A soft stretchable multi-layer printed circuit board (PCB) technology

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Emerging electronic applications, such as wearable devices and flexible displays, are driving changes in printed circuit board (PCB) technology. This next-generation of electronic gadgets need and/or benefit from circuit boards that have more than standard flexibility, i.e., they need to be conformal and stretchable. In addition, the stretchable PCBs must be able to withstand a range of environmental conditions and ordinary wear and tear, including ultra-violet (UV) exposure, water immersion, shock, vibration and mechanical abrasion. Device manufacturers are currently seeking low-cost methods for creating such flexible and stretchable PCBs, however, most proposed and/or current state-of-the-art solutions use expensive processes (e.g., reactive ion etching) and/or high-cost equipment (e.g., vacuum chambers) and/or costly material (e.g., polyimide). To address these issues, a team from the University of British Columbia is developing a new fabrication process for making flexible and stretchable multi-layer PCBs using inexpensive soft, elastomeric material. This process uses low-cost, scalable techniques that require little capital investment and are easy to integrate with existing PCB manufacturing processes. Proof of concept of this process has been demonstrated in our lab, with the team now focusing on refining the process and to validate the technique, we are planning to produce a wearable biometric sensor device using the proposed stretchable PCBs. If successful, the project will upgrade Canadian manufacturing using a monolithic fabrication process to produce stretchable PCBs, as well as catalyzing innovation in the field of wearable devices, including biometric sensors that can conform to the arbitrary geometries of the human body.**