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Micropillar Arrays for High Sensitivity Sensors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2014

Youngwoo Kim
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, U.S.A. Department of Aerospace Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, U.S.A.
Nakhiah Goulbourne
Affiliation:
Department of Aerospace Engineering, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, U.S.A.
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Abstract

In this paper, we report on a new micropillar sensor array that is stretchable, flexible, and has high sensitivity in the tactile sensing regime (<10 kPa). The sensor array is capable of detecting deformation modes other than pressure such as shear and planar extension. The capacitance-type sensor is fabricated using soft nanolithography whereby the micropillars are individually electroded using a sputtering technique. Buckled gold electrodes are used in this study to enable large sensor stretches up to 55%. Three micropillar aspect ratios were considered in this work (1:1, 1:2, 1:3). Here we present the highest reported sensitivity [0.8 kPa-1] of a capacitance type flexible/stretchable sensor. Our results show that this sensor is also able to detect very low pressures down to 5.4 Pa, which is in the range of ultra-low detection pressures recently reported. Finally, the microstructured sensor array naturally lends itself to the development of pixel-type pressure sensors. We present preliminary results for a 25 pixel array.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2014 

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References

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