Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
MEMS force sensors fabricated using paper substrates
MEMS devices fabricated using inexpensive substrate materials such as paper or fabric, are provided. Using paper as a substrate, low cost, simple to prepare, lightweight, disposable piezoresistive sensors, including accelerometers are prepared. Signal-processing circuitry can also be patterned on the substrate material.The sensors can be utilized as two-dimensional sensors, or the paper substrate material can be folded to arrange the sensors in a three dimensional conformation. For example, three sensors can be patterned on a paper substrate and folded into a cube such that the three sensors are orthogonally positioned on the faces of a cube, permitting simultaneous measurement of accelerations along three orthogonal directions (x-y-z). These paper-based sensors can be mass produced by incorporating highly developed technologies for automatic paper cutting, folding, and screen-printing.Also provided are methods of modifying paper for use as a substrate material in MEMS devices.
President and Fellows of Harvard College
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G01P G01G B81C B81B G01P G01P G01L G01P
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XiuJun Xinyu Martin M. Yu Michael George
Li Liu Thuo Sun O'Brien Whitesides