Screen Printed Passives and Interconnects on Bio-Degradable Medical Hydrocolloid Dressing for Wearable Sensors

Abstract

The healthcare system is undergoing a noticeable transformation from a reactive, post-disease treatment to a preventive, predictive continuous healthcare. The key enabler for such a system is a pervasive wearable platform. Several technologies have been suggested and implemented as a wearable platform, but these technologies either lack reliability, manufacturing practicability or pervasiveness. We propose a screen-printed circuit board on bio-degradable hydrocolloid dressings, which are medically used and approved, as a platform for wearable biomedical sensors to overcome the aforementioned problems. We experimentally characterize and prepare the surface of the hydrocolloid and demonstrate high-quality screen-printed passive elements and interconnects on its surface using conductive silver paste. We also propose appropriate models of the thick-film screen-printed passives, validated through measurements and FEM simulations. We further elucidate on the usage of the hydrocolloid dressing by prototyping a Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) sensor and a humidity sensor using printed spiral inductors and interdigital capacitors, respectively.