Woven Thin-Film Metal Interconnects

The next step in the evolution of electronic textiles (e-textiles) involves the integration of electronics at the yarn level. We aim to integrate electronic yarns into textiles by fabricating thin-film devices and interconnects on plastic strips and weaving them into a fabric using a commercial weaving machine. Since interconnect lines are exposed to very small applied bending radii during weaving, we studied changes in interconnect resistance for applied bending radii ranging from 5 mm to 100 mu m. We then wove textiles using different weaving patterns and measured the strip bending radius in the textile. Interconnect lines ruptured at bending radii of 120 mu m, corresponding to a tensile bending strain of 16.73 %. The smallest bending radius within the textiles was similar to 165 mu m, making all weaving patterns suitable for e-textile fabrication. Finally, we wove strips with interconnect lines and light-emitting diodes using a commercial weaving machine.