US 2011/0226069 A1 · FLEXIBLE FORCE OR PRESSURE SENSOR ARRAY USING SEMICONDUCTOR STRAIN GAUGE, FABRICATION METHOD THEREOF AND MEASUREMENT METHOD THEREOF

Abstract

The force or pressure sensor array of the present invention effectively has both flexibility and elasticity. Since the substrate itself is a kind of a polymer material, the substrate can be bent or expanded. Although silicon, which is a material of the semiconductor strain gauge, is easily broken and solid, mechanical flexibility can be secured if it is fabricated extremely thin. To this end, particularly, disclosed is a flexible force or pressure sensor array using semiconductor strain gauges 110, the sensor array comprising: a substrate 10 including: the semiconductor strain gauges 110 in which a plurality of elements formed in a certain array pattern is deformed by force or pressure, a pair of polymer film layers 120 and 130 having film surfaces contacted facing each other and containing the semiconductor strain gauge 110 between the film surfaces contacted with each other, and a pair of signal line layers formed on top and bottom surfaces of an insulating layer using either of the pair of polymer film layers 120 and 130 as the insulating layer and connected to the elements 111 of the array pattern to form electrodes, for fetching deformation signals outputted due to deformation of the elements 111 to outside; and a pair of elastomer layers 20 and 30 formed on both sides of the substrate 10 to contain the substrate 10 inside.

Claims15

Dependent claims

A flexible force or pressure sensor array using semiconductor strain gauges, the sensor array comprising:

a substrate including:
the semiconductor strain gauge array in which a plurality of elements formed in a certain pattern is deformed by force or pressure, a pair of polymer film layers having film surfaces contacted facing each other and containing the semiconductor strain gauge between the film surfaces contacted with each other, and a pair of signal line layers formed on top and bottom surfaces of an insulating layer using either of the pair of polymer film layers as the insulating layer and connected to the elements of the array pattern to form electrodes, for fetching deformation signals outputted due to deformation of the elements to outside;
and
a pair of elastomer layers formed on both sides of the substrate to contain the substrate inside, wherein
the pair of signal line layers includes a plurality of first signal lines arranged in one direction on one surface of the insulating layer and a plurality of second signal lines arranged to be perpendicular to the one direction, and resistance of the elements is changed based on the force or the pressure and the deformation signals are outputted based on the changes of resistance.

2 more elements

A method of fabricating a flexible force or pressure sensor array, the method comprising:

a gauge fabricating step of fabricating a semiconductor strain gauge having a certain array pattern on a silicon wafer;
a transferring step of transferring the fabricated semiconductor strain gauge onto a first polymer film layer stacked on a carrier wafer with intervention of a sacrificial layer therebetween, using a poly-dimethylsiloxane medium;
a first signal line forming step of forming first electrodes by arranging a plurality of first signal lines in parallel in one direction and connecting the plurality of first signal lines to one end of each element of the array pattern respectively;
an insulating layer forming step of forming an insulating layer by stacking a second polymer film layer on a top of the plurality of first signal lines;
a second signal line forming step of forming second electrodes by arranging a plurality of second signal lines to be perpendicular to the one direction and connecting the plurality of second signal lines to the other end of the element on the second polymer film layer respectively;
a substrate separating step of separating a substrate including the first and second polymer film layers, the semiconductor strain gauge, and the plurality of first and second signal lines by dissolving the sacrificial layer using a certain solution;
and
a substrate bonding step of inserting and bonding the substrate between a pair of elastomer layers.

5 more elements

A method of measuring force or pressure using a flexible force or pressure sensor array, the method comprising the steps of:

bonding a poly-dimethylsiloxane layer to each outer surface of a pair of polymer film layers having film surfaces contacted facing each other, and receiving the force or the pressure by either of the poly-dimethylsiloxane layers;
placing semiconductor strain gauges having a certain array pattern between the pair of polymer film layers, receiving the force or pressure, and changing resistance;
receiving certain signals outputted based on the changed resistance through a plurality of first and second signal lines respectively connected to each element of the array pattern, by a control unit;
calculating a measured resistance value or a measured voltage value based on the signals, by the control unit;
and
outputting strength of the force or the pressure based on the measured resistance value or the measured voltage value, by the control unit.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Flexible force or pressure sensor array using semiconductor strain gauge, fabrication method thereof and measurement method thereof

Life of this patent

Flexible force or pressure sensor array using semiconductor strain gauge, fabrication method thereof and measurement method thereof

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims15