SBIR Phase I: High Sensitivity Micro Strain Sensor Using Magnetostrictive Spin Dependent Tunneling Materials

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在展示一个测试应变传感器的微芯片形式使用磁致伸缩自旋相关隧道材料。硅压电材料具有高灵敏度，但在低温下工作，而金属薄膜具有更好的温度能力，但灵敏度低得多。灵敏度/温度、ESD敏感性、成本等方面的限制已经排除了该技术在几个关键商业和军事应用中的应用。提出了一种基于高灵敏度、宽温度范围、低功耗、小尺寸和低成本的类似器件的方法。虽然作为一个磁性设备，传感器将是不敏感的外部磁场的实际幅度，使用专有的方法。其可行性将通过制作测试装置、构造微型应变测试仪以及实现高应变灵敏度来证明。预计这些传感器将在工业控制、土木工程项目和机器人等应用领域迅速获得初步认可，然后扩展到其他应用领域。该传感器将在温度、ESD和辐射等非常不利的条件下工作。与其他磁传感器不同，该设备对磁场没有反应，无论是自然磁场还是由它试图控制的设备产生的磁场。由于传感器是用微电子技术制造的，它的成本低，而且封装要求也不必包括今天用来“保护”现有传感器的许多技术。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to demonstrate a test strainsensor in microchip form using magnetostrictive spin dependent tunneling materials. Silicon piezoresistivematerials have high sensitivity but operate at low temperatures, whereas metallic films have much better temperature capability but much lower sensitivity. The limitations in sensitivity/temperature, susceptibility to ESD, cost, and others have precluded the technology to be used in several key commercial and military applications. An approach based on the high sensitivity, wide temperature range, low power, small size and low cost of similar devices is proposed. Although as a magnetic device, the sensor will be insensitive to external magnetic fields of practical magnitude, using a proprietary approach. The feasibility will be demonstrated by fabricating test devices; constructing a miniature strain tester; and achieving high strain sensitivity. It is expected that these sensors will find rapid initial acceptance in application areas of industrial control, civil engineering projects, and robotics, and then expand to other applications. This sensorwill function under very adverse conditions of temperature, ESD and radiation. Unlikeother magnetic sensors the device will have no response to magnetic fields, either naturalor created by the equipment it is trying to control. Because the sensor is manufacturedby microelectronics techniques it will be low cost and the packaging requirements will nothave to include many of the techniques employed today to "safeguard" the existing sensor.