Waterproof stretchable optoelectronics
AssigneesThe Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, Trustees of Tufts College
InventorsJohn A. Rogers, Rak-Hwan Kim, Dae-Hyeong Kim, David L. Kaplan, Fiorenzo G. Omenetto
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Abstract
Described herein are flexible and stretchable LED arrays and methods utilizing flexible and stretchable LED arrays. Assembly of flexible LED arrays alongside flexible plasmonic crystals is useful for construction of fluid monitors, permitting sensitive detection of fluid refractive index and composition. Co-integration of flexible LED arrays with flexible photodetector arrays is useful for construction of flexible proximity sensors. Application of stretchable LED arrays onto flexible threads as light emitting sutures provides novel means for performing radiation therapy on wounds.
Claims23
A medical sensor comprising:
- a flexible or stretchable substrate;
- one or more flexible or stretchable light emitting diode (LED) arrays supported by said flexible or stretchable substrate, each flexible or stretchable LED array comprising one or more inorganic LEDs;
- one or more flexible or stretchable photodetector (PD) arrays supported by said flexible or stretchable substrate, each flexible or stretchable PD array comprising one or more inorganic semiconductor elements;
- an optical element in optical communication with the one or more LED arrays and/or the one or more PD arrays;
- one or more barrier layers partially encapsulating said one or more flexible or stretchable LED arrays, and said one or more flexible or stretchable PD arrays, wherein said barrier layer prevents fluid from said environment from contacting at least a portion of said inorganic LEDs of said one or more flexible or stretchable LED arrays and at least a portion of said inorganic semiconductor elements of said one or more flexible or stretchable PD arrays;
- wherein the one or more barrier layers comprise holes formed at selected regions of the one or more barrier layers, the selected regions corresponding to locations of at least some of the inorganic semiconductor elements;
- and
- a controller configured to measure blood oxygenation in tissue via electromagnetic radiation intensity information received from said one or more flexible or stretchable PD arrays.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.