PEDOT:PSS-based micromuscles and microsensors fully integrated in flexible chips
Résumé
The demand for polymer-based soft micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) is growing due to the substantial increase of flexible and wearable electronic devices. In this context, electronically conducting polymers (ECPs) fulfil the requirements for soft MEMS by offering the possibility of actuation and sensing, however, their miniaturization, their integration attempts and their resulting performances are still limiting their use in real applications. In this work, elaboration, integration and operation of soft and efficient microtransducers based on commercially available poly(3,4-ethyledioxythiophene):poly(styrene sulfonate) conductive ink into flexible chips is demonstrated. This original process overcomes existing hurdles to the fabrication of fully integrated ECP-based devices with gold remote contacts directly in contact with ECPs and further embedding in flexible support. These batch-fabricated chips are actuated at low voltage (±3.0 V) in open-air with individual accessible electrical connections. More importantly, the mechanical strain sensing is evidenced for the first time on such small ECP-based devices after full integration and demonstrating low impact of the microfabrication process. This work opens the way for further development of soft ECP-MEMS and integration into more complex systems with possible applications in microrobotics, microfluidics, optoelectronics, biology, medicine or space.
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