SGER-Sensors on Flexible Substrates for Smart Skin

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Abstract0090667Donald P. Butler and Zeynep Celik-ButlerSouthern Methodist UniversitySmall Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER): $70,000 - 12 mos.Sensors on Flexible Substrates for Smart SkinThis is a one-year Small Grant for Exploratory Research (SGER). This project concerns the development of suspended, micromachined sensors on flexible substrates. The project's results will form a basis for the production of other micromachined sensors such as pressure/strain sensors, "hair-like" touch and flow sensors, and accelerometers on flexible substrates. Flexible substrates can serve as the basis of a sensitive skin for humans and robots where sensors are distributed over the skin to provide the sense of touch or monitor the physiology of the wearer. A major obstacle in the development of vanadium oxide bolometers or lead titanate and similar oxide pyroelectric detectors on flexible substrates is the incompatibility between the thermal budget required by the detector material and the low maximum temperature of the flexible substrate. This work will solve the incompatibility between the two thermal budgets by the use of the PI's patented microbolometer material: semiconducting Yttrium Barium Copper Oxide (YBaCuO). The deposition temperature for this infrared sensitive material does not exceed 150 C. High quality nanocrystalline, semiconducting YBaCuO films can be deposited using rf sputtering at ambient temperature. Since there is no requirement for crystallization, high-temperature annealing steps are not necessary. The funding for the project is provided by two NSF divisions, as follows: IIS/CISE - $50,000 ECS/ENG - $20,000