Capacitive Force Sensor with Wide Dynamic Range Using Wrinkled Micro Structures as Dielectric Layer

We propose a wide dynamic range capacitive force sensor with two wrinkle-structured elastomer layers as a dielectric layer. The sensor consists of electrodes on each substrate and two dielectric layers between them. The electrode is made of platinum and fabricated by using a lift-off process. The polyimide film is used as a substrate. Two wrinkle-structured dielectric layers, which are placed in perpendicular direction, are made by poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) replica molding process. With the pressure applied on the device, dielectric layers deform while decreasing distance between the electrodes and thus increasing the capacitance of the sensor. The orthogonally positioned wrinkled structures make possible to increase the dynamic range of the capacitive cell. The proposed capacitive sensor operates in the pressure range of 1 MPa with the maximum sensitivity of 0.06%/kPa.