Hand‐Drawn Resistors, Capacitors, Diodes, and Circuits for a Pressure Sensor System on Paper

Abstract

AbstractHand‐written fabrication techniques offer new ways of developing customizable, biodegradable, and low‐cost electronic systems. In this work, a new level of complexity is demonstrated for hand‐written electronics by fabricating passive components, circuits, and a sensor system on paper. The system comprises a pencil‐written graphite force‐sensitive resistor, a pencil‐drawn RC filter, a pen‐written half‐wave rectifier, and a commercial front‐end voltage amplifier. The sensor system exhibits a linear response for pressures up to 1.2 kPa, and a sensitivity of 51 mV kPa−1. Furthermore, the electrical and mechanical performance of the single components and circuits is studied. Diodes fabricated through pen‐written deposition of silver and nickel contacts on amorphous indium–gallium–zinc oxide coated paper show rectification ratios up to 1:8. Tensile and compressive bending measurements applied to all pencil‐written components for radii down to 0.1 mm indicate minor influence of strain. Similar results are obtained for circuits created from these individual components. Diodes and half‐wave rectifiers show a stable behavior when bent to a radius of 5 mm. The presented techniques can enable the development of flexible and eco‐friendly wearables and sensors for consumer and healthcare applications, and are an effective way for school pupils to explore the world of electronics.