Direct fabrication of micro temperature sensor arrays by laser micro-cladding functional materials on ceramic substrates

In this report, laser micro-cladding technology has been used to fabricate the micro temperature sensor arrays on ceramic substrate directly. The fabricated temperature sensor arrays are composed of 4×4 thick-film thermal sensor (i.e. thermistors) arrays and Ag-Pd conductor layers. The thermistors, deposited on the substrate through a micro-pen, are composed of the thermal sensitive material. The Ag-Pd conductor layers, deposited on the substrate through coat-spinning apparatus, are used as the connective pad to connect the sensors to the monitor. The experimental results demonstrate that with optimal laser processing parameters, the relationship of the thermistor resistance versus temperature between 25°C and 95°C is linear with the temperature coefficient of resistance 2273 ppm/°C. This technique has the advantages without using mask and with simple processing techniques. It can be applied as the thermal sensors for fast temperature measurement of the material surface as well as the small gap temperature measurement in biological engineering. These results demonstrate that laser micro-cladding technology has the ability to fabricate multifunctional, multi-material integrated components in an agile and flexible way.