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

如果有传感器，可以最大限度地将传感器放置在3D形状上，就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系统。然而，一方面，通过人工或半自动组装等异质集成方法可以密集地将传感器阵列组装成传感器阵列的小型化传感器的布局不是非常准确和可重复性的。另一方面，缺乏用薄膜传感器材料进行3D涂层和微结构3D形状的方法。因此，本项目的目标是研究和开发一种新型柔性蒙皮，作为新型机电系统的关键元件，用于共形应用。这些皮肤在3D转换器结构阵列上集成了高度敏感的压阻式类金刚石碳传感器。为了这一项目的成功，参与机构将致力于补充知识价值链上的研究要素，从微型结构和传感器的薄膜材料到演示器。必须设计具有聚合物和金属箔的3D形状机械转换器结构的基板。研究了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)在3D传感器薄膜上的保形涂层。由于光刻技术仅限于平面加工，不能很好地定义极高电阻类金刚石薄膜的微结构，因此需要发展飞秒激光工艺并将其应用于传感器元件的三维微结构制造。这些技术的实用性将首先通过将这些新型传感器集成到平面膜压力传感器中来展示。在第二步中，传感器还将被合并到3D智能皮肤传感器阵列中。它应能够感知、测量和定位与外部物体的任何接触。该项目将受益于专业知识的独特组合，包括涂层和薄膜(布伦斯韦格工业大学的IOT-Institut für Oberflächentechnik)和微结构和微系统(TU Braunschweig的IMT-Institut für MikroTechnik)。该项目可以进一步受益于两个申请者以前在2D传感器系统领域联合研究的经验。

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.