Micro sensors

Class 3
 Microchemical sensors
• Sense particular chemical compound, various types of gases
• Material sensitivity to specific chemicals is the basic principle of chemical
sensors
• Presence of a particular molecule as detected by a chemical sensor needs to
be rapid and the sample size is on microscale
• Chemiresistor sensors – Special polymers like phthalocyanine, when used
with metal cause changes in the conductivity when the polymer is exposed
to certain gases. Phthalocyanine detects NH3 and NO2
• Phthalocyanines (Pcs) are organic compounds able to act as chemical
recognition systems because of the various physical effects induced in them
by interaction with a large number of gases.
• Chemicapacitor sensors – certain polymers can be used as the dielectrics in
capacitors. When these polymers are exposed to particular gases dielectric
constant is altered. Polyphenyl acetylene is used to sense CO,CO2, N2 and
CH4
• Chemimechanical sensors – Certain polymers that change shape
when they are exposed to chemicals, moisture. Such chemicals can be
detected by measuring the change of dimensions. Eg moisture sensor
using pyraline PI-2722
• Metal oxide gas sensor – principle same as that of chemiresistor
sensor. Semiconducting materials such as SnO2 change their electrical
resistance after absorbing certain gases
• Deposition of metallic catalysts on the surface of the sensor speeds
up reactions and hence increases the sensitivity
Thermal sensors
• Sensors for measuring thermal properties such as temperature
• Sensors based on thermal transfer principles
• Thermal transfer process - through conduction, convection or radiation
depends on certain physical variables such as spacing between objects ,
travel velocity of media and properties of materials and media
• Many measurement tasks, sensing the distance, acceleration, flow
speed, material characteristics can be achieved
• Thermal bimorph sensors are unique to MEMS field
• Thermal bimetallic effect is a very commonly used method for sensing
• This effect allows temp variation in microstructures to be exhibited as
transverse displacement of mechanical beams
• Bimorph is two materials joined along their longitudinal axis.
• Materials have same length, but different CTE
• With a temp rise of ΔT, length changes unequally.
• Beam must curve towards the material with low CTE.
• Transverse bending due to ΔT
 Microactuators

• Actuator is a mechanical device for moving something

• Actuator involves motion in microsystem
• Principal means for actuation at microscales are – Thermal forces, SMA,
Piezoelectric crystals and electrostatic forces
• Actuators are designed to deliver a desired motion when it is driven by a
power source
• At macroscales, electrical actuators are driven by electromagnetic
induction, governed by Faraday’s law
• At microscales there is little room for electrical conducting coils required
for electromagnetic induction
Microactuation using SMA (Nitinol)

• Metal alloy of Ni and Ti ( naval ordance lab)

• An SMA strip is originally bent at a predesigned temp T
• SMA is attached to a silicon cantilever beam
• Heating the beam with the attached strip to Temp T would prompt
the strip’s memory to return to its original shape
• Deformation of the strip causes the cantilever to actuate
• This type of actuation extensively used in micro rotary actuators,
microsprings etc
2D view of nitinol's crystalline structure
during cooling/heating cycle
Microactuator using piezoelectric crystals
• Crystal is attached to flexible silicon beam in a microactuator
• Applied voltage deforms the crystal which in turn bends the canilever
Electrostatic actuation
• Energy associated with this applied electric potential can be
expressed as
U=-C=-

The electrostatic force that is normal to the plates can be derived from the
above equation

= = -