Photopatternable conductive PDMS as a new mems material

Abstract

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer has been widely used in various biological and medical applications. However, high electrical impedance and poor adhesion to metal limit its further applications in the area of electrical sensing and flexible circuits. In this paper, we first developed conductive photodefineable PDMS composites addressing both electrical conductivity and photopatternability. The photosensitive composite, consisting of a photosensitive reagent, a conductive filler and PDMS pre-polymer, can be used as a regular photoresist. A standard photolithographic approach has been used to fabricate the conductive elastomer microstructures. Highest conductivity of 0.01 Ω·cm and minimal resolution of 10 µm have been achieved using the conductive PDMS composite.