Design and performance of thin metal film interconnects for skin-like electronic circuits

We prepare stretchable electrical conductors of 25-nm-thick gold films on elastomeric substrates prestretched by 15%. When the substrates relax from the prestretch, the gold stripes form surface waves with /spl sim/8.4-/spl mu/m wavelength and /spl sim/1.2-/spl mu/m amplitude. When the strain is cycled between 0 and 15%, both the wave pattern and the electrical resistance of the gold stripes change in reproducible cycles. Such repeatedly stretchable metallization can serve as interconnects for skin-like, conformal, and electroactive polymer circuits.