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Matrices of inkjet printed OFETs for the realization of artificial robotic skin

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2012

Alberto Loi
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Laura Basiricò
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy CNR- Institute of Nanoscience S3 Via Campi 213A, I-41100 Modena, Italy
Piero Cosseddu*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy CNR- Institute of Nanoscience S3 Via Campi 213A, I-41100 Modena, Italy
Stefano Lai
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Perla Maiolino
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica, Sistemistica e Telematica, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genova
Emanuele Baglini
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica, Sistemistica e Telematica, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genova
Simone Denei
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica, Sistemistica e Telematica, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genova
Fulvio Mastrogiovanni
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica, Sistemistica e Telematica, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genova
Giorgio Cannata
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Informatica, Sistemistica e Telematica, Università di Genova, via Opera Pia 13, 16145 Genova
Chiara Palomba
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Massimo Barbaro
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy
Annalisa Bonfiglio
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Cagliari, Piazza d’Armi, 09123 Cagliari, Italy CNR- Institute of Nanoscience S3 Via Campi 213A, I-41100 Modena, Italy
*
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Abstract

In this paper we introduce a novel, flexible, system for mechanical deformation detection. The core of the system is based on an Organic Thin Film Transistor (OTFT) which has been assembled on a flexible PET substrate and patterned by means of inkjet printing. OTFT-based mechanical sensors were fabricated employing two different organic semiconductors, namely a small molecule (pentacene) deposited by thermal evaporation and its solution-processable derivative 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)-pentacene (TIPS-pentacene) deposited by drop casting. It will be shown that the surface deformation induced by an external mechanical stimulus gives rise in both cases to a marked, reproducible and reversible (within a certain rage of surface deformation) variation of the device output current. Starting from these results, more complex structures such as arrays and matrices of OTFT-based mechanical sensors have been fabricated by means of inkjet printing. Thanks to the flexibility of the introduced structure, we will show that the presented system can be transferred on different surfaces (hard and soft) and employed for a wide range of applications. In particular, we have designed and fabricated a fully functional system based on a matrix of 64 elements that can be employed for detecting mechanical stimuli over larger areas, and will demonstrate that such a system can be successfully employed for tactile transduction in the realization of artificial “robot skins”.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

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References

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