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research article

A low-profile electromechanical packaging system for soft-to-flexible bioelectronic interfaces

Fallegger, Florian  
•
Trouillet, Alix  
•
Coen, Florent-Valery  
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September 1, 2023
APL Bioengineering

Interfacing the human body with the next generation of electronics requires technological advancement in designing and producing bioelectronic circuits. These circuits must integrate electrical functionality while simultaneously addressing limitations in mechanical compliance and dynamics, biocompatibility, and consistent, scalable manufacturing. The combination of mechanically disparate materials ranging from elastomers to inorganic crystalline semiconductors calls for modular designs with reliable and scalable electromechanical connectors. Here, we report on a novel interconnection solution for soft-to-flexible bioelectronic interfaces using a patterned and machined flexible printed circuit board, which we term FlexComb, interfaced with soft transducing systems. Using a simple assembly process, arrays of protruding "fingers" bearing individual electrical terminals are laser-machined on a standard flexible printed circuit board to create a comb-like structure, namely, the FlexComb. A matching pattern is also machined in the soft system to host and interlock electromechanically the FlexComb connections via a soft electrically conducting composite. We examine the electrical and electromechanical properties of the interconnection and demonstrate the versatility and scalability of the method through various customized submillimetric designs. In a pilot in vivo study, we validate the stability and compatibility of the FlexComb technology in a subdural electrocorticography system implanted for 6 months on the auditory cortex of a minipig. The FlexComb provides a reliable and simple technique to bond and connect soft transducing systems with flexible or rigid electronic boards, which should find many implementations in soft robotics and wearable and implantable bioelectronics.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1063/5.0152509
Web of Science ID

WOS:001050875800001

Author(s)
Fallegger, Florian  
Trouillet, Alix  
Coen, Florent-Valery  
Schiavone, Giuseppe  
Lacour, Stephanie P.  
Date Issued

2023-09-01

Published in
APL Bioengineering
Volume

7

Issue

3

Article Number

036109

Subjects

Engineering, Biomedical

•

Engineering

•

multielectrode array

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

FunderGrant Number

FNS

CRSII5_183519

H2020

665667

Swiss foundations

Wyss Center

Available on Infoscience
September 11, 2023
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/200478
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