Metallization on Polymer Substrates for Functional Contact Lenses.

Functional multi-purpose contact lenses have recently attracted attention as suitable means to exploit the characteristics of eyes to diagnose diseases and for drug delivery. This is made possible by developing functional contact lens with micro sensors placed on it, which can be worn on the eye surface. However there are several challenges that need to be addressed before reaching the final functional contact lens with incorporated micro devices and micro sensors for biomedical applications. One such challenge is related to the metallization on polymer substrates. In this work, we present the first results in the direction of realizing robust metal patterns on polymer substrates. The metal patterns presented here are electrodes for connecting different devices and micro antenna loops. We also compare the metallization techniques on different polymer substrates like PDMS, PET to name a few and different metals patterned like Ag, Au etc. Specific steps and solutions to issues like crack formation and adhesion of the metal on the polymer substrates are also discussed.