74 research outputs found
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Compact helical antenna for smart implant applications
Smart implants are envisioned to revolutionize personal health care by assessing physiological processes, for example, upon wound healing, and communicating these data to a patient or medical doctor. The compactness of the implants is crucial to minimize discomfort during and after implantation. The key challenge in realizing small-sized smart implants is high-volume cost- and time-efficient fabrication of a compact but efficient antenna, which is impedance matched to 50âΩ, as imposed by the requirements of modern electronics. Here, we propose a novel route to realize arrays of 5.5-mm-long normal mode helical antennas operating in the industry-scientific-medical radio bands at 5.8 and 2.4âGHz, relying on a self-assembly process that enables large-scale high-yield fabrication of devices. We demonstrate the transmission and receiving signals between helical antennas and the communication between an antenna and a smartphone. Furthermore, we successfully access the response of an antenna embedded in a tooth, mimicking a dental implant. With a diameter of ~0.2âmm, these antennas are readily implantable using standard medical syringes, highlighting their suitability for in-body implant applications
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Active Matrix Flexible Sensory Systems: Materials, Design, Fabrication, and Integration
A variety of modern applications including soft robotics, prosthetics, and health monitoring devices that cover electronic skins (e-skins), wearables as well as implants have been developed within the last two decades to bridge the gap between artificial and biological systems. During this development, high-density integration of various sensing modalities into flexible electronic devices becomes vitally important to improve the perception and interaction of the human bodies and robotic appliances with external environment. As a key component in flexible electronics, the flexible thin-film transistors (TFTs) have seen significant advances, allowing for building flexible active matrices. The flexible active matrices have been integrated with distributed arrays of sensing elements, enabling the detection of signals over a large area. The integration of sensors within pixels of flexible active matrices has brought the application scenarios to a higher level of sophistication with many advanced functionalities. Herein, recent progress in the active matrix flexible sensory systems is reviewed. The materials used to construct the semiconductor channels, the dielectric layers, and the flexible substrates for the active matrices are summarized. The pixel designs and fabrication strategies for the active matrix flexible sensory systems are briefly discussed. The applications of the flexible sensory systems are exemplified by reviewing pressure sensors, temperature sensors, photodetectors, magnetic sensors, and biosignal sensors. At the end, the recent development is summarized and the vision on the further advances of flexible active matrix sensory systems is provided
Biomimetic microelectronics for regenerative neuronal cuff implants
Smart biomimetics, a unique class of devices combining the mechanical adaptivity of soft actuators with the imperceptibility of microelectronics, is introduced. Due to their inherent ability to selfâassemble, biomimetic microelectronics can firmly yet gently attach to an inorganic or biological tissue enabling enclosure of, for example, nervous fibers, or guide the growth of neuronal cells during regeneration
High-performance magnetic sensorics for printable and flexible electronics
Highâperformance giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensorics are realized, which are printed at predefined locations on flexible circuitry. Remarkably, the printed magnetosensors remain fully operational over the complete consumer temperature range and reveal a giant magnetoresistance up to 37% and a sensitivity of 0.93 Tâ1 at 130 mT. With these specifications, printed magnetoelectronics can be controlled using flexible active electronics for the realization of smart packaging and energyâefficient switches
Rolled-up self-assembly of compact magnetic inductors, transformers and resonators
Three-dimensional self-assembly of lithographically patterned ultrathin films
opens a path to manufacture microelectronic architectures with functionalities
and integration schemes not accessible by conventional two-dimensional
technologies. Among other microelectronic components, inductances,
transformers, antennas and resonators often rely on three-dimensional
configurations and interactions with electromagnetic fields requiring
exponential fabrication efforts when downscaled to the micrometer range. Here,
the controlled self-assembly of functional structures is demonstrated. By
rolling-up ultrathin films into cylindrically shaped microelectronic devices we
realized electromagnetic resonators, inductive and mutually coupled coils.
