Programmable ward-wiring of circuitry using spatially coupled bipolar electrochemistry

The hard-wiring of a simple electronic circuit without making physical contact with any of the components was achieved. The method relies on spatially coupled bipolar electrochemistry, which involves the growth of a conductive path between selected copper rings on a commercial circuit board by the application of an electric field. A device composed of an array of eight platinum pins was used to apply the electric fields within selected areas of the circuit board. Two different circuits were constructed from an identical pair of circuit boards with presoldered diodes and leads, demonstrating that electronic components can be present during the hard-wiring process. (C) 1999 The Electrochemical Society. S0013-4651(98)02-066-7. All rights reserved.