Film sensors

strain gauges

• which are grid-type resistance structures whose

geometric stretching and compression result in a
measurable resistance change due to length and
thickness differences induced.
strain gauges
• Especially in the case of measuring small forces, the use of conventional foil
strain gauges is limited.
• Strain gauges in thin film technology present a potential solution to
overcome these.
 Thin-film sensors

• For a thin-film sensor, four resistors are arranged

on a diaphragm in the form of a Wheatstone
bridge to detect the deformation of the diaphragm
under pressure.
Thin-film Force sensors
Thin film sensor technology
An electrically insulating layer
completely covering the body.
By this layer, an electrical
separation of the metallic and
therefore electrically conducting
deformation element from the
following metallic sensor layer
is achieved.
 Thin film sensor technology
• An electrically insulating layer completely covering the body.
• By this layer, an electrical separation of the metallic and therefore
electrically conducting deformation element from the following
metallic sensor layer is achieved.
• To achieve the conductive paths and, thereby, the geometry of the
sensor pattern, the second layer (i.e., the sensor layer) is structured
by photolithography.
 Thick-film sensors
• Thick-film sensors, like thin-film sensors, use four resistors grouped
to form a Wheatstone bridge.
• The resistance structures are “printed” onto a base element using
thick-film technology, and afterwards they are burnt-in at high
temperature.
• The resistance change here is also due to the deformation of the
diaphragm, resulting from the geometrical change caused by the
stretching and compression of the material.