Α new technology that allows the formation of thermal sensors on organic substrates
by combining the standard PCB technology with the well established microelectronic
techniques, is proposed. The obtained structures consist of low thermal conductivity material,
therefore the heat dissipation to the substrate is minimized, which result to the enhancement of
the device sensitivity and the improvement of the corresponding response time. The proposed
technology exhibits a series of advantageous characteristics such as significant cost reduction,
elimination of both wire-die bonding and die cutting, direct integration with electronics and
potential expansion on flexible substrates. Furthermore, the final structure provides a planar
surface, which allows for further lithographic steps to take place, but is also a major advantage
for specific type of applications such as non-invasive flow measurements. In the context of the
proposed technology, a thermal gas flow sensor was fabricated and tested in a specially
designed experimental set-up. The sensor consisted of three thin Pt strips directly connected to
the copper tracks of the organic substrate. The middle Pt resistor act as a heater while the other
two serve as temperature sensing elements.