Polymer based microcantilevers are known to have higher sensitivity than their silicon counterparts for surface stress sensing, owing to the lower Young’s modulus of polymers. This letter reports the development of parylene cantilevers integrated with polycrystalline silicon piezoresistors for the detection of chemical or biological molecules based on the surface stress sensing principle. The justification of using parylene is presented with theoretical calculations along with finite element simulation. The fabrication process employed for making these devices is also reported. The functionality of the sensor was preliminarily proven by the detection of octanethiol vapors. The stability of the sensor in water was demonstrated as well.

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This paper reports the successful prototype development of a novel intelligent textile technology based on the integration of silicon flexible skins with regular textiles.This novel approach enables the embedding of sensing and computational components into textiles without compromising the flexibility of the textiles. Silicon flexible skins comprising of arrays of silicon islands integrated with boron doped strain gauges and metal pads were successfully fabricated using micromachining techniques. Prototypes of intelligent textiles were developed by stitching the silicon flexible skins onto the surface of textiles. The preliminary test demonstrated excellent durability of the prototypes. The strain experienced by the silicon islands was monitored in real-time using the integrated strain gauge when the prototype was mechanically deformed. These strain data provide valuable information for the further optimization and the next stage development of the intelligent textile technology.

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