Sensitivity Improvement of MEMS Tactile Sensor with Cr-N Thin Film Strain Gauge

In this work, we have fabricated the tactile sensor using microcantilevers with Cr-N thin film strain gauge which has high gauge factor. In our previous works, NiCr thin film was employed as strain gauge, however, resistance change was relatively small because of its low gauge factor. The gauge factor of Cr-N thin film is 7 times higher than that of NiCr with higher gauge rate than NiCr, thus sensitivity of the sensor is expected to be improved. The tactile sensor with Cr-N thin film is successfully fabricated and strain gauge as ohmic resistance can be obtained. It is demonstrated that fabricated sensor has linear sensitivity to both normal and shear forces.