ES&S Provides Transparent Flexible Printed Circuits Based on Ultra-Thin Polyimide Substrates

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ES&S Solutions GmbH has outlined its capabilities in transparent flexible printed circuit technology, reflecting broader shifts toward lighter, thinner and more space-efficient electronic designs across multiple industries.

Flexible and flex-rigid printed circuit boards are increasingly used in modern devices due to their ability to reduce weight, save space, and simplify complex interconnections. Transparent flexible printed circuits represent a further development of this technology, enabling electronic functionality to be integrated into applications where visibility, form factor, or optical requirements are critical.

ES&S Solutions’ transparent flexible printed circuits are based on ultra-thin polyimide substrates, offering high flexibility while maintaining mechanical and thermal stability. The transparent polyimide material allows circuit visibility while keeping overall thickness to just a few microns, making the technology suitable for compact and design-sensitive applications.

Flexible circuits are already widely deployed across sectors. In automotive systems, they are commonly used in instrument panels, underbody controls, headliners, and ABS modules. In computing and office equipment, flexible circuits support moving components such as printer heads and hard disk read/write arms. Consumer electronics applications include cameras, mobile phones, calculators, and wearable or training devices. Similar space-constrained requirements drive adoption in industrial and medical equipment.

Manufacturing and assembly support

In addition to circuit fabrication, ES&S Solutions provides assembly services for flexible and rigid-flex printed circuit boards. These services support both small production runs and fast prototype assembly, enabling customers to move from concept to validation without changing suppliers.

Technical overview

The transparent flexible printed circuits offered by ES&S Solutions are available with the following specifications:

• 1–2 layer transparent polyimide FPC with ENIG surface finish
• Maximum size: 15 mm to 450 mm
• Maximum thickness: 0.45 ± 0.1 mm
• Minimum thickness: 0.2–0.185 ± 0.03 mm
• Copper foil thickness: 2–12 µm
• Minimum hole diameter: 0.3 mm
• Minimum line width and spacing: 0.15 mm
• Immersion gold thickness: Ni 1–6 µm, Au 0.05–0.1 µm
• Optical transparency: up to 88%
• Soldering heat resistance: 260 °C for 5 seconds
• Adhesive strength: 490 N/m
• Glass transition temperature: 300 °C
• Operating temperature range: −25 °C to +75 °C

Exploring next-generation substrates

Alongside transparent flexible circuits, ES&S Solutions is also evaluating emerging substrate technologies in collaboration with its manufacturing partners. One such development is a flexible silicone printed circuit board concept, designed to offer extensibility beyond that of conventional flexible substrates.

Silicone-based circuits are being studied for applications requiring high mechanical resilience, skin compatibility, and material purity, including potential clinical and wearable uses. The material’s ability to withstand extreme mechanical stress while remaining flexible positions it as a candidate for future electronic designs where conventional substrates reach their limits.

Through these developments, ES&S Solutions continues to expand its portfolio of advanced printed circuit technologies aimed at meeting evolving design and integration requirements.

Click here to learn more about transparent flexible PCBs from ES&S.