The paper, presented by Tomohiro Fukao, Research Manager of the Electronic Materials Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, contrasts the history of printed circuit boards being hard and rectangular and the possibilities of soft, flexible substrates.
Panasonic has developed an extremely soft, pliable, bendable, conformable and stretchable material that can be used for wearable technologies and more. This developmental material uses a novel, high-temperature-resistant, non-silicone polymer system with a copper-clad laminate configuration suitable for use in traditional SMT processes.
Panasonic researchers have invented a novel class of circuit materials designed to enable new and more pliable electronic devices for health care, wearables, sensors, robotics, automotive, aerospace, and other applications.