Stress-free stretchable electronic device using folding deformation

We developed a two-dimensionally (2-D) stretchable electronic device with stress-free region by applying origami folding. The key idea is to achieve “a stretching deformation of whole device” by “a local bending deformation”. Because our device has stress-free region, we can use a rigid chip (such as LED chips and MEMS sensors) and a metal wire without mechanical fracture or metal fatigue. In this paper, first, we proposed a 2-D stretchable structure by developing “miura-ori” folding. Next, we fabricated a 2-D stretchable electronic device, and confirmed that wire fatigue or cracks are not generated by repeated deformation. Finally, we demonstrated 2-D stretchability and bendability using the device with inorganic LED chips.