Micromachined Infrared Sensors on Flexible Substrates

自动化系统的日益复杂化使得更复杂的无人任务得以执行。然而，机器人仪器缺乏像人类那样感知环境并与之互动的能力。与此同时，操作远程仪器的人受到了他们在自己的活动中习惯的“缺乏感觉”的限制。机器人仪器目前使用定位传感器来测量环境。由于微电子设备的不灵活性，这是必要的。最近，柔性衬底、聚合物半导体和薄膜晶体管的创新已经出现。pi建议研究一种柔性皮肤的开发，该皮肤包含分布式单片传感器阵列，以提供更大的环境测量。微机械传感器能够测量压力、流量、温度和辐射能。这项研究将集中在聚合物衬底或“人造皮肤”表面的微机械传感器的发展上。Pls将利用微机械红外微辐射热计和热辐射器作为开发柔性聚合物基板微加工技术的试验台，这些技术与广泛的应用基础相关。在柔性皮肤表面集成分布式、定向微辐射热计阵列，可以让机器人远程测量温度，并避开可能造成伤害的热物体。探测器的分布阵列间距为一毫米，将提供“昆虫般的”视觉。热物体（如人）的运动可以被跟踪。微透镜光学探测器将测量光辐射通量；薄膜参考温度计将测量衬底（皮肤）温度，而热辐射器将用于显示目的，或者可以与探测器阵列和光栅组合以产生微型光谱仪。弯曲的能力将允许设备被整合和分布在柔韧的表面上，如人类和机器的手套织物，为操作员提供远程触觉和接触和接近皮肤的温度感觉。此外，利用这些微型光谱仪进行化学分析也是可能的。使用柔性衬底的可穿戴红外光谱仪将允许人们监测生理参数，如葡萄糖和胰岛素水平，扫描细菌制剂和有毒气体。

The increasing sophistication of automated systems has allowed more complex unmanned tasks to be performed. However, robotic instruments lack the ability to perceive and interact with their environment in the same way humans can. Simultaneously, humans operating remote instruments are limited by the "lack of feel" they are accustomed to in their own activity. Robotic instruments currently use localized-sensors to measure their environment. This has been necessitated by the inflexibility of microelectronic devices. Recently innovations in flexible substrates, polymer semiconductors, and thin film transistors have occurred. The PIs propose to investigate the development of a flexible skin that incorporates distributed monolithic sensor arrays to provide a greater measurement of the environment. Micromachined sensors are capable of measuring pressure, flow, temperature, and radiant energy. This investigation will focus on the development of micromachined sensors over the surface of a polymer substrate or "artificial skin". The Pls will utilize micromachined infrared microbolometers and thermal emitters as a test bed towards the development of micromachining techniques on flexible polymer substrates that are relevant to a broad base of applications. Integrating distributed, staring microbolometer arrays over the surface of a flexible skin can allow a robot to remotely measure temperature and avoid hot objects that can cause damage. The distributed arrays of detectors spaced with a millimeter pitch will provide "insect-like" vision. The motion of hot objects such as people can be tracked. Microlensed optical detectors will measure the optical radiation flux; thin film reference thermometers will measure the substrate (skin) temperature, while the thermal emitters will be used for display purposes or may be combined with detector arrays and gratings to produce a micro-spectrometer. The ability to flex would allow the devices to be incorporated and distributed over compliant surfaces such as the fabric of gloves for humans and machines to provide operators a remote sense of touch and feel of temperature both in-contact and in-proximity to the skin. In addition, chemical analysis is possible using these micro-spectrometers. Wearable infrared spectrometers using flexible substrates would allow people to monitor physiological parameters such as glucose and insulin levels, scan for bacteriological agents and toxic gases.