Three dimensional polymer MEMS with functionalized carbon nanotubes and modified organic electronics

Polymer based MEMS is rapidly gaining momentum due to their potential for conformability and other special characteristics not available with silicon microsystems. The polymer based nano- and micro-devices are flexible, chemically and biologically compatible, available in many varieties, and can be fabricated in truly 3-D shapes. The conceived devices thus are cheap and disposable. However, in order to conceive fully functional microsystems, necessary electronics have to be integrated. A modified organic thin film TFT is used for such integration. Although the existing technology of organic TFTs can not rival the well-established silicon semiconductor technology, especially in terms of speed, they are still useful in displays, disposable devices, and sensors. Although organic TFT and polymeric MEMS have several common features that make them compatible with each other, to the best of our knowledge, no serious attempt has been made thus far for combining these technologies. This paper is aimed at bridging this gap. Examples of potential microsensors and systems, such as accelerometers and gyroscopes derived from polymer with functionalised carbon nanotubes are presented. A sensor-in-shoe demonstration will be performed at the Conference. Many issues and challenges in the design and development of polymer-based sensors with organic electronics are also addressed.