Implementation of a Flexible Silicon-Based Tactile Sensor Array

This study reports an easy approach to realize the flexible sensor array. The silicon-based sensor chip is discretized into small chip array. The rigid but small silicon-based pressure sensors and flexible polymer material are integrated to implement the flexible tactile sensor array. The electrical routings for sensing signals are achieved using the through-silicon interconnects and electroplated metal wires on polymer. The measurement results show that the sensitivity of tactile sensor can be up to 0.122 mV/V/kpa and the nonlinearity is about 1.7%. The bending test shows that the flexible sensor has a radius of curvature of 5.2mm. This study has successfully embedded the flexible sensor in the shoe pad to demonstrated the feasibility of wearable smart device.