CopyrightWILEYVCHVerlagGmbH&Co.KGaA,69469Weinheim,Germany,2010.

SupportingInformation

forAdv.Funct.Mater.,DOI:10.1002/adfm.201002508 AMicrofluidic,ReversiblyStretchable,LargeAreaWirelessStrainSensor ShiCheng*andZhigangWu*

Submitted to

Electronic Supplementary Information

Microfluidic Reversibly Stretchable Large-Area Wireless Strain Sensor

Shi Cheng1, and Zhigang Wu2,
1

Advanced Technology, Laird Technologies, Box 1146, SE 164 22, Kista, Sweden

Microsystems Technology, Department of Engineering Sciences, Uppsala University, Box 534, The Angstrom Laboratory, SE 751 21, Uppsala, Sweden

To whom correspondence should be addressed (Shi.Cheng@ieee.org and Zhigang.Wu@angstrom.uu.se)

Submitted to

1. Principles and Implementation

1.1. RF Transmitter and Receiver Sub-Modules

a)

C1

PT

NC

GND

O/P

GND

GO1555
GND

GND VCC

VCTR

Control voltage

DC power supply

C1=1 nF, NC=No connection

b)
DC power supply To microvolt digital multimeter (DMM)

C2

C3

GND PR C1 L1 RF
C4

Power detector (L5534)

VCC

VOUT GND EN

C1=1 nF, C2=100 pF, C3=0.1 F, C4=1.5 pF, L1=19 nH

Figure S1. Circuit schematics of a) the RF transmitter sub-module in the integrated strain sensor (coupling capacitor: C1), and b) the RF power detection unit in the PC-assisted receiver (decoupling capacitors: C2 and C3, coupling capacitor: C1, matching capacitor: C4, matching inductor: L1). The simplified RF transmitter in the integrated wireless sensor device is composed of a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) (Gennum, GO1555), and a coupling capacitor (C1), on a flexible laminate of 13 mm 10 mm in size, cf. Figure S1(a). The choice of the VCO is based on its proper oscillation frequency range, miniaturized package size, relatively low power

Submitted to consumption, as well as sufficient RF output power. The chosen VCO generates stable continuous wave (CW) RF signals around 1.5 GHz when a supply voltage in the range of 2.25-2.75V and a control voltage ranging from 1.0V to 1.5V are applied. Moreover, it only draws a maximum supply current of 8 mA. This factor implies that this RF transmitter circuitry can be effectively powered by two serially connected commercially available AA or other types of standard portable batteries.

Figure S1(b) shows the circuit schematic of the RF power detection sub-module in the PCassisted receiver. In addition to an RF power detector (Linear Technology, LT 5534), this unit also contains two decoupling capacitors (C2 and C3), one coupling capacitor (C1), one matching capacitor (C4), and one matching inductor (L1), all soldered on a small piece of FPCB with a size of 10 mm 20 mm. The integrated RF power detection circuitry is capable of precisely converting the injected RF signals, in a decibel scale ranging from -60 dBm to 0 dBm, into DC voltage in a linear scale around 1.5 GHz.

Submitted to 1.2. Strain Sensor Contained Liquid Metal Antenna

Top replica Inlet 1

a)
Bottom replica Outlets Inlet 2

Top and bottom PDMS elastomer patterned by replica molding, with punched holes for inlets 1&2, and outlets

Top replica

b)
Blank sheet Top replica & blank sheet Inlet 3

Top replica bonded to a blank PDMS sheet

c)
Bottom replica

Punch out a hole for inlet 3 & seal to bottom replica

Top replica & blank sheet & bottom replica

d)

Seal inlet 3 with adhesive tape

e)

Top replica & blank sheet & bottom replica

Inject upper fluid metal layer, encapsure outlets in top replica with uncured PDMS droplets & seal inlets 1&3 Flip sample & inject lower fluid metal layer, encapsulate inlet 2 and outlets in bottom replica with uncured PDMS droplets Remove adhesive tape on inlets 1&3

f)

Bottom replica & blank sheet & top replica

Top replica & blank sheet & bottom replica

g)

PDMS

Upper fluid metal layer

Bottom fluid metal layer

Adhesive tape for temporarily sealing inlets

Figure S2. Fabrication process steps of the multi-layer microfluidic stretchable patch antenna integrated in the presented wireless strain sensor. Minor modifications have been made to adapt the previously reported fabrication processes to the multi-layer FSRFEs based wireless strain sensor presented in this paper.[1-2] The implementation of the integrated sensor device can be briefly summarized as the following steps: fluidic patch antenna fabrication, active circuit assembly, and hybrid device integration. The latter two resemble the manufacturing and integration processes presented in the previous work. Concerning the antenna fabrication, one more PDMS as well as liquid metal alloy

Submitted to layers have been added to implement multi-layer FSRFEs. More detailed process steps are illustrated in Figure S2 and described as below: First of all, the upper (antenna patch) and lower (ground plane) microfluidic channels were respectively constructed in the top and the bottom PDMS slabs, with a standard soft lithography. And then a few inlets and outlets were punched as depicted in Figure S2. In addition, the blank middle PDMS sheet with a thickness of 1.5 mm was also fabricated. Later, the micro-structured top PDMS layer was bonded to the blank PDMS slab using corona discharging activation, and the inlet 3, cf. Figure S2, was punched on the bonded PDMS sheet. Subsequently, the bottom PDMS slab was bonded to the upper PDMS layers with plasma bonding. After sealing the inlet 3 with a small piece of Scotch tape, the upper microfluidic channels were filled with galinstan fluid, and the ventilation outlets in the top PDMS slab were encapsulated using PDMS prepolymer afterwards. Whereafter, both the inlets 1 and 3 were sealed with Scotch tape, and galinstan alloy was injected into the lower microfluidic channels from the bottom side. All remaining ventilation outlets together with the inlet 2 were encapsulated, and the inlets 1 and 3 were reserved for connecting the RF transmitter circuitry in the hybrid sensor device.

