Temperature sensing probe integrated with an SU-8 flexible ribbon cable for heart surgery application

This paper presents a silicon probe designed with three polysilicon resistance temperature detectors (RTDs) for heart temperature sensing in open-heart surgery. Via an integrated SU-8/Cu flexible ribbon cable for signal transmission to the instrument reader outside human body, the probe with a 40° tip angle can provide ~0.9°C sensing accuracy and sustain a 4N buckling load large enough for the probe to easily penetrate pig's myocardium. The device characteristics have shown the potential for clinical heart temperature sensing applications.