Stretchable Electronics Towards The Fabrication Of Organic Sensors For Artificial Skin

Stretchable electronics concern electrical and electronic circuits that are elastically or inelastically stretchable by more than a few percents while retaining function. In order to achieve this, devices tend to be laminar and usually thin. Compared with rigid, hard conventional electronic systems in planar formats, stretchable electronic systems can be stretched, compressed, bent, and deformed into arbitrary shapes without electrical or mechanical failure within the circuits. Currently, stretchable electronic systems have many important and emerging applications in new, soft and curved bio-inspired areas, such as tuneable electronic eye cameras or artificial skin capable of mechanically invisible integration onto human skin. These sensors would be integrated on robotic or prosthetic hands to recreate the same sensing capabilities than the skin: touch, pressure and temperature. The aim of this thesis is to identified strategies and materials to make stretchable devices with stretching capabilities similar to the one of the skin (~15%) with performance close to rigid devices. In this purpose, a microfabrication process to fabricate organic sensors has been developed. The devices are based on laser cut bulk metallic stretchable interconnections with maximum elongation of 80% in PDMS matrix. Then, these tools have been used to fabricate a biosensor: the organic electrochemical transistor (OECT). The transistor is based on a conducting polymer and is able to sense physiological signal. A temperature sensor has also been developed, able to sense infrared signal, like the human skin. These devices can stand up to 30% strain and can be integrated into a matrix for artificial skin applications.