Ultra-thin chip packages could lead to intelligent clothing

According to a statement, the resulting circuitry can be embedded in medical and lifestyle applications where user comfort and unobtrusiveness is key, such as wearable health monitors or smart clothing.

The researchers presented their results at this week’s 2012 Electronics System Integration Technology Conference (ESTC) in Amsterdam.

Currently, most electronic appliances are rigid or mechanically flexible, but a growing number of applications require electronics that dynamically adapt to curving and bending surfaces.

Examples include biomedical systems such as unobtrusive, wearable health monitors (electrocardiograms or temperature sensors), advanced surgical tools or consumer electronics such as mobile phones embedded in smart textiles.

Imec’s associated lab at Ghent University is said to have pioneered this technology, moving it towards industrial applicability.

For the demonstration, the researchers thinned a commercially available microcontroller down to 30µm, preserving the electrical performance and functionality.

This die was then embedded in a polyimide package (40–50µm thick). Next, this ultra-thin chip was integrated with stretchable electrical wiring.