Curvilinear electronics: Small 23/2009

The cover picture shows an SEM image of a curvilinear integrated circuit built using islands of monocrystalline silicon membranes electrically and mechanically interconnected by thin, arc-shaped ribbons comprising polymer and metal films. Elastomeric transfer elements enable such circuits, which are originally fabricated in planar geometries, to be conformally wrapped onto substrates with complex curvilinear shapes. Mechanics modeling reveals the underlying physics of deformation in these systems. Circuits configured into a wide variety of curvlinear layouts illustrate the versatility of the concepts, and foreshadow application possibilities that cannot be addressed using conventional technologies based on planar, rigid semiconductor wafers. For more information, please read the Full Paper “Curvilinear Electronics Formed Using Silicon Membrane Circuits and Elastomeric Transfer Elements” by J. S. Ha, Y. Huang, J. A. Rogers, et al., beginning on page 2703.