Hybrid silicon-polymer platform for self-locking and self-deploying origami

This Letter reports the demonstration of self-locking and self-deploying functions of an origami platform based on silicon island arrays. The silicon islands serve as the rigid part of the origami and are able to integrate complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor circuits, microelectromechanical systems, and other functional components. The creases of the origami, which are the flexible connectors among silicon islands, are realized by parylene balloons filled with paraffin wax. Metal heaters are integrated on the balloons to control the solid/liquid phases of the wax on-chip. Prototypes of such an origami platform have been fabricated. By turning on and off the heaters at different states of the origami, self-locking and self-deploying features have been demonstrated. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.