High-sensitivity sensor comprising conductive thin film containing cracks and method for manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9927311-B2
Application number	US-201414895764-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 3, 2014
Priority date	Dec 3, 2013
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A high-sensitivity sensor containing cracks is provided. The high-sensitivity sensor is obtained by forming microcracks on a conductive thin film, which is formed on top of a support, wherein the microcracks form a micro joining structure in which the microcracks are electrically changed, short-circuited or open, thereby converting external stimuli into electric signals by generating a change in a resistance value. The high-sensitivity sensor can be useful in a displacement sensor, a pressure sensor, a vibration sensor, artificial skin, a voice recognition system, and the like.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A highly sensitive sensor comprising:
a support; and
a conductive thin metal film formed on at least one side of the support,
wherein the conductive thin film includes cracks that are artificially formed according to an orientation direction, at least some of which have opposing surfaces in partial contact with each other, the crack surfaces undergo a variation in contact area or disconnection-reconnection events to cause a change in electrical resistance while moving relative to each other in response to external physical stimuli, and the sensor detects the resistance change to measure the external stimuli.

2. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the cracks are formed along grain boundaries of the conductive thin film.

3. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 2 , wherein the cracks are on a nanometer scale.

4. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the cracks are electrically shorted or open by an external stimulus to change the electrical resistance values of the conductive thin film.

5. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 4 , wherein the external stimulus is selected from displacements, vibrations, strains, pressures, and combinations thereof.

6. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the support has a multilayer structure comprising a base film and a flexible polymer layer formed on the base film.

7. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive thin film has a thickness of 0.1 nm to 1 μm.

8. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive thin film is formed of at least one conductive material selected from platinum, nickel, copper, gold, silver, iron, chromium, magnesium, zinc, tin, aluminum, cobalt, manganese, tungsten, cadmium, palladium, and carbon.

9. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor has a gauge factor of 1 to 5×10 8 .

10. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor has a pressure sensitivity of 0.1 to 1,000 kPa −1 .

11. A pressure sensor comprising the highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 .

12. A strain gauge comprising the highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 .

13. A vibration sensor comprising the highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 .

14. An artificial skin comprising the highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 .

15. A voice recognition system comprising the highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 .

16. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive thin film comprises platinum, nickel, copper, gold, silver, iron, chromium, magnesium, zinc, tin, aluminum, cobalt, manganese, tungsten, cadmium, palladium, or a mixture or alloy thereof.

17. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 1 , wherein the conductive thin film has a thickness of 20 nm to 60 nm.

18. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 6 , wherein cracks extend through the whole thickness of the conductive thin film.

19. The highly sensitive sensor according to claim 6 , wherein the flexible polymer layer has a thickness from 1 μm to 10 μm.

Assignees

• Global Frontier Ct Multiscale Energy Systems
• Seoul Nat Univ R&Db Foundation
• Research & Business Found Sungkyunkwan Univ
• Global Frontier Center Multiscale Energy Systems
• Snu R&Db Foundation
• Res & Business Foundation Sungkyunkwan Univ

Inventors

• Kang Daeshik
• Choi Yong Whan
• Lee Chanseok
• Suh Kahp-Yang
• Kim Tae-Il
• Choi Man Soo

Classifications

• H05K2203/0271

  Mechanical force other than pressure, e.g. shearing or pulling · CPC title

• H05K2201/10053

  Switch · CPC title

• H05K2201/09727

  Varying width along a single conductor; Conductors or pads having different widths · CPC title

• H05K3/16

  by cathodic sputtering · CPC title

• H05K1/167

  incorporating printed resistors · CPC title