Embedded-Component Planar Fan-Out Packaging for Biophotonic Applications

Embedded-chip planar silver-elastomer interconnect technology is developed with flexible substrates and demonstrated for on-skin biophotonic sensor applications. This approach has several benefits and is also consistent with chip-thinning where the chip thickness is 100 microns and less. The key benefits from this approach arise because both the bottom and top sides are now available as flat surfaces for 3D integration of other components. It also results in the lowest electrical parasitics compared to flipchip with adhesives or printed-ramp interconnections with surface-assembled devices. Embedding of chips in flexible carriers was accomplished with direct screen-printed interconnects onto the chip pads in substrate cavities. Silver nanoflake-loaded polyurethane is utilized in the embedded-chip packages to provide the desired lower interconnect resistance and also reliability in flexible packages under deformed configurations. Viscoelastic models were utilized to model the interconnection stresses. Planar interconnects in flexible substrates are developed with conductive silver-loaded elastomer interconnects. This approach is compared to direct chip-on-flex assembly technology for reliability under bending and high-temperature storage. The embedded-chip technology is demonstrated through biophotonic sensor applications where light sources (LEDs) and photodetectors are embedded inside the package. Functional validation in bent configuration at low curvatures is shown by measuring pulse rate and muscle activity with human subjects. By extending this technology to nanowires in elastomers, further enhancement in electrical and reliability performance can be achieved.