URBANA - CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - US Scientists report that they believe they are on the way to creating a truly flexible circuit board that could be used in applications previously unavailable in PCB technology

Professor John Rogers of the University of Illinois and colleagues have created flexible silicon and plastic circuits that are just 1.5 micrometres thick.

Researchers have reported that the boards are made of silicon "nanoribbons" and can be flexed and folded, and that circuit boards with this type of flexibility could be used in biomedical applications.

Professor Rogers said, "The notion that silicon cannot be used in such applications because it is intrinsically brittle and rigid has been tossed out the window. Through carefully optimized mechanical layouts and structural configurations, we can use silicon in integrated circuits that are fully foldable and stretchable."