Stretchable Wire via Liquid-Phase Conductive Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing stretchable electronic devices fail to maintain electrical functionality when substrates are expanded by external stress, limiting their applicability in flexible and wearable applications.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a stretchable wire and integrated circuit using a liquid-phase conductive structure with insulating layers, where a photoresist pattern with acute angled side walls is created on a substrate, filled with a liquid-phase conductive material, and separated from the substrate, allowing for stretchability and electrical connectivity between electronic devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal wire is used for electrical connection in stretchable electronic devices, then electrical conductivity is maintained, but the device cannot maintain electrical functionality when substrates are expanded by external stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the conductive material from solid (metal wire) to liquid-phase, allowing the conductive material to flow and adapt to substrate deformation while maintaining electrical connectivity. The liquid-phase conductive material can be contained within flexible encapsulation structures that allow stretching
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure combining liquid-phase conductive material with flexible insulating/encapsulation materials. This composite approach allows the conductive element to maintain electrical functionality while the surrounding flexible materials provide stretchability and protection against external stress
2Reliability
If a liquid-phase conductive material is used to enable stretchability, then the device can maintain electrical functionality under stress, but the conductive material needs protection from external environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible insulating layers or encapsulation films to contain the liquid-phase conductive material. These flexible shells protect the conductive material from external environmental factors (oxidation, contamination) while allowing the overall structure to stretch and deform, maintaining both protection and stretchability
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible insulating material acts as an intermediary between the liquid-phase conductive material and the external environment. It provides protective isolation from harmful external factors while permitting mechanical deformation to pass through, thus enabling stretchability without direct exposure
3Reliability
If acute angled side walls are formed in photoresist pattern, then liquid-phase conductive material can be effectively contained, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The photoresist pattern with acute angled side walls is formed in advance before applying the liquid-phase conductive material. This preliminary structuring creates self-aligning features that guide the liquid material into the desired configuration, reducing the need for high precision during subsequent steps
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a method for manufacturing a stretchable wire, the method including removing a portion of a photoresist layer on a substrate to form a photoresist pattern comprising at least one pattern slit, applying a liquid-phase conductive material on the photoresist pattern to form a liquid-phase conductive structure in the pattern slit, forming a stretchable first insulating layer on the liquid-phase conductive structure, after removing the photoresist pattern, and separating the liquid-phase conductive structure and the first insulating layer from the substrate.