A 2-D PVDF force sensing system for micro-manipulation and micro-assembly

Despite the enormous research efforts in creating new applications with MEMS, the research efforts at the backend such as packaging and assembly are relatively limited. We present our ongoing development of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) multi-direction micro-force sensing system that can be potentially used for force-reflective manipulation of micro-mechanical devices or micro-organisms over remote distances. Thus far, we have successfully demonstrated 1D and 2D sensing systems that are able to sense force information when a micro-manipulation probe-tip is used to lift a micro mass supported by 2 μm×30 μm×200 μm polysilicon beams. Hence, we have shown that force detection in the 50 μN range is possible with PVDF sensors integrated with commercial micro-manipulation probe-tips.