A flexible resistance temperature sensor and its fabrication method

Abstract

This invention provides a flexible resistance temperature sensor and its fabrication method, belonging to the fields of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and microfabrication technology. The flexible resistance temperature sensor comprises a patterned flexible polymer substrate and a thin film of sensing material. The flexible resistance temperature sensor proposed in this invention utilizes a patterned flexible polymer substrate, transforming the patterning of the sensing material thin film into the patterning of the flexible polymer substrate. This simplifies the sensor fabrication process, avoids processing techniques such as photolithography that are incompatible with most polymer materials, and significantly reduces the sensor's heat capacity, thus helping to shorten the sensor's thermal response time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of microelectromechanical systems and microfabrication technology, and relates to a flexible resistance temperature sensor and its preparation method. Technical Background

[0002] Temperature sensors can be categorized into resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) and thermocouples based on their sensing principles. RTDs require only one sensing material, making their fabrication relatively simple. Flexible RTD temperature sensors typically consist of a flexible substrate and a patterned sensing material film. The flexible substrate is often made of polymer materials, such as polyimide (PI), while the sensing material is usually a metal such as platinum or gold. Compared to traditional rigid substrate temperature sensors, flexible temperature sensors are deformable, lightweight, and can conformally fit the measured object, making them promising for applications in human health monitoring, environmental monitoring, and intelligent manufacturing.

[0003] Currently, the patterning of thin films for sensing materials mainly employs photolithography-based microfabrication techniques, involving processes such as photolithography, thin film deposition, and chemical etching or lift-off, making the fabrication process quite complex. Furthermore, most polymer materials used as flexible substrates are incompatible with photolithography and other processes in terms of thermal properties and chemical corrosion resistance, further increasing the difficulty of fabricating flexible resistance temperature sensors. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention proposes a flexible resistance temperature sensor and its fabrication method.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this invention is as follows:

[0006] A flexible resistance temperature sensor consists of a patterned flexible polymer substrate 1 and a sensing material thin film 2.

[0007] The material of the flexible polymer substrate 1 can be polyimide, polydimethylsiloxane, etc.

[0008] The material of the sensing material thin film 2 can be selected from platinum, gold, copper, nickel, etc.

[0009] The thickness of the sensing material thin film 2 is 10nm-1000nm, preferably 100-300nm.

[0010] A method for fabricating a flexible resistance temperature sensor includes: first, patterning a flexible polymer substrate using laser processing, photolithography, or replication molding to obtain a patterned flexible polymer substrate 1; second, depositing a sensing material thin film directly on the surface of the patterned flexible polymer substrate using magnetron sputtering, electron beam evaporation, or thermal evaporation processes to finally obtain the flexible resistance temperature sensor.

[0011] The present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0012] (1) Compared with most existing flexible resistance temperature sensors, the flexible resistance temperature sensor proposed in this invention uses a patterned polymer substrate, that is, the patterning of the sensing material thin film is transformed into the patterning of the flexible polymer substrate, which not only simplifies the sensor fabrication process, but also avoids the use of processing technology such as photolithography that is incompatible with most polymer materials.

[0013] (2) Compared with most existing flexible resistance temperature sensors, the flexible resistance temperature sensor proposed in this invention uses a patterned polymer substrate, which greatly reduces the size of the sensor and thus significantly reduces the heat capacity of the sensor, which helps to shorten the thermal response time of the sensor. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a flexible resistance temperature sensor provided by the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a patterned flexible polymer substrate.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the sensor material thin film deposited on the surface of a flexible polymer substrate.

[0017] In the figure, 1 is a flexible polymer substrate; 2 is a thin film of sensing material. Detailed Implementation

[0018] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0019] The flexible resistance temperature sensor provided by this invention consists of a patterned flexible polyimide substrate and a gold thin film.

[0020] The first step involves patterning a flexible polyimide substrate using laser processing technology to create a serpentine structure. The flexible polyimide substrate has a thickness of 75 μm, and the serpentine lines have a width of 1 mm.

[0021] The second step involves directly depositing a 200 nm thick gold film onto the patterned flexible polyimide substrate using magnetron sputtering, thus completing the fabrication of a flexible resistance temperature sensor. The thermal response time of this flexible resistance temperature sensor was measured to be 420 ms.

[0022] The above-described embodiments are merely illustrative of the implementation methods of the present invention, but should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for fabricating a flexible resistance temperature sensor, characterized in that, The process includes the following steps: First, a flexible polymer substrate is patterned using laser processing, photolithography, or replication molding to obtain a patterned flexible polymer substrate; second, a thin film of sensing material is directly deposited on the surface of the patterned flexible polymer substrate using magnetron sputtering, electron beam evaporation, or thermal evaporation to finally obtain a flexible resistance temperature sensor. The flexible resistance temperature sensor consists of a patterned flexible polymer substrate and a sensing material film; the thickness of the sensing material film is 10nm-1000nm.

2. The method for fabricating a flexible resistance temperature sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flexible polymer substrate can be made of polyimide or polydimethylsiloxane.

3. The method for fabricating a flexible resistance temperature sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the sensing material film can be selected from platinum, gold, copper, or nickel.

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