Array flexible temperature-pressure sensor with high integration density

Abstract

The utility model relates to an array flexible temperature-pressure sensor with high integration density. The array flexible temperature-pressure sensor comprises a plurality of temperature-pressure sensing units, a flexible supporting unit, a flexible top plate and a flexible bottom plate, a first patterned electrode and a second patterned electrode are deposited on the upper surface and the lower surface of the flexible supporting unit; the first patterned electrode comprises a plurality of transversely arranged electrodes, and the second patterned electrode comprises a plurality of longitudinally arranged electrodes; through holes are formed in the intersection points of the transversely arranged electrodes and the longitudinally arranged electrodes; the thermoelectric material is deposited on the side wall of the through hole to form a plurality of temperature and pressure sensing units in matrix arrangement; the temperature and pressure sensing unit is connected with the first patterned electrode and the second patterned electrode respectively; the flexible top plate and the flexible bottom plate are attached to the upper surface and the lower surface of the flexible supporting unit. Signal lines are welded to the two ends of each electrode. The high resolution brought by the high integration density of the sensor can test the distribution condition of external physical stimulation, and can be applied to the aspects of remote detection control, machine bionics and the like.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model belongs to sensor technical field relates to a kind of high-integration density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor. BACKGROUND

[0002] Electronic skin can have strong perception ability like human skin, and has wide application prospect in the field of wearable electronic devices. By covering it on the surface of human skin, the surface of artificial limb or bionic robot, it can realize functions such as detecting the health condition of human body, data acquisition and feedback of medical equipment and real-time control. However, electronic skin that can realize the function of human skin not only needs a large number of sensors to monitor, test and distinguish various stimuli from the outside world, such as simultaneous monitoring of external pressure, temperature, humidity, sliding feeling, etc.; but also needs various sensors to be miniaturized and matrixed to better distinguish smaller objects, to approach the resolution limit of human skin, to realize simultaneous detection of in-plane distributed physical stimuli and shape resolution of small objects. However, most of the current sensors have only single sensing function, it is difficult to realize multifunctional integration and simple physical accumulation is difficult to realize miniaturization, so there is an urgent need for miniature sensors with multiple sensing functions and high integration density to form a sensing network, which is more close to the perception function of human skin. SUMMARY

[0003] To solve the above technical problems, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a kind of high-integration density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor. The combination of magnetron sputtering thin film preparation technology, femtosecond laser micro-nano processing technology, physical mask plating technology, ultraviolet ozone treatment technology, array reading identification technology, etc. realizes the miniaturization and high-density integration of single-material double-sensor.

[0004] The utility model discloses a kind of high-integration density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor, comprising: multiple matrix arrangement temperature pressure sensing unit, flexible support unit, flexible polyimide top plate and flexible polyimide bottom plate;

[0005] The flexible support unit is composed of a flexible PDMS or polyimide film, with a first patterned electrode layer deposited on its upper surface and a second patterned electrode layer deposited on its lower surface. The first patterned electrode layer consists of multiple horizontally arranged electrodes, and the second patterned electrode layer consists of multiple vertically arranged electrodes. Through holes are provided at the intersections of the horizontally and vertically arranged electrodes, and an array of through holes is arranged on the flexible support unit. Thermoelectric material is deposited on the sidewalls of each through hole to form multiple matrix-arranged temperature and pressure sensing units. The temperature and pressure sensing units in each through hole are respectively connected to the corresponding horizontally and vertically arranged electrodes. The flexible polyimide top plate and flexible polyimide bottom plate are tightly attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the flexible support unit to protect the internal temperature and pressure sensing units, the first patterned electrode layer, and the second patterned electrode layer. Signal lines are welded to both ends of each electrode.

[0006] Furthermore, the temperature and pressure sensing unit is an N-type or P-type thermoelectric unit.

[0007] Furthermore, the temperature and pressure sensing unit uses an inorganic thermoelectric material, which is directly deposited on the through-hole sidewall of the flexible support unit; the upper end of the temperature and pressure sensing unit is connected to the first patterned electrode layer, and the lower end of the temperature and pressure sensing unit is connected to the second patterned electrode layer.

