Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity Sensor
An efficient and inexpensive post-process method to waterproof an electrically actuated microtransducer has been studied. The electrical signals of microtransducers operating in electrically conductive fluids must be effectively isolated from the surrounding environment while remaining in contact fo...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Actuators |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/13/2/57 |
| _version_ | 1797299202215116800 |
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| author | Luis Gan Shreyas Choudhary Kavana Reddy Connor Levine Lukas Jander Amogh Uchil Ivan Puchades |
| author_facet | Luis Gan Shreyas Choudhary Kavana Reddy Connor Levine Lukas Jander Amogh Uchil Ivan Puchades |
| author_sort | Luis Gan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An efficient and inexpensive post-process method to waterproof an electrically actuated microtransducer has been studied. The electrical signals of microtransducers operating in electrically conductive fluids must be effectively isolated from the surrounding environment while remaining in contact for sensing purposes. A thermally actuated MEMS viscosity sensor uses electrical signals for both actuation and sensing. Three post-processing materials, (1) Parylene-C, (2) flouroacrylate-based polymer, and (3) nitrocellulose-based polymer, were coated as thin layers of waterproofing materials on different sensors. All three coating materials provided adequate protection when tested under normal operating conditions. Although the vibration response of the sensors was slightly modified, it did not affect their functionality in a significant way when measuring conductive fluids based on glycerol–water mixtures. All the treated sensors lasted over 1.2 million actuations without any decay in performance or failures. When the test bias conditions were increased by 5x to accelerate failures, the flouroacrylate-based polymer samples lasted 2x longer than the others. Visual analysis of the failures indicates that the edge of the diaphragm, which undergoes the most significant stress and strain values during actuation, was the location of the mechanical failure. This work guides post-processed waterproofing coatings for microscale actuators operating in harsh and damaging environments. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:47:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1ad8b76125f64be9b83c81915451dc10 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0825 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:47:17Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Actuators |
| spelling | doaj.art-1ad8b76125f64be9b83c81915451dc102024-02-23T15:03:04ZengMDPI AGActuators2076-08252024-02-011325710.3390/act13020057Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity SensorLuis Gan0Shreyas Choudhary1Kavana Reddy2Connor Levine3Lukas Jander4Amogh Uchil5Ivan Puchades6Electrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14568, USAElectrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14568, USAElectrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14568, USAElectrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14568, USAElectrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14568, USAElectrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14568, USAElectrical and Microelectronic Engineering Department, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY 14568, USAAn efficient and inexpensive post-process method to waterproof an electrically actuated microtransducer has been studied. The electrical signals of microtransducers operating in electrically conductive fluids must be effectively isolated from the surrounding environment while remaining in contact for sensing purposes. A thermally actuated MEMS viscosity sensor uses electrical signals for both actuation and sensing. Three post-processing materials, (1) Parylene-C, (2) flouroacrylate-based polymer, and (3) nitrocellulose-based polymer, were coated as thin layers of waterproofing materials on different sensors. All three coating materials provided adequate protection when tested under normal operating conditions. Although the vibration response of the sensors was slightly modified, it did not affect their functionality in a significant way when measuring conductive fluids based on glycerol–water mixtures. All the treated sensors lasted over 1.2 million actuations without any decay in performance or failures. When the test bias conditions were increased by 5x to accelerate failures, the flouroacrylate-based polymer samples lasted 2x longer than the others. Visual analysis of the failures indicates that the edge of the diaphragm, which undergoes the most significant stress and strain values during actuation, was the location of the mechanical failure. This work guides post-processed waterproofing coatings for microscale actuators operating in harsh and damaging environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/13/2/57MEMSviscosity sensorsmicroelectronicswaterproofing |
| spellingShingle | Luis Gan Shreyas Choudhary Kavana Reddy Connor Levine Lukas Jander Amogh Uchil Ivan Puchades Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity Sensor Actuators MEMS viscosity sensors microelectronics waterproofing |
| title | Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity Sensor |
| title_full | Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity Sensor |
| title_fullStr | Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity Sensor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity Sensor |
| title_short | Waterproofing a Thermally Actuated Vibrational MEMS Viscosity Sensor |
| title_sort | waterproofing a thermally actuated vibrational mems viscosity sensor |
| topic | MEMS viscosity sensors microelectronics waterproofing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0825/13/2/57 |
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