Woven Thin-Film Metal Interconnects

The next step in the evolution of electronic textiles (e-textiles) involves the integration of electronics at the yarn level. We aim to integrate "electronic yarns" into textiles by fabricating thin-film devices and interconnects on plastic strips and weaving them into a fabric using a commercial weaving machine. Since interconnect lines are exposed to very small applied bending radii during weaving, we studied changes in interconnect resistance for applied bending radii ranging from 5 mm to 100 μm. We then wove textiles using different weaving patterns and measured the strip bending radius in the textile. Interconnect lines ruptured at bending radii of 120 μm, corresponding to a tensile bending strain of 16.73 %. The smallest bending radius within the textiles was ~165 μm, making all weaving patterns suitable for e-textile fabrication. Finally, we wove strips with interconnect lines and light-emitting diodes using a commercial weaving machine.