ABSTRACT
Micromachining has simultaneously been utilized on rigid, primarily silicon substrates to produce a variety of physical, chemical, and biological sensors that are members of the broad family of microelectromechanical devices and systems (MEMS). This chapter discusses different methodologies for conformal MEMS sensor fabrication, strategies for conformal sensor packaging, and preliminary results on different types of conformal MEMS sensors and suggests future approaches toward advancing the technology. Many MEMS sensors that are fabricated on rigid silicon substrates can be migrated to flexible substrates. To produce conformal MEMS sensors, two types of micro fabrication equipment could be utilized. MEMS accelerometers have been developed on flexible substrates so that they can be conformal to nonplanar surfaces. Conventional metals, insulators, and semiconductor materials have been employed in device fabrication. The continuous development of new materials such as conducting rubbers, nanostructured materials, and nanocomposites may enable greater bending ability and even a high level of stretching ability in the future.
