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Direct transfer of magnetic sensor devices to elastomeric supports for stretchable electronics
2015, Melzer, Michael, Karnaushenko, Daniil, Lin, Gungun, Baunack, Stefan, Makarov, Denys, Schmidt, Oliver G.
A novel fabrication method for stretchable magnetoresistive sensors is introduced, which allows the transfer of a complex microsensor systems prepared on common rigid donor substrates to prestretched elastomeric membranes in a single step. This direct transfer printing method boosts the fabrication potential of stretchable magnetoelectronics in terms of miniaturization and level of complexity, and provides strain‐invariant sensors up to 30% tensile deformation.
High-performance giant magnetoresistive sensorics on flexible Si membranes
2015, Pérez, Nicolás, Melzer, Michael, Makarov, Denys, Ueberschär, Olaf, Ecke, Ramona, Schulz, Stefan E., Schmidt, Oliver G.
We fabricate high-performance giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensorics on Si wafers, which are subsequently thinned down to 100 μm or 50 μm to realize mechanically flexible sensing elements. The performance of the GMR sensors upon bending is determined by the thickness of the Si membrane. Thus, bending radii down to 15.5 mm and 6.8 mm are achieved for the devices on 100 μm and 50 μm Si supports, respectively. The GMR magnitude remains unchanged at the level of (15.3 ± 0.4)% independent of the support thickness and bending radius. However, a progressive broadening of the GMR curve is observed associated with the magnetostriction of the containing Ni81Fe19 alloy, which is induced by the tensile bending strain generated on the surface of the Si membrane. An effective magnetostriction value of λs = 1.7 × 10−6 is estimated for the GMR stack. Cyclic bending experiments showed excellent reproducibility of the GMR curves during 100 bending cycles.
Wearable magnetic field sensors for flexible electronics
2014, Melzer, Michael, Mönch, Jens Ingolf, Makarov, Denys, Zabila, Yevhen, Bermúdez, Gilbert Santiago Cañón, Karnaushenko, Daniil, Baunack, Stefan, Bahr, Falk, Yan, Chenglin, Kaltenbrunner, Martin, Schmidt, Oliver G.
Highly flexible bismuth Hall sensors on polymeric foils are fabricated, and the key optimization steps that are required to boost their sensitivity to the bulk value are identified. The sensor can be bent around the wrist or positioned on the finger to realize an interactive pointing device for wearable electronics. Furthermore, this technology is of great interest for the rapidly developing market of eMobility, for optimization of eMotors and magnetic bearings.
Shapeable magnetoelectronics
2016, Makarov, Denys, Melzer, Michael, Karnaushenko, Daniil, Schmidt, Oliver G.
Inorganic nanomembranes are shapeable (flexible, printable, and even stretchable) and transferrable to virtually any substrate. These properties build the core concept for new technologies, which transform otherwise rigid high-speed devices into their shapeable counterparts. This research is motivated by the eagerness of consumer electronics towards being thin, lightweight, flexible, and even wearable. The realization of this concept requires all building blocks as we know them from rigid electronics (e.g., active elements, optoelectronics, magnetoelectronics, and energy storage) to be replicated in the form of (multi)functional nanomembranes, which can be reshaped on demand after fabrication. There are already a variety of shapeable devices commercially available, i.e., electronic displays, energy storage elements, and integrated circuitry, to name a few. From the beginning, the main focus was on the fabrication of shapeable high-speed electronics and optoelectronics. Only very recently, a new member featuring magnetic functionalities was added to the family of shapeable electronics. With their unique mechanical properties, the shapeable magnetic field sensor elements readily conform to ubiquitous objects of arbitrary shapes including the human skin. This feature leads electronic skin systems beyond imitating the characteristics of its natural archetype and extends their cognition to static and dynamic magnetic fields that by no means can be perceived by human beings naturally. Various application fields of shapeable magnetoelectronics are proposed. The developed sensor platform can equip soft electronic systems with navigation, orientation, motion tracking, and touchless control capabilities. A variety of novel technologies, such as smart textiles, soft robotics and actuators, active medical implants, and soft consumer electronics, will benefit from these new magnetic functionalities. This review reflects the establishment of shapeable magnetic sensorics, describing the entire development from the first attempts to verify the functional concept to the realization of ready-to-use highly compliant and strain invariant sensor devices with remarkable robustness.
Imperceptible magnetoelectronics
2015, Melzer, Michael, Kaltenbrunner, Martin, Makarov, Denys, Karnaushenko, Dmitriy, Karnaushenko, Daniil, Sekitani, Tsuyoshi, Someya, Takao, Schmidt, Oliver G.
Future electronic skin aims to mimic nature’s original both in functionality and appearance. Although some of the multifaceted properties of human skin may remain exclusive to the biological system, electronics opens a unique path that leads beyond imitation and could equip us with unfamiliar senses. Here we demonstrate giant magnetoresistive sensor foils with high sensitivity, unmatched flexibility and mechanical endurance. They are <2 μm thick, extremely flexible (bending radii <3 μm), lightweight (≈3 g m−2) and wearable as imperceptible magneto-sensitive skin that enables proximity detection, navigation and touchless control. On elastomeric supports, they can be stretched uniaxially or biaxially, reaching strains of >270% and endure over 1,000 cycles without fatigue. These ultrathin magnetic field sensors readily conform to ubiquitous objects including human skin and offer a new sense for soft robotics, safety and healthcare monitoring, consumer electronics and electronic skin devices.