SST: Damage-Tolerant, Stretchable, and Reconfigurable Silicon-based Piezoelectric Sensor Networks For Structural and Medical Diagnostic Imaging

Stanford University, Stanford CA

Investigators

Abstract

0529357 Peter Peumans & Fu-Kao Chang Stanford University This project is to realize very dense and cost-effective networks of high-performance sensors deployable on the centimeter to meter-scale. The networks are entirely processed in a CMOS foundry before they are "stretched" to the target size and "cut" to the right shape. An innovative layout and deep reactive ion etching to fabricate stretchable sensor networks starting with foundry-processed silicon wafers are used. Each of the sensor network nodes is a small (~50-200mm diameter), high-performance silicon integrated circuit that houses a sensor, sensor interface, local processor, and a network interface. The stretching ability of the network is achieved by realizing the network and power connections as standard CMOS interconnects on narrow silicon ridges configured as springs. The sensor networks are damage tolerant, scalable, reconfigurable, cost-effective and durable. The testbed will be an ultrasonic sensor/transducer network integrated into a composite laminate structure to sense incipient damage with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. Further applications are high-resolution ultrasound medical imaging, guided chemotherapy by ultrasound-induced hyperthermia, and microwave phased arrays for homeland security. The proposed techniques can be applied not only on composite structures in aero/astro/auto/civil applications, but also metallic structures for monitoring fatigue cracks in remote hot spot areas. The proposed integrated multi-disciplinary research among electrical engineering and structural mechanics provides a great opportunity for students engaging in this research to communicate and interact with each other across disciplines. The planned research will be integrated into the courses taught by the participating investigators. Interactions with both industry and high school students are an integral part of the proposal, as well as an "Engineering-as-Art" initiative. This is a project under the sensor initiative NSF 05-526.