Wheatstone bridge sensor arrays in foil by robust μ-via technology combining femtosecond-laser drilling and pulsed electrodeposition

Flexible sensor arrays with multilevel circuits typically require complex production cycles leading to high costs and reliability issues. For establishing flexible arrays of strain sensors in Wheatstone bridge configurations structures on different levels within flexible films have to be connected by robust μ-via technology. Usually, dry etching is used to establish via-holes and direct current (DC) electrodeposition is used to fill them with copper. However, dry etching can lead to damages in the underlying electrode or incomplete removal of polymeric material, as inhomogeneities of polymeric foil thicknesses cannot completely be eliminated. This affects the quality of the plating and the reliability of the μ-via connections. It is aggravated by the fact that DC electroplated copper is often weakened by various defects, such as small voids. This article describes a reliable and less complex fabrication process for a Wheatstone bridge sandwich structure consisting of five polymer interlayers separating four metal layers. The femtosecond-laser μ-via drilling proved to be fast, material selective and therefore tolerant to inhomogeneities of polymeric foil thicknesses. Moreover, pulsed current (PC) electrodeposition significantly improved the quality of the copper filling. No voids were found using electron microscopy. Finally, the respiration monitoring sensors produced using this method were subjected to repetitive cycles of bending and relaxation. At a frequency of five cycles per second, reproducible cycles of signal changes were obtained, indicating the usefulness for detecting respiratory cycles of premature infants. [Display omitted] •Flexible Wheatstone bridge consisting of five polymer and four metal layers.•Quick and reliable μ-via drilling process by using femtosecond-laser.•High-quality electroplated copper produced by pulsed current electroplating.•Bending test demonstrates the high sensitivity and dynamics of the sensor.