Electrical performance of these devices is improved purely by transformation of
a planar into a cylindrical geometry. This is accompanied by an overall
downscaling of the device footprint area by more than 50 times. Application of
compact self-assembled microstructures has significant impact on electronics,
reducing size, fabrication efforts, and offering a wealth of new features in
devices by 3D shaping.Comment: 19 pages, 3 figures, 6 supplementary figure
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RolledâUp SelfâAssembly of Compact Magnetic Inductors, Transformers, and Resonators
3D self-assembly of lithographically patterned ultrathin films opens a path to manufacture microelectronic architectures with functionalities and integration schemes not accessible by conventional 2D technologies. Among other microelectronic components, inductances, transformers, antennas, and resonators often rely on 3D configurations and interactions with electromagnetic fields requiring exponential fabrication efforts when downscaled to the micrometer range. Here, the controlled self-assembly of functional structures is demonstrated. By rolling up ultrathin films into cylindrically shaped microelectronic devices, electromagnetic resonators, inductive and mutually coupled coils are realized. Electrical performance of these devices is improved purely by transformation of a planar into a cylindrical geometry. This is accompanied by an overall downscaling of the device footprint area by more than 50 times. Application of compact self-assembled microstructures has significant impact on electronics, reducing size, fabrication efforts, and offering a wealth of new features in devices by 3D shaping
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Magnetosensitive e-skins with directional perception for augmented reality
Electronic skins equipped with artificial receptors are able to extend our perception beyond the modalities that have naturally evolved. These synthetic receptors offer complimentary information on our surroundings and endow us with novel means of manipulating physical or even virtual objects. We realize highly compliant magnetosensitive skins with directional perception that enable magnetic cognition, body position tracking, and touchless object manipulation. Transfer printing of eight high-performance spin valve sensors arranged into two Wheatstone bridges onto 1.7-mm-thick polyimide foils ensures mechanical imperceptibility. This resembles a new class of interactive devices extracting information from the surroundings through magnetic tags. We demonstrate this concept in augmented reality systems with virtual knob-turning functions and the operation of virtual dialing pads, based on the interaction with magnetic fields. This technology will enable a cornucopia of applications from navigation, motion tracking in robotics, regenerative medicine, and sports and gaming to interaction in supplemented reality
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Mechanical Characterization of Compact Rolled-up Microtubes Using In Situ Scanning Electron Microscopy Nanoindentation and Finite Element Analysis
Self-assembled Swiss-roll microstructures (SRMs) are widely explored to build up microelectronic devices such as capacitors, transistors, or inductors as well as sensors and lab-in-a-tube systems. These devices often need to be transferred to a special position on a microchip or printed circuit board for the final application. Such a device transfer is typically conducted by a pick-and-place process exerting enormous mechanical loads onto the 3D components that may cause catastrophic failure of the device. Herein, the mechanical deformation behavior of SRMs using experiments and simulations is investigated. SRMs using in situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with nanoindentation are characterized. This allows us to mimic and characterize mechanical loads as they occur in a pick-and-place process. The deformation response of SRMs depends on three geometrical factors, i.e., the number of windings, compactness of consecutive windings, and inner diameter of the microtube. Nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) showing good agreement with experiments is performed. It is believed that the insights into the mechanical loading of 3D self-assembled architectures will lead to novel techniques suitable for a new generation of pick-and-place machines operating at the microscale. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Engineering Materials published by Wiley-VCH Gmb
A new dimension for magnetosensitive e-skins: active matrix integrated micro-origami sensor arrays
Magnetic sensors are widely used in our daily life for assessing the position and orientation of objects. Recently, the magnetic sensing modality has been introduced to electronic skins (e-skins), enabling remote perception of moving objects. However, the integration density of magnetic sensors is limited and the vector properties of the magnetic field cannot be fully explored since the sensors can only perceive field components in one or two dimensions. Here, we report an approach to fabricate high-density integrated active matrix magnetic sensor with three-dimensional (3D) magnetic vector field sensing capability. The 3D magnetic sensor is composed of an array of self-assembled micro-origami cubic architectures with biased anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) sensors manufactured in a wafer-scale process. Integrating the 3D magnetic sensors into an e-skin with embedded magnetic hairs enables real-time multidirectional tactile perception. We demonstrate a versatile approach for the fabrication of active matrix integrated 3D sensor arrays using micro-origami and pave the way for new electronic devices relying on the autonomous rearrangement of functional elements in space
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Entirely flexible on-site conditioned magnetic sensorics
The first entirely flexible integrated magnetic field sensor system is realized consisting of a flexible giant magnetoresistive bridge onâsite conditioned using highâperformance IGZOâbased readout electronics. The system outperforms commercial fully integrated rigid magnetic sensors by at least one order of magnitude, whereas all components stay fully functional when bend to a radius of 5 mm
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