a-Si:H alloy for stress sensor application

A novel device, based on amorphous silicon technology, suitable for mechanical stress measurement is presented. Due to the low temperature fabrication process, the sensor can be deposited directly on the mechanical part to be stressed without additional packaging and fixing procedures. The device is able to measure independently the bending force and the torsion force with good sensitivity and linearity. Moreover it can be packaged together with an integrated circuit to form a stand alone component, eventually including wireless input/output circuitry.