Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 January 2011
A low-range pressure sensor (0-100kPa) based on the P(VDF-TrFE) piezoelectric thin film is proposed, where the long-term drift is eliminated by operating near the piezoelectric resonance. The pressure sensor is designed for blood pressure and tissue swelling pressure monitoring. The poled 50μm±1μm P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer film is used as the sensing element, with all fabrication and assembly materials biocompatible. A modified Butterworth-Van Dyke (BVD) [1] equivalent circuit model is used to characterize the sensor behavior. The pressure sensor exhibits negligible drift in weeks of operation. The device shows a sensitivity of 0.038MHz/kPa resonance frequency shift under stress, which leads to a maximum readout change of 1.1%/kPa in the present setup.