Stretchable Substrate Layout for Reliable Light and Sensing Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies fail to address the challenges of designing flexible and stretchable electronic devices that improve their performance in terms of improving the lifetime, the yield rate and reliability of the electronic device. In the design of the flexible electronic device and the stretchable electronic device, since the bending, curling, stretching and other actions of the electronic device will affect the lifetime, the yield rate and the reliability of the electronic device, it is important to design a flexible electronic devices and a stretchable electronic device which have the long lifetime, the high yield rate, the high reliability and/or the multi-function.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an electronic device with a stretchable substrate comprising island and bridge portions, where first electronic units are disposed on the island portions to emit light and second electronic units perform a sense function, with specific patterns on the bridge and island portions to enhance reliability and reduce disconnection during stretching and deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the electronic device is designed to be flexible and stretchable to adapt to various locations and situations, then the adaptability and versatility are improved, but the reliability and lifetime are worsened due to bending, curling, and stretching actions
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is divided into multiple island portions and bridge portions, where the bridge portions can deform independently to accommodate stretching and bending while the island portions maintain structural integrity for component placement. This segmentation allows the device to adapt to various shapes while preserving reliability of critical components.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the substrate are designed with different properties: the bridge portions are designed to be more flexible and stretchable to accommodate deformation, while the island portions are designed to be more rigid to support electronic components. This local differentiation allows the device to achieve both adaptability and reliability.
2Ease of operation
If the substrate is made stretchable with island and bridge portions to improve flexibility, then the ease of operation and adaptability are improved, but the manufacturing precision and complexity are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into island portions for component placement and bridge portions for flexibility. This segmentation allows standard manufacturing processes to be used on the rigid island portions while the bridge portions provide the necessary flexibility, thus maintaining manufacturing precision while achieving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Electronic components are placed and connected on the island portions before the final stretching and deformation of the bridge portions. This preliminary action ensures that components are positioned with high precision on the rigid substrate before flexibility is introduced, maintaining manufacturing precision while achieving operational flexibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the electronic device is designed for high flexibility and stretchability, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for special substrate structures
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into repeating patterns of island and bridge portions, which simplifies the overall design by using modular units. This segmentation reduces device complexity by breaking down the complex flexible substrate into manageable, repeatable structural elements that can be manufactured using standard processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The bridge portions serve multiple functions: they provide mechanical flexibility, enable stretching, and connect the island portions. This multi-functionality reduces device complexity by eliminating the need for separate components for each function, achieving high adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a stretchable substrate, plurality of first electronic units and a plurality of second electronic units. The stretchable substrate has a plurality of island portions and a plurality of bridge portions, and each of the bridge portions is connected to at least two of the island portions. The first electronic units are disposed on the island portions and configured to emit light. The second electronic units are disposed on the stretchable substrate, and each of the second electronic units includes a first pattern disposed on one of the island portions and a connection pattern disposed on one of the bridge portions. The second electronic units are configured to perform a sense function.