Flexible electronics sensors for tactile multiscanning

Flexible electronics sensors are designed and fabricated for tactile multiscanning and large area applications. The algorithm matrix is derived for multiscanning switch of tactile sensing. The thixotropy materials, bump, and resistance material are printed on the polyimide substrate. A gap between the top electrode and the resistance layers provides a buffer distance to increase the radius of curvature for large bending. Experiment results show that a flexible electronics sensor with a printed a resistance layer and an algorithm matrix performed the multiscanning functions. The membrane without a bump had a delay time of about 0.2 s at the transient response and took a longer time to reach the stable state after a force is applied. For printing thick structures on the flexible substrates, diffusion effects, and dimensional shrinkages can be reduced by using a thixotropy material with a high viscosity. The probability distribution density of the printed resistance values, a thickness of about 23.2 microm, at two standard deviations from the mean values is about 81.2%. Feasibility studies show that screen printing is appropriate for large area applications and is a low-cost technology for fabricating flexible electronics sensors.