Photothermal Lithography for Realizing a Stretchable Multilayer Electronic Circuit Using a Laser.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Photolithography is standard for multilayer circuits but struggles with stretchable conductors due to opacity.
• Fabricating intrinsically stretchable multilayer electronic circuits faces challenges with current methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce photothermal lithography for patterning elastomeric conductors and via holes.
• To overcome limitations of photolithography for stretchable electronics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized pulsed lasers for photothermal patterning of elastomeric nanocomposite conductors and via holes.
• Investigated the conductivity and resistance change of patterned conductors under strain.
• Demonstrated layer-by-layer integration for multilayer circuit fabrication.

Main Results:

• Photothermal-patterned conductors showed 3x higher conductivity (5940 S cm⁻¹) and significantly lower resistance change under strain compared to screen-printed ones.
• Achieved patterning of 50 μm stretchable via holes without ablation or electrical degradation.
• Successfully fabricated multilayer circuits with enhanced conductivity and durability.

Conclusions:

• Photothermal lithography offers a viable method for creating durable, high-density, and multifunctional stretchable multilayer electronic circuits.
• Demonstrated potential applications include stretchable wireless pressure sensors and passive matrix LED arrays.