encapsulated in the flexible elastomeric substrate.

32. The method according to claim 26, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect includes a metal material.

33. The method according to claim 26, wherein the flexible electrical interconnect includes a semiconductor material.