In this work we report on the fabrication process for the development of a flexible piezopolymeric transducer for health monitoring applications, based on lead-free, piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) thin films. All the selected materials are compatible with the space environment and were deposited by the RF magnetron sputtering technique at room temperature, in view of preserving the total flexibility of the structures, which is an important requirement to guarantee coupling with cylindrical fuel tanks whose integrity we want to monitor. The overall transducer architecture was made of a c-axis-oriented ZnO thin film coupled to a pair of flexible Polyimide foils coated with gold (Au) electrodes. The fabrication process started with the deposition of the bottom electrode on Polyimide foils. The ZnO thin film and the top electrode were then deposited onto the Au/Polyimide substrates. Both the electrodes and ZnO layer were properly patterned by wet-chemical etching and optical lithography. The assembly of the final structure was then obtained by gluing the upper and lower Polyimide foils with an epoxy resin capable of guaranteeing low outgassing levels, as well as adequate thermal and electrical insulation of the transducers. The piezoelectric behavior of the prototypes was confirmed and evaluated by measuring the mechanical displacement induced from the application of an external voltage.

The electrical conductance response of single ZnO microwire functionalized with amine-groups was tested upon an acid pH variation of a solution environment after integration on a customized gold electrode array chip. ZnO microwires were easily synthesized by hydrothermal route and chemically functionalized with aminopropyl groups. Single wires were deposited from the solution and then oriented through dielectrophoresis across eight nanogap gold electrodes on a platform single chip. Therefore, eight functionalized ZnO microwire-gold junctions were formed at the same time, and being integrated on an ad hoc electronic platform, they were ready for testing without any further treatment. Experimental and simulation studies confirmed the high pH-responsive behavior of the amine-modified ZnO-gold junctions, obtaining in a simple and reproducible way a ready-to-use device for pH detection in the acidic range. We also compared this performance to bare ZnO wires on the same electronic platform, showing the superiority in pH response of the amine-functionalized material.

Purpose: In this process the electrical contact is brought to the backside of a standard silicon wafer. The details of the entire process are disclosed, from the photolithography processes to the electrodepositing step, and a model for electrical contact was designed. Design/methodology/approach: The localized Cu growth of high aspect ratio (AR) microstructures was obtained through an SU-8 photolithography by exploiting the optimal adhesion on the silicon surface and the possibility of generating thick layers with a single spun process Findings: The experimental results showed an unexpected behaviour that is theoretically explained in detail considering the energy band theory. The obtained geometries showed a remarkable 6:1 AR without any adhesion problem. The non-invasive front-side manipulation represents a noteworthy improvement and simplification for the design of a multi-step production process. Originality/value: An alternative technological approach, called back plate electroplating, has been carried out to obtain Cu growth on the front side of a standard n-type Si wafer through a back side electrical contact. This technique was then applied to fabricate a master for hot-embossing in a LIGA (Lithographie, Galvanoformung, Abformung)-like process flow. For this purpose, an SU-8 thick mask on a standard n-doped wafer was used. Finally, by using this process, it was possible to obtain high AR Cu geometries, avoiding any complex designing and patterning of the contacts on the front side and thus ensuring good adhesion of the SU-8.