[0008] Furthermore, the inorganic thermoelectric material is Bi2Te3-based, SnSe-based, or Ag2Se-based.

[0009] Furthermore, the number of horizontally arranged electrodes is the same as the number of vertically arranged electrodes.

[0010] Furthermore, the through hole is a rectangular through hole, and thermoelectric material is deposited on the four sidewalls of the through hole to form a rectangular hollow temperature and pressure sensing unit.

[0011] The high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor of this invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0012] 1. The temperature and pressure sensing unit used in this utility model can be made of various inorganic materials such as Bi2Te3-based, SnSe-based, and Ag2Se-based materials, which can meet the requirements of testing in different temperature ranges and different sensing ranges.

[0013] 2. The high-integration-density miniature flexible temperature-pressure sensor of this utility model adopts 10 patterned electrodes distributed laterally on the upper surface and 10 patterned electrodes distributed longitudinally on the lower surface. By reading signals through the cross-reading of the electrodes on the upper and lower surfaces, the signal reading of 100 matrix-distributed device units can be realized, achieving signal reading under miniaturization and high integration density, which is convenient for testing and analyzing temperature and pressure distribution.

[0014] 3. The high-integration-density miniature flexible temperature-pressure sensor of this invention is processed using femtosecond laser and galvanometer platform, with a small heat-affected zone, enabling high-precision micro-nano processing and miniaturization of the sensor.

[0015] 4. The high-integration-density miniature flexible temperature-pressure sensor of this invention utilizes inorganic thermoelectric materials deposited on the sidewalls of the through-holes in a flexible substrate to achieve out-of-plane sensing, which has a wider range of applications. Moreover, the sensing sensitivity can be improved by adjusting the inorganic thermoelectric materials.

[0016] 5. The components used in the high-integration-density miniature flexible temperature-pressure sensor of this utility model are all made of flexible materials, which enables it to better fit the curved surface and realize temperature and pressure sensing on the surface of various complex curved objects. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor according to this utility model;

[0018] 1-Flexible polyimide top plate, 2-First patterned electrode layer, 3-Temperature and pressure sensing unit, 4-Flexible support unit, 5-Second patterned electrode layer, 6-Flexible polyimide bottom plate, 41-Through hole. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The design concept of this utility model is as follows:

[0020] In fields such as smart healthcare, the Internet of Things, and AI-powered robots, specific temperature-pressure sensors are needed to detect, record, and analyze external physical stimuli (pressure, temperature) and the sensor's own condition. This requires not only excellent sensor flexibility but also miniaturization and high-density integration to achieve more accurate data measurement and surface distribution. This invention utilizes inorganic thermoelectric materials for dual temperature and pressure sensing, achieving miniaturization through femtosecond laser processing, resulting in excellent performance and significantly reduced size. However, using a single inorganic thermoelectric material for dual temperature and pressure sensing presents three problems: First, the small size of a single sensing unit makes sensor fabrication difficult; second, the inherent brittleness of high-performance inorganic thermoelectric materials makes them unsuitable for high-strain scenarios, and most flexible inorganic thermoelectric materials are planar, hindering the construction of the required temperature difference; third, the large-scale, high-density integration makes the signal electrode arrangement very complex and affects the overall device density.

[0021] To address the first issue, femtosecond lasers and galvanometer platforms are used for micro- and nano-fabrication of the required support substrates, enabling finer processing and higher precision. Magnetron sputtering technology allows for more uniform deposition of the desired inorganic thermoelectric thin film material on the prepared support substrate. To address the second issue, magnetron sputtering is used to deposit inorganic thermoelectric materials on flexible substrates such as flexible PDMS or polyimide films to meet flexibility requirements. Furthermore, different inorganic thermoelectric materials (Bi2Te3-based, SnSe-based, Ag2Se-based, etc.) are designed to accommodate varying strain levels and temperature sensing sensitivities. The femtosecond laser-processed support substrate facilitates easy deposition of inorganic thermoelectric materials on the substrate sidewalls for out-of-plane sensing, better maintaining out-of-plane temperature differences. To address the third issue mentioned above, a reasonable device array layout is used to divide the signal electrodes into a first patterned electrode and a second patterned electrode. The two electrodes are located on the upper and lower surfaces of the supporting substrate and connected to the upper and lower edges of the sensor device, respectively. At the same time, the first and second patterned electrodes are distributed at 90°, with ten on each of the upper and lower surfaces. This allows for the measurement of the device at each matrix point through the combination of electrodes on different upper and lower surfaces.

[0022] Based on the above design principles, this utility model successfully fabricated a highly integrated array flexible temperature-pressure sensor and its fabrication method, which can basically realize the sensing functions of temperature and pressure as well as array distribution measurement.

[0023] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments, details a high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor of the present invention and its fabrication method.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, a high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor of this utility model includes: multiple matrix-arranged temperature and pressure sensing units 3, flexible support units 4, flexible polyimide top plate 1, and flexible polyimide bottom plate 6.

[0025] The flexible support unit 4 is composed of a flexible PDMS or polyimide film, with a first patterned electrode layer 2 deposited on its upper surface and a second patterned electrode layer 5 deposited on its lower surface. The first patterned electrode layer 2 consists of multiple horizontally arranged electrodes, and the second patterned electrode layer 5 consists of multiple vertically arranged electrodes. Through-holes 41 are provided at the intersections of the horizontally and vertically arranged electrodes, and an array of through-holes 41 is arranged on the flexible support unit 4. Thermoelectric material is deposited on the sidewalls of each through-hole 41, forming multiple matrix-arranged temperature and pressure sensing units 3. Each temperature and pressure sensing unit 3 within each through-hole 41 is connected to the corresponding horizontally and vertically arranged electrodes. The flexible polyimide top plate 1 and flexible polyimide bottom plate 6 are tightly attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the flexible support unit 4 to protect the internal temperature and pressure sensing units 3, the first patterned electrode layer 2, and the second patterned electrode layer 5. Signal lines are welded to both ends of each electrode. The number of horizontally arranged electrodes is the same as the number of vertically arranged electrodes.

[0026] In specific implementation, the temperature and pressure sensing unit is an N-type or P-type thermoelectric unit. The N-type or P-type thermoelectric units are arrayed and attached to the corresponding through-hole sidewalls of the flexible support unit 4. The second patterned electrode layer 5 on the lower surface of the flexible support unit 4 is connected to the lower end of each temperature and pressure sensing unit 3. The second patterned electrode layer 5 consists of 10 longitudinally arranged electrodes, each connected to the lower end of one of the 10 temperature and pressure sensing units 3. The first patterned electrode layer 2 on the upper surface of the flexible support unit 4 consists of 10 laterally arranged electrodes, perpendicular to the longitudinally arranged electrodes, and connected to the upper end of each temperature and pressure sensing unit 3. By cross-reading signals through the 10 laterally distributed patterned electrodes on the upper surface and the 10 longitudinally distributed patterned electrodes on the lower surface, signal reading can be achieved from 100 matrix-distributed device units, enabling signal reading under miniaturization and high integration density, facilitating the testing and analysis of temperature and pressure distribution.

[0027] In specific implementation, the temperature and pressure sensing unit 3 uses inorganic thermoelectric materials, specifically Bi2Te3-based, SnSe-based, and Ag2Se-based materials. It can simultaneously provide corresponding signal feedback to temperature and pressure stimuli, and is directly deposited on the through-hole sidewalls of the flexible support unit to ensure good flexibility.

[0028] In a specific implementation, the through hole 41 is a rectangular through hole, and thermoelectric material is deposited on the four side walls of the through hole to form a rectangular hollow temperature and pressure sensing unit 3.

[0029] The high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor of this invention is manufactured using the following method, including the following steps:

[0030] Step 1: Using mask deposition technology, multiple laterally distributed electrodes are deposited on the upper surface of the flexible support unit 4 to form the first patterned electrode 2, specifically:

[0031] Step 1.1: Fabricate a patterned mask for the deposition electrode.

[0032] Step 1.2: Fit the patterned mask tightly to the flexible support unit.

[0033] Step 1.3: Deposit multiple laterally distributed electrodes using magnetron sputtering.

[0034] Step 2: Using the same method as in Step 1, multiple longitudinally distributed electrodes are deposited on the lower surface of the flexible support unit 4 using mask deposition technology to form the second patterned electrode 5; the number of longitudinally distributed electrodes is the same as the number of transversely distributed electrodes.

[0035] In specific implementation, a polyimide film or PDMS film with a thickness of 100um-300um is cut into a 20mm×20mm square sheet. Then, a pre-prepared stainless steel mask is attached to the cut polyimide film or PDMS film. Cr / Pt or Cr / Au electrodes are deposited on the upper and lower surfaces using magnetron sputtering technology to form a first patterned electrode 2 and a second patterned electrode 5, wherein the electrode layer thickness is 100nm-300nm.

[0036] Step 3: Using femtosecond laser processing technology, through holes 41 with flat sidewalls are fabricated at the intersection of the horizontally arranged electrodes and the vertically arranged electrodes. Multiple through hole arrays are set on the flexible support unit 4, specifically as follows:

[0037] Step 3.1: Based on the intersection of the horizontally arranged electrodes and the vertically arranged electrodes, draw the matrix processing pattern of the part to be removed on the flexible support unit.

[0038] Step 3.2: Fit the flexible support unit tightly onto the processing displacement stage, and ensure that the surface of the flexible support unit is flat and perpendicular to the femtosecond incident beam.

[0039] Step 3.3: Based on the matrix processing pattern, a low-power incident light is used, and a galvanometer processing platform is used for cleaning.

[0040] Step 3.4: The vertical displacement stage needs to be adjusted after each sweep to ensure that the femtosecond laser focus is on the flexible support unit.

[0041] Step 3.5: Repeat the sweeping process multiple times until penetration is achieved, thus completing the processing of multiple through holes arranged in a matrix on the flexible support unit.

[0042] Step 4: Using mask deposition technology, inorganic thermoelectric material is deposited inside the processed through-holes. The deposition of the inorganic thermoelectric material is controlled to occur on and near the sidewalls of the through-holes, ensuring that the upper and lower ends of the temperature and pressure sensing units can be connected and conductive to the first and second patterned electrodes, respectively. This ultimately forms multiple temperature and pressure sensing units arranged in a matrix, specifically:

[0043] Step 4.1: Fabricate a patterned mask for the deposition temperature and pressure sensing unit.

[0044] Step 4.2: Fit the patterned mask tightly to the flexible support unit and align the through holes.

[0045] Step 4.3: Inorganic thermoelectric material is uniformly deposited on the through-hole sidewall of the flexible support unit with the mask attached to form multiple temperature and pressure sensing units arranged in a matrix. The upper and lower ends of each temperature and pressure sensing unit are connected to the first patterned electrode and the second patterned electrode, respectively.

[0046] The inorganic thermoelectric material can respond to both temperature and pressure simultaneously, and specifically adopts Bi2Te3-based, SnSe-based, and Ag2Se-based materials.

[0047] Step 5: Use ultraviolet ozone treatment technology to bond the flexible polyimide top plate, flexible polyimide bottom plate and the upper and lower surfaces of the flexible support unit to ensure tight bonding.

[0048] In specific implementation, 80nm of SiO2 is deposited on the lower surface of the flexible polyimide top plate 1 and the upper surface of the flexible polyimide bottom plate 6 using mask deposition technology. The lower surface of the flexible polyimide top plate 1, the upper surface of the flexible polyimide bottom plate 6, and the upper and lower surfaces of the flexible support unit 4 are treated using ultraviolet ozone treatment technology. After the flexible polyimide top plate 1, the flexible support unit 4, and the flexible polyimide bottom plate 6 are aligned and bonded, a pressure of 1000Pa is applied, and the mixture is heated in a baking oven at 100℃ for 30 minutes to achieve irreversible bonding.

[0049] Step 6: Weld signal lines to both ends of each electrode to create a miniature flexible temperature-pressure sensor.

[0050] Following the above steps, the required high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor can be successfully fabricated. The sensor prepared using this method exhibits excellent flexibility and temperature and pressure distribution resolution, and is expected to play a significant role in fields such as remote detection and control, human-computer interaction, and bionic machine learning.

[0051] The following examples further explain or illustrate the content of this utility model.

[0052] Example 1: Robotic Bionic Skin

[0053] By attaching the highly integrated array of miniature flexible temperature-pressure sensors of this invention to the bionic finger of a humanoid robot, it is possible to achieve the ability of a human finger to sense temperature and pressure, and also to sense the distribution of temperature and pressure, thereby sensing the shape and temperature distribution of the touched object. When the bionic robotic hand touches a small object (such as a grain of rice or a screw), the external computing circuit can detect, record, and analyze the voltage and resistance changes generated by each miniature temperature sensing unit touching the object, thus obtaining the sensed temperature and pressure values ​​corresponding to each point in the array. Analyzing the array distribution results reveals the shape and temperature distribution of the touched object. In industrial automation, it can perform dangerous or complex tasks, such as destroying objects, picking up or reassembling parts; in the medical field, it assists surgical robots in performing delicate operations, mimicking the precision and dexterity of the human hand; in the field of service robots, it is used for sorting, arranging, and cleaning items in the home environment.

[0054] Example 2: Intelligent Medical Health Detection

[0055] This invention utilizes a highly integrated, miniature, flexible temperature-pressure sensor, which is attached to the prosthesis wearing area. During prosthesis fitting monitoring, the high-density sensor array can collect real-time information on muscle pressure and temperature distribution at the wearing site, providing a scientific basis for assessing prosthesis fit. This technology helps medical teams dynamically understand the patient's muscle state while wearing the prosthesis, including whether there is excessive pressure or unfavorable temperature distribution, thereby optimizing prosthesis design and wearing protocols. Real-time monitoring effectively improves prosthesis comfort, functionality, and patient experience, while reducing the risk of complications due to improper prosthesis wearing, providing a high-precision and efficient solution for intelligent medical health monitoring.

[0056] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the concept of the present utility model. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor, characterized in that, include: Multiple matrix-arranged temperature and pressure sensing units, flexible support units, flexible polyimide top plate, and flexible polyimide bottom plate; The flexible support unit is composed of a flexible PDMS or polyimide film, with a first patterned electrode layer deposited on its upper surface and a second patterned electrode layer deposited on its lower surface. The first patterned electrode layer consists of multiple horizontally arranged electrodes, and the second patterned electrode layer consists of multiple vertically arranged electrodes. Through holes are provided at the intersections of the horizontally and vertically arranged electrodes, and an array of through holes is arranged on the flexible support unit. Thermoelectric material is deposited on the sidewalls of each through hole to form multiple matrix-arranged temperature and pressure sensing units. The temperature and pressure sensing units in each through hole are respectively connected to the corresponding horizontally and vertically arranged electrodes. The flexible polyimide top plate and flexible polyimide bottom plate are tightly attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the flexible support unit to protect the internal temperature and pressure sensing units, the first patterned electrode layer, and the second patterned electrode layer. Signal lines are welded to both ends of each electrode.

2. The high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature and pressure sensing unit is an N-type or P-type thermoelectric unit.

3. The high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The temperature and pressure sensing unit uses an inorganic thermoelectric material, which is directly deposited on the through-hole sidewall of the flexible support unit; the upper end of the temperature and pressure sensing unit is connected to the first patterned electrode layer, and the lower end of the temperature and pressure sensing unit is connected to the second patterned electrode layer.

4. The high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The inorganic thermoelectric material is Bi2Te3-based, SnSe-based, or Ag2Se-based.

5. The high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of horizontally arranged electrodes is the same as the number of vertically arranged electrodes.

6. The high-integration-density array flexible temperature-pressure sensor as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The through-hole is a rectangular through-hole, and thermoelectric material is deposited on the four sidewalls of the through-hole to form a rectangular hollow temperature and pressure sensing unit.

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