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Soft-Matter Printed Circuit Board with UV Laser Micropatterning
Tong Lu1, Eric J Markvicka1, Yichu Jin1
1Department of Mechanical Engineering and ‡Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University , Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|June 13, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a new method for fabricating liquid metal (LM) circuits using UV laser micromachining. This technique enables rapid prototyping of soft electronics with integrated vias for seamless microelectronic integration.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrical Engineering
- Soft Robotics
Background:
- Micropatterned liquid metal (LM) in elastomers offers flexible circuit wiring for solid-state components.
- Current limitations include slow LM circuit fabrication and difficulties in creating vias for microelectronic integration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a rapid fabrication method for LM circuits.
- To create integrated vias for connecting LM circuits to packaged electronics.
- To demonstrate the utility of this technique in soft-matter electronics.
Main Methods:
- Utilized UV laser micromachining (UVLM) to pattern gallium-indium eutectic (EGaIn) on elastomer substrates.
- Developed a novel layup for soft-matter electronics with vertically aligned EGaIn-coated microparticle columns for vias.
- Integrated surface-mounted microelectronics onto the fabricated soft-matter PCBs.
Main Results:
- Achieved rapid fabrication of elastomer-sealed LM circuits.
- Successfully created robust electrical connections between LM circuit terminals and surface-mounted chips via microparticle columns.
- Demonstrated functional soft-matter PCBs populated with microelectronics.
Conclusions:
- The developed UVLM technique enables efficient fabrication of LM circuits and integrated vias.
- This method facilitates the integration of LM circuits with conventional microelectronics for soft-matter applications.
- Potential applications in wearable computing and biosensing were highlighted through functional prototypes.
