Design and performance of metal conductors for stretchable electronic circuits

In this paper we review the mechanical properties and reliability results of stretchable interconnections used for electronic applications. These interconnections were produced by a Moulded Interconnect Device (MID) technology in which a specially designed metal interconnection if fully embedded with an elastic material such as polyurethane or silicone. In order to get a first impression of the expected damage in the interconnections, this research employs Finite Element Modelling (FEM) to analyse the physical behaviour of stretchable interconnects under different loading conditions. Moreover, the fatigue life of a copper interconnect embedded into a silicone matrix has been evaluated using the Coffin-Manson relation and FEM.