Deposition of electronic circuits on fibers and other materials
Fibers, such as textile fibers, having electrical components deposited thereon. More particularly, one or more electrical components are formed directly onto the surface of at least one fiber. The fiber having the electrical component formed thereon may then be interlaced with other fibers to form a larger piece of fabric, which can be employed to produce an article of clothing. A group of transistors and piezoelectric components forming an accelerometer may be woven onto one or more natural or synthetic fibers. The fibers may then be employed as the warp, weft, or both, of a woven piece of fabric, or used to form a knitted piece of fabric. The fabric piece can then be cut and sewn to form a wearable item, such as a shirt, a pair of pants, a hat, or the upper piece of a shoe that includes the accelerometer.
1. A method of forming an article of wear, comprising:
forming at least a transistor on a surface of a single fiber;
interlacing the fiber with other fibers to form a piece of fabric; and
forming an article of wear with the piece of fabric.
2. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , wherein the transistor is deposited on the surface of the single fiber by spraying stock materials at the fiber through a laser.
3. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a substrate on the surface of the single fiber, wherein the transistor is formed on the substrate.
4. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a protective layer on the surface of the single fiber and over the transistor.
5. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
forming an insulative layer on the surface of the single fiber and over the transistor.
6. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a shield layer on the surface of the single fiber and over the transistor.
7. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , wherein the transistor is a bipolar junction transistor completely formed on the surface of the single fiber.
8. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , wherein the transistor is an NPN bipolar junction transistor completely formed on the surface of the single fiber.
9. The method of forming an article of wear recited in claim 1 , wherein the transistor is a field effect transistor completely formed on the surface of the single fiber.
10. An article of wear formed by the method of claim 1 .
11. A method of forming an article of wear, comprising:
forming a first electronic component on a surface of a single fiber;
forming a transistor on the surface of the single fiber;
forming one or more connection lines on the surface of the single fiber to interconnect the first electronic component with the transistor;
interlacing the fiber with other fibers to form a piece of fabric; and
forming an article of wear with the piece of fabric.
12. An article of wear formed by the method of claim 11 .
13. An article of wear, comprising:
a piece of clothing material made from one or more pieces of fabric, wherein At least one of the pieces of fabric includes a single fiber element having at least a transistor formed on a surface thereof.
14. The article of wear recited in claim 13 , wherein the single fiber element further includes a substrate formed on its surface, wherein the transistor is formed on the substrate.
15. The article of wear recited in claim 13 , wherein the single fiber element further includes a protective layer formed over the transistor.
16. The article of wear recited in claim 15 , wherein the protective layer is a layer of insulative material.
17. The article of wear recited in claim 15 , wherein the protective layer is a layer of shield material.
18. The article of wear recited in claim 13 , wherein the transistor is a bipolar junction transistor completely formed on the surface of the single fiber element.
19. The article of wear recited in claim 13 , wherein the transistor is an NPN bipolar junction transistor completely formed on the surface of the single fiber element.
20. The article of wear recited in claim 13 , wherein the transistor is a field effect transistor completely formed on the surface of the single fiber element.
21. The article of wear recited in claim 13 , wherein at least one of the pieces of fabric included in the clothing material is a piece of fabric woven from a plurality of fiber elements including the fiber element having the transistor formed on its surface.
22. The article of wear recited in claim 13 , wherein the piece of clothing further includes an electronic component formed on the surface of the single fiber element and one or more connection lines formed on the surface of the single fiber element to interconnect the electronic component with the transistor.
23. The article of wear recited in claim 22 , wherein the transistor is a bipolar junction transistor.
24. The article of wear recited in claim 22 , wherein the transistor is an NPN bipolar junction transistor.
25. The article of wear recited in claim 22 , wherein the transistor is a field effect transistor.