Textile integration of electronic circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016100480-A1
Application number	US-201514752576-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 26, 2015
Priority date	Feb 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 7, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method of integrating a interposer device with a textile layer, wherein the interposer device is a stretchable interposer device comprising a stretchable electrically conductive structure with at least one contact pad for establishing at least one electrically conductive path towards the textile layer. The interposer device is arranged to be mechanically attached to a textile layer comprising a plurality of yarns, at least one of which is an electrically conductive yarn. An electrical connection is established between the at least one conductive yarn of the textile layer and the at least one contact pad, which electrical connection is established after the interposer device has been mechanically attached to the textile layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of integrating an interposer device with a textile layer, the method comprising the steps of:
providing a textile layer comprising a plurality of yarns, at least one of which is an electrically conductive yarn; providing a stretchable interposer device comprising a stretchable electrically conductive structure with at least one contact pad for establishing at least one electrically conductive path towards an electrically conductive yarn of the textile layer; positioning the interposer device such that at least one of its contact pads is aligned with at least one of the electrically conductive yarns of the textile layer, thereby defining at least one contacting location between the interposer device and the textile layer; mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer; and establishing an electrical contact between the at least one contact pad and the at least one electrically conductive yarn at the at least one contacting location, wherein the step of establishing an electrical contact is performed after the step of mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer and wherein the step of establishing an electrical contact comprises
locally removing, at the at least one contacting location, electrically insulating materials present between the at least one contact pad and the at least one electrically conductive yarn, and
providing an electrically conductive material at the at least one contacting location so that an electrically conductive contact is formed between the respective contact pad and the respective electrically conductive yarn.

2 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the interposer device comprises a supporting layer.

3 . The method according to claim 2 , wherein the step of locally removing the insulating materials comprises the formation of at least one opening in the supporting layer at the at least one contacting location.

4 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of locally removing the insulating materials is performed by laser ablation.

5 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the laser ablation is performed from the textile layer side.

6 . The method according to claim 4 , wherein the laser ablation is performed from the interposer device side.

7 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer comprises the step of arranging an electrically non-conductive adhesive between the textile layer and the interposer device.

8 . The method according to claim 7 , wherein the step of mechanically attaching the interposer device to the textile layer further comprises the step of curing the electrically non-conductive adhesive, thereby providing a permanent bond between the textile layer and the interposer device.

9 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of providing an electrically conductive material at the predetermined contact location is performed from the textile layer side.

10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the electrically conductive material is an isotropic conductive adhesive material comprising metal particles.

11 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of providing an electrically conductive material at the predetermined contact location comprises the step of curing the electrically conductive material for providing a permanent bond between the respective contact pad and the respective electrically conductive yarn.

12 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises the step of providing at least one encapsulation layer for at least partly encapsulating the interposer device.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the encapsulation layer is made from a stretchable insulating polymer-based material.

14 . The method according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises the step of curing the at least one encapsulating layer.

15 . The method according to claim 8 , wherein the curing steps of the method are performed at a curing temperature of at least 15° C. and at most 25° C.

16 . The method according to claim 11 , wherein the curing steps of the method are performed at a curing temperature of at least 15° C. and at most 25° C.

17 . The method according to claim 14 , wherein the curing steps of the method are performed at a curing temperature of at least 15° C. and at most 25° C.

18 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one contact pad has a central opening.

19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein the central opening is used as an alignment marker for performing the step of locally removing, at the at least one contacting location, electrically insulating materials present between the at least one contact pad and the at least one electrically conductive yarn.

20 . The method according to claim 1 , wherein the stretchable electrically conductive structure comprises at least one stretchable interconnect.

21 . The method according to claim 20 , wherein the at least one stretchable interconnect comprises a meander-shaped metal track.

22 . A textile fabric comprising a stretchable interposer device integrated with a textile layer of the textile fabric using the method according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Imec Vzw
• Univ Gent

Inventors

• Van Keymeulen Bjorn
• Bossuyt Frederick
• Vervust Thomas

Classifications

• H05K1/189

  characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits · CPC title

• A41D1/002

  adapted to accommodate electronic equipment (patients' garments for medical monitoring A41D13/1281; luminous ornaments A41D27/085) · CPC title

• H05K2201/0969

  Apertured conductors · CPC title

• H05K1/038 Primary

  Textiles (used as reinforcing materials for organic insulating substrates H05K1/0366) · CPC title

• H05K2201/10977

  Encapsulated connections · CPC title