Field Modeling the Impact of Cracks on the Electroconductivity of Thin-Film Textronic Structures

Abstract

Wearable electronics are produced by depositing thin electroconductive layers with low resistance on flexible substrates. In the process of producing such metallic films, as well as during their usage, structural defects may appear which affect their electrical properties. In this paper, we present analytical and numerical models for understanding phenomena related to the electrical conductivity of thin electroconductive layers. The algorithm in the numerical model is based on the boundary integral equation method. The formulas enable calculation of the potential distribution and electric field strength of the analyzed structures, and describe the impact of cracks on their electrical resistance. The validity of the proposed models was verified by experimental results.

The Influence of Laser Modification on a Composite Substrate and the Resistance of Thin Layers Created Using the PVD Process

“…The SEM image was obtained using an Hitachi S-4200 scanning microscope (Tokyo, Japan) with 400x magnification. The photo shows a homogeneous metallic layer with small cracks on the surface that have a small effect on the layer resistance [43,44]. Estimation of the thickness of the metallic layer produced on a flexible substrate is only possible for indirect measurements.…”

Atypical Properties of a Thin Silver Layer Deposited on a Composite Textile Substrate

“…Cordura's high mechanical strength justified choosing it as the base material. The area density of the material is 460 g/cm 2 . It is made of nylon threads covered with a polyurethane layer, thanks to which it is possible to create a thin electrically conductive layer on the surface.…”

“…Thin layers are used widely in engineering to improve the surface properties of solids, such as abrasion resistance, corrosion resistance, reflectance, hardness, and absorption [ 1 ]. They are also used to produce coatings with specific electrical properties [ 2 , 3 ], including electrically conductive layers for use in wearable electronics and textronics. Layer production methods include inkjet printing [ 4 , 5 ], magnetron sputtering [ 6 ], embroidery [ 7 ], weaving electrically conductive threads [ 8 ] or magnetic threads [ 9 ] into fabric structures, spin, spray or dip coating [ 10 ], and vacuum techniques such as CVD (chemical vapor deposition) [ 11 ] and PVD (physical vapor deposition) [ 12 ].…”

Textile Chemical Sensors Based on Conductive Polymers for the Analysis of Sweat

“…The development of electrochemical textile sensors takes advantage of the recent progress in fiber and textile electronics [ 21 ] to produce conductive fabrics and yarns that will compose the device. A thin conductive film is usually deposited on commercial textiles by screen-printing [ 20 , 22 ], dip coating [ 23 , 24 ], spinning [ 25 , 26 ], electrochemical deposition [ 27 ], oxidative ink-jet printing [ 28 ], in-situ polymerization [ 29 , 30 ], physical vapor deposition [ 31 ] and magnetron sputtering [ 32 ]. The mainly employed conductive species are nanomaterials based on metals and carbon, and conductive polymers.…”