Flexible metal interconnect structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8969735-B2
Application number	US-201313802701-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Mar 3, 2015
Grant date	Mar 3, 2015

Abstract

A flexible metal interconnect structure for transmitting signals between IC devices in flexible electronic devices is formed between two compliant flexible material layers that are laminated together form a multi-layer flexible substrate. The interconnect structure is formed by two rows of spaced-apart conductive pads (metal islands) attached to the inside (facing) surfaces of the flexible material layers. Compliant micro-contact elements such as micro-springs provide sliding metal pressure contacts that maintain electrical connections between the islands during stretching of the composite sheet. Specifically, at least two micro-contact elements are attached to each metal island in one of the rows, with one element in sliding pressure contact with an associated first metal island in the opposing row and the second element in sliding pressure contact with an associated second metal island. The islands and sliding contacts can be patterned into high density traces that accommodate large strains.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flexible metal interconnect structure comprising:
a plurality of spaced-apart first conductive pads disposed in an end-to-end arrangement on a first inner surface of a first flexible material layer such that the plurality of spaced-apart first conductive pads form a first intermittent pathway;
a plurality of spaced-apart second conductive pads disposed in an end-to-end arrangement on a second inner surface of a second flexible material layer such t…

Assignees

• Palo Alto Res Ct Inc

Inventors

• Chow Eugene M
• Debruyker Dirk

Classifications

• H10W90/701

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10W90/401

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10W70/688

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10W70/611 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K1/0277 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic