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Printed and Flexible Sensors 2014-2024

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Fig. 3.4 An example of integration by PolyIC

Source: IDTechEx

3.4. Capacitive pressure sensing

In a capacitive pressure sensor, a compressible material is sandwiched between two plastic films with

electrodes. When the sensor is under compression, the change in capacitance can be detected.

This can be used as an array for pressure mapping, as in the example below:

Downloaded by Dustin Song - [email protected] 28 Oct 2013 01:31:52


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According to German manufacturer Wika, thick film pressure sensors are usually made in a clean room

because impurities during the screen-printing and the burn-in process will dramatically reduce yield. Only

major manufacturers are able to operate their plants with sufficient cleanliness levels to avoid any cross-

contamination and maintain the required high process stability.

4.2. Printed piezoresistive force sensors

4.2.1. Sensor construction

These sensors are usually based on a polymer ink which can be screen printed on PET film. The ink is

loaded with conductive particles enabling some amount of electrical conductance. When the material is

under compression, the amount of force can be determined by measuring the decrease in electrical

resistance. Since the material is based on a polymer (or an elastomer) it is not hard and brittle like ceramic

piezoresistors.

The piezoresistive material is sometimes referred to as a “semiconductor”, although it has nothing to do

with electronic bandgaps such as found in silicon (to add to the confusion, silicon is also a piezoresistive

material). In the present context, it simply designates a material with a variable resistance.

Interlink was the first company to commercialize what is known as the Force Sensing Resistor (FSR). The

sensors are made with three layers: the piezoresistive polymer, a spacer adhesive, and interdigitated

electrodes (usually silver, but can also be gold-plated copper).

Fig. 4.3 Printed piezoresistive force sensor construction

Source: Interlink Electronics



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Organic sensors are up to three times more sensitive to light than conventional CMOS sensors, whose

electronic components conceal some of the pixels, and consequently the photoactive silicon surface.

Organic sensors can be manufactured without the expensive post-processing step usually required for

CMOS sensors, which involves, for example, applying micro-lenses to increase the amount of captured light.

Every part of every single pixel, including the electronics, is sprayed with the liquid polymer solution, giving

a surface that is 100 percent light-sensitive. The low noise and high frame rate properties of the organic

sensors also make them ideal for cameras. Another advantage of the plastic sensors is that different

chemical compounds can be used to capture different parts of the light spectrum.

For example, the PCBM and P3HT polymers are ideal for the detection of visible light. Other organic

compounds, like squaraine dyes, are sensitive to light in the near-infrared region.

5.3.2. Quantum dots

IDTechEx visits NikkoIA

IDTechEx visited Grenoble recently, which has a particularly large concentration of companies working on

organic, printed and/or flexible electronics in France. One of those is start-up NikkoIA, aiming to exploit the

huge development in materials for displays and photovoltaics by using them as optical sensors. The

company makes visible and infrared image sensors using a combination of organic materials and quantum

dots layered on conventional TFT/CMOS backplanes. The company intend to make the sensor element,

including digital I/O controller, and sell these to system integrators.

Fig. 5.12 CMOS VGA organic image sensor with 15µm-pixels:

Source: NikkoIA

NikkoIA coat the organic thin films onto a TFT substrate or a CMOS sensor, resulting in an optical sensor.

The organic and inorganic materials they deposit vary depending on the application i.e. what part of the

visible and infrared spectrum is needed to detect. Most of the materials are organic layers but they

integrate some quantum dots to tune the sensitivity of the device to some light wavelengths.


http://www.nikkoia.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/@_CMOS_25.jpg


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Fig. 5.15 Main drivers to replace silicon in two applications: CMOS image sensors and X-ray sensors

Source: IDTechEx

Recent news: NikkoIA SAS extends its organic imaging technology to X-rays and CMOS

substrates

NikkoIA have recently developed a version which has a scintillator layer over the light sensor. The

scintillator converts x-rays to visible light which can in turn be detected by the sensor.

Moirans/Grenoble (France) – 10th of April, 2013 – NikkoIA SAS carries on its organic image sensors

technology developments by extending its sensitivity to X-rays, and validates its compatibility with

substrates based on CMOS technology.

NikkoIA announces the production of several innovative organic image sensors, thereby confirming the

potential of its technology, and validates the technology building blocks that can be immediately

implemented to build its product lines.

NikkoIA’s technology consists in depositing thin films of photosensitive organic materials onto active or

passive reading substrates. Current products are mainly based on TFT backplanes on glass, with a

sensitivity optimized in the visible and/or 700/900nm spectrum range. The first evaluation cameras based

on these sensors have already been shipped to the company customers.



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Source: PST Sensors

The demonstrator below was made in collaboration with Blue Spark, EM Microelectronic, Fujifilm Dimatix,

CalPoly, Novacentrix, Sappi, and VTT. A cup of coffee placed on the sensing mat triggered one of the three

LEDs (Cool, Warm or Hot). PST Sensors manufactured the printed temperature sensor.

Fig. 6.5 Printed thermistor from PST sensor demonstrated at Printed Electronics Europe 2013

Source: IDTechEx



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9.2.5. ISORG, France

Company Name

ISORG

Company Ownership

Private Ownership

Company Description

History ISORG is a spin-off company from CEA LITEN, the French research laboratory from Grenoble, France. ISORG was created in May 2010 by a team of senior managers and experts coming from the high-tech or electronics industry (such as ST Microelectronics). In July 2012, ISORG opened their pilot manufacturing line (500 m2 of clean room with screen printing, gravure printing and slot die coating equipment). In 2013, they announced the construction of a production line (also in Grenoble), with an annual capacity of 1 million sheets (dimensions of plastic foils to be confirmed). Technology ISORG's technology is based on fully printed sensors. They are currently working on two types of sensors: organic photodetectors and temperature sensors. Organic photodetectors (OPD) The new technology was originally developed at CEA based on ISORG product vision. It is based on a new organic material which blends two types of semiconductors: n-type small molecules (fullerene) in a p-type polymer matrix. Most importantly, the material is solution processed, meaning it can be formulated as an ink and printed. ISORG screen-print the photoelectric layer to make photodiode devices for visible and near infra-red. Since the manufacturing process is simple and can be easily scaled to large substrates, ISORG say the OPD can be inexpensive compared to silicon photodiodes.

Plastic foil of organic photodetectors (source and copyright: ISORG)


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source: idtechex capacitive pressure sensing - sbdi.co.kr€¦ · printed and flexible sensors...

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