Scalable Manufacturing of Solderable and Stretchable Physiologic Sensing Systems

Methods for microfabrication of solderable and stretchable sensing systems (S4s) and a scaled production of adhesive-integrated active S4s for health monitoring are presented. S4s' excellent solderability is achieved by the sputter-deposited nickel-vanadium and gold pad metal layers and copper interconnection. The donor substrate, which is modified with "PI islands" to become selectively adhesive for the S4s, allows the heterogeneous devices to be integrated with large-area adhesives for packaging. The feasibility for S4-based health monitoring is demonstrated by developing an S4 integrated with a strain gauge and an onboard optical indication circuit. Owing to S4s' compatibility with the standard printed circuit board assembly processes, a variety of commercially available surface mount chip components, such as the wafer level chip scale packages, chip resistors, and light-emitting diodes, can be reflow-soldered onto S4s without modifications, demonstrating the versatile and modular nature of S4s. Tegaderm-integrated S4 respiration sensors are tested for robustness for cyclic deformation, maximum stretchability, durability, and biocompatibility for multiday wear time. The results of the tests and demonstration of the respiration sensing indicate that the adhesive-integrated S4s can provide end users a way for unobtrusive health monitoring.

[1]  John A Rogers,et al.  Miniaturized Battery‐Free Wireless Systems for Wearable Pulse Oximetry , 2017, Advanced functional materials.

[2]  John A Rogers,et al.  Optimized structural designs for stretchable silicon integrated circuits. , 2009, Small.

[3]  Zhong Lin Wang,et al.  Flexible piezotronic strain sensor. , 2008, Nano letters.

[4]  Sohail F. Shaikh,et al.  Design criteria for XeF2 enabled deterministic transformation of bulk silicon (100) into flexible silicon layer , 2016 .

[5]  Shih-chin Lee,et al.  The properties of copper films deposited on polyimide by nitrogen and oxygen plasma pre-treatment , 2005 .

[6]  Filip Ilievski,et al.  Soft robotics for chemists. , 2011, Angewandte Chemie.

[7]  Yao-Feng Chang,et al.  “Cut‐and‐Paste” Manufacture of Multiparametric Epidermal Sensor Systems , 2015, Advanced materials.

[8]  Prokar Dasgupta,et al.  A review of wearable technology in medicine , 2016, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.

[9]  Woon-Hong Yeo,et al.  Immunologic and Tissue Biocompatibility of Flexible/Stretchable Electronics and Optoelectronics , 2014, Advanced healthcare materials.

[10]  Huanyu Cheng,et al.  A Physically Transient Form of Silicon Electronics , 2012, Science.

[11]  J. Xue,et al.  Ultrasensitive strain sensors made from metal-coated carbon nanofiller/epoxy composites , 2013 .

[12]  J. Rogers,et al.  Piezoresistive Strain Sensors and Multiplexed Arrays Using Assemblies of Single-Crystalline Silicon Nanoribbons on Plastic Substrates , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.

[13]  A. Pedotti,et al.  Effects of gender and posture on thoraco-abdominal kinematics during quiet breathing in healthy adults , 2010, Respiratory Physiology & Neurobiology.

[14]  Lucy E. Dunne,et al.  A survey of the historical scope and current trends of wearable technology applications , 2016, SEMWEB.

[15]  A. Pedotti,et al.  Compartmental Analysis of Breathing in the Supine and Prone Positions by Optoelectronic Plethysmography , 2004, Annals of Biomedical Engineering.

[16]  J. Vanfleteren,et al.  Stretchable Circuits with Horseshoe Shaped Conductors Embedded in Elastic Polymers , 2013 .

[17]  Christian Holz,et al.  DuoSkin: rapidly prototyping on-skin user interfaces using skin-friendly materials , 2016, SEMWEB.

[18]  Nikhilesh Chawla,et al.  Influence of initial morphology and thickness of Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn intermetallics on growth and evolution during thermal aging of Sn-Ag solder/Cu joints , 2003 .

[19]  Brian Litt,et al.  Flexible, Foldable, Actively Multiplexed, High-Density Electrode Array for Mapping Brain Activity in vivo , 2011, Nature Neuroscience.

[20]  Zhenan Bao,et al.  Water-stable organic transistors and their application in chemical and biological sensors , 2008, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[21]  Bong Hoon Kim,et al.  Soft, thin skin-mounted power management systems and their use in wireless thermography , 2016, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[22]  Sanat S Bhole,et al.  Soft Microfluidic Assemblies of Sensors, Circuits, and Radios for the Skin , 2014, Science.

[23]  Todd P. Coleman,et al.  Scalable Microfabrication Procedures for Adhesive-Integrated Flexible and Stretchable Electronic Sensors , 2015, Sensors.

[24]  D. Rus,et al.  Design, fabrication and control of soft robots , 2015, Nature.

[25]  J. Kamiya,et al.  Abdominal-thoracic respiratory movements and levels of arousal , 1972 .

[26]  Dava J. Newman,et al.  Dynamic Understanding of Human-Skin Movement and Strain-Field Analysis , 2012, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[27]  Sam Emaminejad,et al.  Fully integrated wearable sensor arrays for multiplexed in situ perspiration analysis , 2016, Nature.

[28]  Jung Woo Lee,et al.  Rugged and breathable forms of stretchable electronics with adherent composite substrates for transcutaneous monitoring , 2014, Nature Communications.

[29]  V. V. Padma,et al.  Wound dressings – a review , 2015, BioMedicine.

[30]  Yonggang Huang,et al.  Multifunctional Epidermal Electronics Printed Directly Onto the Skin , 2013, Advanced materials.

[31]  Nicholas V. Annetta,et al.  A Conformal, Bio-Interfaced Class of Silicon Electronics for Mapping Cardiac Electrophysiology , 2010, Science Translational Medicine.

[32]  M. Levy,et al.  Practical Guide to Pediatric Wound Care , 2006 .

[33]  I. Anderson.  Development of Sn–Ag–Cu and Sn–Ag–Cu–X alloys for Pb-free electronic solder applications , 2006 .

[34]  Daming Wei,et al.  Real-Time Monitoring of Respiration Rhythm and Pulse Rate During Sleep , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[35]  Chi-Feng Lin,et al.  MECHANICAL BEHAVIOR OF COPPER THIN FILMS SUBJECTED TO VARIOUS STRAIN RATE LOADINGS , 2013 .