Thin film sensors on 3D freeforms suitable for mechatronic systems - 3DSense

如果传感器可以放置在具有最大设计自由度的3D形状上，则可以实现用于机器人、医疗仪器、智能生产和测试设备领域的新型机电一体化系统。然而，一方面，可以通过异构集成方法（如手动或半自动组装）密集封装为传感器阵列的小型化传感器的放置不是非常准确和可再现的。另一方面，缺乏用薄膜传感器材料进行3D涂覆和微结构化3D形状的方法。因此，本计画的目标是研究并发展一种新型的柔性蒙皮，以作为新型机电一体化系统的关键元件。这些皮肤包括集成的高灵敏度压阻式类金刚石碳传感器的3D MEMS结构阵列。为了使该项目取得成功，参与机构将解决从薄膜材料到微结构和传感器到演示器的知识价值链中的沿着研究元素。必须设计具有聚合物和金属箔中的3D形状机械转换器结构的基板。采用等离子体辅助化学气相沉积（PACVD）和新型反应高功率脉冲磁控溅射（HIPIMS）技术制备了三维传感器薄膜。由于光刻技术仅限于平面加工，无法提供极高电阻的类金刚石碳膜的微结构的良好定义，因此应开发飞秒激光工艺并将其应用于传感器元件的3D微结构化。这些技术的有用性将首先通过将这些新的传感器在一个平面膜压力传感器。在第二步骤中，传感器还将被并入到3D智能皮肤传感器阵列中。它应能够感知、测量和定位与外部身体的任何接触。该项目将受益于独特的专业知识组合，包括涂层和薄膜（布伦瑞克工业大学的IOT-Institut für Oberflächentechnik）以及微结构和微系统（布伦瑞克工业大学的IMT-Institut für Mikrotechnik）。该项目可以进一步受益于两个申请人在2D传感器系统领域的联合研究的经验。

Novel mechatronic systems to be used in the fields of robotics, medical instruments, intelligent production and test equipment can be realized if sensors are available that can be placed on 3D shapes with the broadest design freedom. However, on the one hand the placement of miniaturized sensors that can be densely packed as sensor arrays by heterogeneous integration methods like manual or semi-automated assembly is not very accurate and reproducible. On the other hand, methods for 3D coating with thin film sensor material and for micro structuring 3D shapes are lacking. It is therefore goal of this project to investigate and develop a new type of flexible skins for conformal application as key element of novel mechatronic systems. These skins comprise integrated highly sensitive piezoresistive diamond-like-carbon sensors on 3D convertor structure arrays. For the success of this project supplementing research elements along the knowledge value chain from thin film materials over micro structures and sensors to demonstrators will be addressed by the participating institutions. Substrates with 3D-shaped mechanical converter structures in polymer and metal foils have to be designed. Conformal coating with 3D sensor thin films by plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD) and novel reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS) will be investigated. Since lithographic techniques are limited to planar processing and fail to provide good definition of the micro structures of the extremely resistant diamond-like-carbon films, femtosecond laser processes shall be developed and applied for the 3D micro structuring of the sensor elements. The usefulness of these techniques will be demonstrated first by incorporating these novel sensors in a planar membrane pressure sensor. In a second step the sensors shall be incorporated also into a 3D smart skin sensor array. It shall be capable to sense, measure, and localize any contact with an external body. The project will benefit from the unique combination of expertise, including coatings and thin films (IOT-Institut für Oberflächentechnik at TU Braunschweig) and micro structuring and micro systems (IMT-Institut für Mikrotechnik at TU Braunschweig). The project can further benefit from previous experiences of joint research of the two applicants in the field of 2D sensor Systems.