Abstract
Polymer Micro ElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) have the potential to constitute a powerful alternative to silicon-based MEMS devices for sensing applications. Although the use of commercial photoresists as structural material in polymer MEMS has been widely reported, the integration of functional polymer materials as electromechanical transducers has not yet received the same amount of interest. In this context, we report on the design and fabrication of different electromechanical schemes based on polymeric materials ensuring different transduction functions. Piezoresistive transduction made of carbon nanotube-based nanocomposites with a gauge factor of 200 was embedded within U-shaped polymeric cantilevers operating either in static or dynamic modes. Flexible resonators with integrated piezoelectric transduction were also realized and used as efficient viscosity sensors. Finally, piezoelectric-based organic field effect transistor (OFET) electromechanical transduction exhibiting a record sensitivity of over 600 was integrated into polymer cantilevers and used as highly sensitive strain and humidity sensors. Such advances in integrated electromechanical transduction schemes should favor the development of novel all-polymer MEMS devices for flexible and wearable applications in the future.
Highlights
The last 30 years have seen the advent of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) for a wide range of applications, including digital projectors, inertial and chemical sensors
Thanks to their tailor-made synthesis or formulation enabling to finely tune their properties, polymer materials integrated into MEMS have the potential to constitute a powerful alternative to Si based-MEMS devices, just like organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are taking a major share of the global market of the smartphone and display industries [1]
We report our recent advances in electromechanical transduction mechanisms for polymer MEMS sensors
Summary
The last 30 years have seen the advent of MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) for a wide range of applications, including digital projectors, inertial (automotive, joysticks, phones) and chemical sensors. The introduction of trifluoroethylene (TrFE) units to the P(VDF) leads to a direct crystallization into a crystal structure similar to that of the β-phase of PVDF, which yields a material with a high piezoelectric effect Their electromechanical couplings are significantly lower than their inorganic counterpart, piezoelectric polymers are less expensive in terms of material cost and processing facilities by means of printing technologies [34,35]. Electromagnetic actuation has been investigated using a conducting path patterned on top of an organic cantilever, allowing Lorentz force actuation when subjected to a constant magnetic field [40] This scheme is clearly efficient, but read-out is a challenge, it is possible by generation of inductive current due to the motion of the MEMS. The presented polymeric integrated electromechanical transduction schemes offer features (high sensitivity, deformability, and biocompatibility) that significantly broaden the possibilities of these emerging MEMS
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