Journal of Sensor Science and Technology (센서학회지)

The Korean Sensors Society (한국센서학회)
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A Simple Capacitive Sensor Array Based on a Metal-Insulator-Metal Structure

  • Lee, Hee-Ho (School of Electronics Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Choi, Jin-Hyeon (Department of Sensor and Display Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Ahn, Jung-Il (Department of Sensor and Display Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Kim, Chang-Soo (Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Department of Biological Sciences, Missouri University of Science and Technology) ;
  • Shin, Jang-Kyoo (School of Electronics Engineering, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2012.02.03
  • Accepted : 2012.02.15
  • Published : 2012.03.31
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Abstract

A simple array of metal-insulator-metal capacitive elements was proposed for a potential application in humidity sensing platforms. We fabricated meso-scale sensors with different sizes(large-size: $2.7{\times}2.7mm^2$ ; mid-size: $1.5{\times}1.5mm^2$ ; small-size: $0.7{\times}0.7mm^2$) and characterized the performance of each design. Polyimide films were utilized as a humidity-sensitive layer. Capacitance changes of the polyimide layer were measured with respect to water absorption. The device showed sensitivity in the full range of relative humidity (RH) with excellent linearity(correlation coefficient > 0.994). This array structure exhibits unique advantages including easy fabrication process, high batch productivity, and high structural compatibility with various substrate materials. It is anticipated that this device structure will be potentially useful in unique applications including mapping spatial humidity variations over a meso-scale area and implementing flexible humidity sensing element arrays.

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References

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