Stretchy circuit

Scientists have developed a new form of stretchable silicon integrated circuit that can wrap around complex shapes such as spheres, body parts and aircraft wings, and can operate during stretching, compressing, folding and other types of extreme mechanical deformations, without a reduction in electrical performance.

'The notion that silicon cannot be used in such applications because it is intrinsically brittle and rigid has been tossed out the window,' said John Rogers, a Founder Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois.

'Through carefully optimised mechanical layouts and structural configurations, we can use silicon in integrated circuits that are fully foldable and stretchable,' he added.

To create their fully stretchable integrated circuits, Rogers and collaborators at Northwestern University and the Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore begin by applying a sacrificial layer of polymer to a rigid carrier substrate. On top of the sacrificial layer they deposit a very thin plastic coating, which will support the integrated circuit.