Articles you may be interested inModular cryogenic interconnects for multi-qubit devices Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 114706 (2014); 10.1063/1.4900948 Hybrid stretchable circuits on silicone substrate

Open circuit faults in electronic systems are a common failure mechanism, particularly in large area electronic systems such as display and image sensor arrays, flexible electronics and wearable electronics. To address this problem several methods to self heal open faults in real time have been investigated. One approach of interest to this work is the electric field assisted self-healing (eFASH) of open faults. eFASH uses a low concentration dispersion of conductive particles in an insulating fluid that is packaged over the interconnect. The electric field appearing in the open fault in a current carrying interconnect polarizes the conductive particles and chains them up to create a heal. This work studies the impact of dispersion concentration on the heal time, heal impedance and cross-talk when eFASH is used for self-healing. Theoretical predictions are supported by experimental evidence and an optimum dispersion concentration for effective self-healing is identified.

Electronic systems used in space technology applications experience harsh environments, resulting in several failures among which open circuit faults are one. In this work, we investigate self-healing circuits to automatically respond to and repair open circuit failures in electronic systems. The active material is a dispersion of metallic particles in an insulating fluid, and the mechanism of healing is triggered by the electric field appearing in the fault. Specifically, this work discusses the physics of self-healing and investigates the compatibility of the mechanism to high vibration (1–16 g) as well as thermovacuum conditions (5 × 10–5 Torr and −40–125 °C). In conclusion, we demonstrate that the electric field assisted self-healing mechanism is feasible for space technology applications.

The design of interconnects on elastomers is of interest in flexible electronics. The geometric design of interconnects must take into account the electrical and mechanical aspects, along with layout area. This work discusses the impact of the geometry of stretchable interconnects on various user specifications, namely layout area, stretchability given by mechanical stiffness coefficient and speed given by electrical impedance. Analytical models have been derived and an optimization methodology is developed to help pick the best design for the given application. The analytical models are corroborated with simulations and experiments. Interconnect designs have been fabricated on a copper-viscoelastic adhesive-elastomer stack architecture, using laser toner-transfer process where the viscoelastic adhesive prevents delamination and in which the process flow is in line with conventional printed circuit board fabrication techniques.