Design and fabrication of elastic interconnections for stretchable electronic circuits

For biomedical and textile applications, the comfort of the user will be enhanced if the electronic circuits are not only flexible but also elastic. This letter reveals a simple moulded-interconnect-device technology for the construction of elas- tic point-to-point interconnections, based on 2-D spring-shaped metallic tracks, which are embedded in a highly elastic silicone film. Metal interconnections of 3-cm long were constructed with an initial resistance of about 3 Omega, which did not significantly increase (< 5%) when stretched. A stretchability above 100% in one direction has been demonstrated.