Stretchable Transistors Fabricated on Polydimethylsiloxane Elastomers

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) based electronic devices are widely used for various applications in large area electronics, biomedical wearable interfaces and implantable circuitry where flexibility and/or stretchability are required. A few fabrication methods of electronic devices directly on PDMS substrate have been reported. However, it is well known that micro-cracks appear in the metal layer and in the lithography pattern on a PDMS substrate. To solve the above problems, a few studies for fabrication of stiff platform on PDMS substrate have been reported. Thin-film islands of a stiff region are fabricated on an elastomeric substrate, and electronic devices are fabricated on these stiff islands. When the substrate is stretched, the deformation is mainly accommodated by the substrate, and the stiff islands and electronic devices experience relatively small strains. Here, we report a new method to achieve stiff islands structures on an elastomeric substrate at a various thickness, as the platform for stretchable electronic devices. The stiff islands were defined by conventional photolithography on a stress-free elastomeric substrate. This technique can provide a practical strategy for realizing large-area stretchable electronic circuits, for various applications such as stretchable display or wearable electronic systems.