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Screen printing of stretchable electrodes for large area LED matrix

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 August 2015

Xinning Ho ,
Chek Kweng Cheng ,
Rachel Lee Siew Tan  and
Jun Wei
Xinning Ho*
Affiliation:
Joining Technology Group, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Singapore 638075, Singapore
Chek Kweng Cheng
Affiliation:
Joining Technology Group, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Singapore 638075, Singapore
Rachel Lee Siew Tan
Affiliation:
Joining Technology Group, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Singapore 638075, Singapore
Jun Wei*
Affiliation:
Joining Technology Group, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology, Singapore 638075, Singapore
*
a)Address all correspondence to these authors. e-mail: xnho@simtech.a-star.edu.sg
b)e-mail: jwei@simtech.a-star.edu.sg
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Abstract

As electronic devices are indispensable in many aspects of our lives today, their integration with unconventional surfaces is increasingly essential. Electronic devices which maintain their electrical properties upon stretching are desirable for various wearable applications. Stretchable devices demonstrated are conventionally fabricated using semiconductor processing techniques. In this study, we demonstrate stretchable electrodes, which are basic components of electrical circuits, using screen printing, a large area printing method. It provides a low cost and scalable method to fabricate large area stretchable devices. Despite the larger width and thickness of the electrodes which increases the stiffness of the material, stretchability beyond 40% is demonstrated, which is suitable for certain wearable applications. The stretchable electrodes are integrated with light emitting diodes (LEDs) to demonstrate a stretchable LED matrix. The large area LED matrices exhibit variable stretchability, depending on the LED areal coverage. This technique is expected to be applicable in the fabrication of other stretchable, large area, and more complex electronic systems.

Keywords

devicesmetallic conductorscreen printing
Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 30 , Issue 15 , 14 August 2015 , pp. 2271 - 2278
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2015 

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References

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