Contact-force sensor package and method of fabricating the same
View Patent ↗Provided are a contact-force sensor package and a method of fabricating the same. The contact-force sensor package includes an elastic layer comprising a side that contacts a source of a contact-force; and a substrate layer adhered to the opposing side of the elastic layer from the side that contacts the source of the contact-force and comprising a cantilever beam separated from the elastic layer and deformed due to the contact-force, a pillar extending from a free end portion of the cantilever beam to the elastic layer and transferring the contact-force from the elastic layer to the cantilever beam, and a deformation sensing element for generating an electrical signal that is proportional to a degree of deformation of the cantilever beam.
1. A contact-force sensor package comprising:
an elastic layer comprising a side that contacts a source of a contact-force; and
a substrate layer adhered to the opposing side of the elastic layer to the side that contacts the source of the contact-force, wherein a cavity that is not adhered to the elastic layer is formed in the substrate layer; the substrate layer further comprising:
a cantilever beam disposed in the cavity, separated from the elastic layer and deformed due to the contact-force;
a pillar extending from a free end portion of the cantilever beam to the elastic layer and transferring the contact-force from the elastic layer to the cantilever beam; where the substrate layer, the cantilever beam and the pillar are a single unitary piece; and
a deformation sensing element for generating an electrical signal that is proportional to a degree of deformation of the cantilever beams;
wherein an end portion of the pillar contacts a side of the elastic layer that is opposed to the side that contacts a source of a contact-force.
2. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer further comprises a stopper for restricting excessive movement of the pillar in a planar direction of the substrate layer.
3. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer further comprises a plurality of cantilever beams, a plurality of pillars, and a plurality of deformation sensing elements, and the plurality of cantilever beams, the plurality of pillars, and the plurality of deformation sensing elements are arranged in a line.
4. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , wherein the cavity is formed in the substrate layer around the pillar so that movement of the pillar is not restricted due to the contact-force.
5. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , further comprising a base layer comprising a terminal for transferring the electrical signal generated by the deformation sensing element and a cavity formed around the cantilever beam so as not to interfere with deformation of the cantilever beam, wherein the base layer is adhered to a different side from the side of the substrate layer adhered to the elastic layer.
6. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , wherein the elastic layer comprises silicone or polydimethylsiloxane.
7. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , wherein the substrate layer comprises silicon.
8. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , wherein the deformation sensing element comprises a piezoresistor layer formed at a fixed end portion of the cantilever beam.
9. The contact-force sensor package of claim 1 , wherein a contact surface of the pillar that contacts the elastic layer is a circle or a regular polygon.