Origami Folded Substrate for Stretchable Electronics
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional stretchable electronic devices face challenges in mass production due to difficulties with novel materials and complex manufacturing processes, as well as reliability issues with interfaces between rigid and stretchable regions, leading to limited lifetime and compatibility with traditional industrial production.
Innovation Solution
A stretchable electronic device is fabricated using a flexible substrate folded into a three-dimensional structure according to an origami or kirigami pattern, with integrated functional components and modified rigidity to distribute stress, allowing for mass production and extended lifetime by localizing strain to interconnect regions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If novel materials are used to fabricate stretchable electronic devices, then deformability and stretchability are improved, but manufacturing complexity and production difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the substrate by introducing wavy or serpentine patterns, transforming a rigid flat structure into a stretchable three-dimensional structure. This allows conventional materials to achieve deformability through structural design rather than requiring novel materials, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining stretchability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs curved wavy or serpentine interconnect patterns instead of straight lines, allowing the substrate to expand and contract during deformation. The curved geometry enables the structure to accommodate stretching while maintaining electrical connectivity, achieving deformability through geometric curvature rather than material innovation.
2Reliability
If wavy or serpentine interconnect patterns are used to create stretchable circuits, then device lifetime is improved by reducing stress concentration, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wavy or serpentine interconnect patterns use curved geometries to distribute mechanical stress away from solder joints and rigid islands during device stretching. The curved paths allow the interconnects to elongate and accommodate deformation, reducing stress concentration at critical connection points and thereby extending device lifetime despite increased structural complexity.
3Productivity
If conventional manufacturing processes are used, then production efficiency is maintained, but compatibility with stretchable device fabrication is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the substrate into rigid functional islands and flexible wavy interconnect regions, allowing different manufacturing techniques to be applied to different zones. The rigid islands can be fabricated using conventional PCB processes, while the wavy interconnects provide stretchability, enabling compatibility with traditional manufacturing while achieving deformability.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the geometric parameters of the interconnects to wavy or serpentine patterns, the patent enables conventional manufacturing processes to produce stretchable devices. The geometric transformation allows standard fabrication techniques to create structures with enhanced deformability without requiring new manufacturing methodologies.
4Reliability
If rigid islands with wavy interconnects are used, then stress distribution is improved, but integration of functional components becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into rigid functional islands that host electronic components and wavy interconnect regions that provide mechanical flexibility. This segmentation allows functional components to be integrated on the rigid islands using conventional methods, while the wavy interconnects between islands distribute stress during deformation, improving reliability without compromising integration capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible electronic device (SED) that can conform to a three-dimensional structure, and methods for manufacturing the SED, are disclosed herein. The SED comprises a flexible substrate which is modified in accordance with a folding pattern. The flexible substrate can be folded or unfolded along crease lines of the folding pattern, and the largest deformations of the substrate are localized at the crease lines. Various functional components of the SED are positioned on rigid regions of the substrate defined by the folding pattern. Such that the various functional components are protected from large deformations due to a folding or unfolding process, ensuring good performance of the functional components.