Development of a Novel Thermoset Stretchable Substrate for Enabling Flexible Hybrid Electronics

This presentation will provide an update on the development of a novel, thermosetting stretchable film technology that has the potential to enable future generations of flexible, stretchable, and conformable electronics for use in industries like health, medical, automotive, aerospace, sensors, and IoT. This new material is being formulated to address many of the limitations of current thermoplastic films used for flexible-hybrid electronics (FHE) like polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). This film features high-temperature resistance (>260C), low modulus, ultra-low hysteresis, good elongation, excellent moisture resistance, and biocompatibility. The presentation will include an overview of the film properties as well as a review of some device constructions enabled by this technology using a variety of conductors (copper, Ag paste, and liquid metals and combinations thereof) and hybrid designs assembled with conventional surface mount assembly processes and materials.