Overview
IEC 62951-8:2023 - "Semiconductor devices – Flexible and stretchable semiconductor devices – Part 8" - defines terms and specifies standardized test methods for stretchability, flexibility, and stability of flexible resistive memory. The standard describes experimental procedures, required test equipment and jigs, and general test-environment requirements (temperature and relative humidity). IEC 62951-8 focuses on stability evaluation under mechanical deformation (stretching and bending) rather than long-term reliability.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope and terminology
- Definitions specific to flexible resistive memory (LRS/HRS, set/reset voltages, bending radius).
- Test methods
- Stretchability test: tensile stress testing using strain as the primary metric (strain ε = (L1 − L0) / L0 × 100%). Grips should extend beyond the substrate; strain is geometry-dependent and preferred over force or stress.
- Flexibility (bending) test: evaluates tensile and compressive strain from bending. Strain is derived from substrate thickness and bending radius (formulae provided; see Annex A for derivation and simulation).
- Stability testing: performance checks performed in an environmental chamber to control temperature and relative humidity (test conditions and examples provided).
- Test equipment and setup
- Probes for electrical characterization, specimen and substrate handling, dedicated jigs for stretch and bend modes, and environmental chambers for stability evaluations.
- Performance parameters to measure
- I–V characteristics (switching behaviour), set/reset voltages, switching endurance (resistance change vs cycles), and retention (current vs time).
- Reporting
- Key parameters before/during/after tests, environmental conditions, mechanical metrics (strain, bending radius), and equipment descriptions.
Applications and practical value
- Ensures consistent, comparable evaluation of flexible resistive memory used in:
- Wearable electronics and smart textiles
- Flexible sensors and IoT edge devices
- Stretchable memory modules integrated into soft robotics or medical devices
- Useful for product verification, material selection, failure-mode analysis, and R&D when developing flexible memory elements or encapsulation schemes.
Who should use this standard
- Semiconductor manufacturers and device designers working on flexible resistive memory
- Test labs and quality assurance teams performing mechanical/electrical characterization
- Research groups and materials scientists studying stretchable electronics
- Product integrators in wearable and flexible electronics ecosystems
Related standards
- IEC 62951 series (see IEC 62951-1 for detailed performance parameters and characterization of flexible and stretchable semiconductor devices)
Keywords: IEC 62951-8, flexible resistive memory, stretchability test, flexibility test, stability testing, bending radius, strain, environmental chamber.
Open preview (PDF)Semiconductor devices - Flexible and stretchable semiconductor devices - Part 8: Test method for stretchability, flexibility, and stability of flexible resistive memory
