Biomimetic strain-sensing microstructure for improved strain sensor: fabrication results and optical characterization

This paper describes the fabrication, and early optical characterization results of a new biomimetic strain-sensing microstructure. The microstructures were inspired from the campaniform sensillum, a highly sensitive strain sensor found in the exocuticle layer of insects. We investigate the natural strain-sensor characteristics by mimicking some of its simplest structural features. Blind-hole- and membrane-structural features were combined and fabricated as membrane-in-recess microstructure. To investigate the strain-sensing (or strain-amplifying) property of the microstructure, an optical characterization setup was devised based on the interference pattern formed by reflected laser beams from different surfaces of the microstructures. Preliminary qualitative analysis of the results obtained shows unsimilar intensity level changes as a function of spatial location on the membrane, thus indicated the biomimetic microstructure's strain-Amplifying property. This property could be utilized for future improvement of currently available planar-based conventional strain sensors.