Submitted to

Top View
L ground L patch W ms
Two openings for connecting RF feed cable in the standalone antenna characterizations or RF transmitter sub-module in the integrated device

W ground W patch

x f y z

L inset

Cross View
h middle d Upper fluid metal layer
+

h upper

z h lower h x q y

Lower fluid metal layer

PDMS

Figure S3. Geometric configuration of the elastic fluid metal patch antenna. Dimensions are: Lpatch = 56.0 mm, Wpatch = 50.0 mm, Lground = 110.0 mm, Wground = 80.0 mm, Linset = 16.0 mm, Wms = 3.7 mm, h = 2.5 mm, hupper = 75.0 m, hmiddle = 1.5 mm, and hlower = 75.0 m. Assuming that the PDMS elastomer had the relative permittivity of 3.0 and the dissipation factor of 0.01 around 1.5 GHz, the conductivity of the liquid alloy, galinstan, was about 3.46 106 S/m, and the spacing (hmiddle) and the width (Wpatch) of the patch antenna were 1.5 mm and 50.0 mm, an initial value of 57.3 mm for Lpatch was found, according to the transmission line model of the rectangular microstrip patch antennas.[3] Of course, electrical performance of the patch antenna based on the proposed geometrical configuration must be verified in more accurate numerical simulations, and some minor adjustments are probably needed for 6 6

Submitted to tuning its resonant frequency. Since the thickness of the PDMS membrane on top of the antenna patch is only approximately 425 m, 1/500 of the operational wavelengths at 1.5 GHz, its influence on the antenna electrical performance are negligible.

1.3. Integrated Wireless Strain Sensor

a)

e)

GO1555

b) d) c)
GO1555

GO1555

f)

C
Upper fluid Lower fluid PDMS metal layer metal layer

Copper

Kapton foil

Metallic pin Capacitor Anode Cathode

VCO chip

Solder

Figure S4. Schematic drawings of the integration procedure for the demonstrated microfluidic stretchable wireless strain sensor. In brief, two tin-plated contact pins resembling cantilevers were first soldered to the RF output and the ground pads on the FPCB of the RF transmitter, respectively. And then a semispherical solder ball was mounted to the bottom surface of each pin at the other end. Whereafter, three thin wires were respectively soldered to the supply voltage, the control voltage, and the ground pads of the RF transmitter circuitry for external power supply connection, as observed in Figure 1. Subsequently, this RF transmitter sub-module was attached to the top surface of the previously fabricated liquid metal patch antenna, and each solder ball at the end of the contact pin was directly immersed in the fluid metal enclosed in

Submitted to the micro-structured elastomeric channels, via the two opening in the upper PDMS membrane, cf. Figures 1, S3 and S4. In the end, the complete RF transmitter including the two contact pins were locally encapsulated in a PDMS LSC for protecting from stretching.

Submitted to 1.4. System Demonstration

Horn antenna Microfluidic elastic antenna RF amplifier

PT PR
DC power supply DC power supply

Tunable attenuator RF power detector Microvolt DMM PC

Voltage-controlled osillator (VCO) Flexible circuitry DC power supply

5m

Integrated Wireless Strain Sensor

Remote Monitor

Figure S5. Schematic illustration of the system demonstration setup for remotely sensing mechanical strains in real-time, using the integrated sensor device. Besides the self-contained sensor device, a custom-designed PC-assisted RF receiver has also been implemented for remote monitoring in the system demonstration, as illustrated in Figure S5. Of course, similar receiving function can also be realized using commercially available RF measurement instruments, for instance, spectrum analyzers or RF power meters, but the intention here was to remove all costly and bulky RF test equipment, and replace them with cost-effective modules. Figure S5 displays the schematic illustration of the system demonstration setup for remotely sensing high tensile mechanical strains in real-time, of which the receiver part consists of a standard gain horn (Flann Microwave, 08240-10), a coaxial amplifier (Mini-circuits, ZKL-2R5), a tunable HP attenuator (HP, 8495A), a Keithley 197A autoranging microvolt digital multimeter, a laptop, a DC power supply, and an RF power detection unit powered by four serially connected AA rechargeable batteries with a DC supply voltage of 5.23V.

Submitted to

2. Results and Discussion

2.1. RF Power Detection Unit

2.5

2
Output DC Voltage (V)

1.5

0.5

0 -70

-60

-50 -40 -30 -20 Input RF Power (dBm)

-10

Figure S6. Measured output DC voltages of the RF power detection sub-module in the custom-designed RF receiver versus varying input RF power around 1.5 GHz.

[1] S. Cheng, Z.G. Wu, Lab Chip. 2010, 10, 3227. [2] S. Cheng, Z.G. Wu, P. Hallbjorner, K. Hjort, A. Rydberg, IEEE T. Antenn. Propag. 2009, 57, 3756. [3] C. A. Balanis, Antenna Theory, 2nd ed, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1997.

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