Applications:

Pressure Sensors, Mass Flow Sensors, and

Accelerometers
Differential pressure sensor

Absolute pressure sensor

High temp.
pressure
sensor using
Silicon-on-
insulator
(SOI)
processes
 Mass flow sensors

The flow of
gas over the
surface of a
heated
element
produces
convective
heat loss at
a rate
proportional
to mass flow.
 Mass flow sensors

• Deposit a thin layer of silicon nitride

• approximately 0.5 µm in thickness
• Deposit & pattern thin-film heaters and sense elements
• chemical vapor deposition of a heavily doped layer of
polysilicon
• Deposit & pattern an insulating layer to protect heating & sense
elements
• silicon nitride again but keep contacts
exposed
• Etch silicon in KOH anisotropic etch
solution to form the deep cavity
 Mass flow sensors

Two Wheatstone bridges

• The 2 heating resistors form the two legs of the first bridge
• The 2 sensing resistors form the two legs of the second bridge
 Mass flow sensors

For equilibrium
R1/R2 = R4/R3
Heating Sensing

In either case two of the bridge

resistor pairs are fixed and equal
such as R2 and R3. R2 = R3 = RB
R1 > R4 → + Pol
R1 RB − RB R4 RB ( R1 − R4 ) R4 > R1 → - Pol
= Vin = Vin
( R1 + RB )( R4 + RB ) ( R1 + RB )( R4 + RB ) Flow direction
 Mass flow sensors

1 2

Heat2 – some heat, H, transferred to gas

Heat1 – very little heat transferred from H
Sense1 – some heat transferred from H
1 2
 Mass flow sensors
Heat2 – some heat, H, transferred to gas
Heat1 – very little heat transferred from H
Sense1 – some heat transferred from H

1 2 1 2 1 2
 Mass flow sensors
Heat1 – some heat, H, transferred to gas
Heat2 – very little heat transferred from H
Sense2 – some heat transferred from H

1 2 1 2 1 2
 Mass flow sensors

• 0 – 1000 std cubic cm

• 75 mV max output
• time < 3 ms
• power ~ 30 mW
Acceleration sensors
 Acceleration sensors

The primary specifications of an accelerometer are

• full-scale range (often given in Gs <9.81 m/s2)

• sensitivity (V/G)
• resolution (G)
• bandwidth (Hz)
• cross-axis sensitivity
• immunity to shock
 Acceleration sensors

• Airbag crash sensing

• full range of ±50G
• bandwidth of about one kilohertz
• Measuring engine knock or vibration
• range of about 1G
• small accelerations (<100 µG)
• large bandwidth (>10 kHz)
• Modern cardiac pacemakers
• multi-axis accelerometers
• range of ±2G
• bandwidth of less than 50 Hz
• require extremely low power consumption
• Military applications
• range of > 1,000G
Acceleration sensors

F = m∙a
 Acceleration sensors

Q and Bandwidth

• The quality factor (Q) is a measure of the rate at which a

vibrating system dissipates its energy into heat
• A higher Q indicates a lower rate
, of heat dissipation
• When the system is driven, its resonant behavior depends
strongly on Q
• Q factor is defined as the number of oscillations required for a
freely oscillating system's energy to fall off to 1/535 of its
original energy, where 535 = e2π
Resonant frequency
Bandwidth
 Acceleration sensors

Q and Bandwidth

• Bandwidth is defined as the "full width at half maximum".

• width in frequency where the energy falls to half of its peak
value , dB level Ratio
−30 dB 1/1000
−20 dB 1/100
−10 dB 1/10
−3 dB 0.5 (approx.)
Voltage and Current is 20
3 dB 2 (approx.)
Power and Intensity is 10
10 dB 10
20 dB 100
30 dB 1000
 Acceleration sensors

Q and Bandwidth

Example: Q of a radio receiver

A radio receiver used in the FM band, needs to be tuned in to within
about 0.1 MHz for signals at about 100 MHz. What is its Q?

Ans: Q=fres/FWHM=1000. This is an extremely high Q compared

to most mechanical systems.
 Acceleration sensors

Q and Bandwidth

Example: Decay of a saxophone tone

If a typical saxophone setup has a Q of about 10, how long will it take
for a 100-Hz tone played on a baritone , saxophone to die down by a
factor of 535 in energy, after the player suddenly stops blowing?

Ans: A Q of 10 means that it takes 10 cycles for the vibrations to die

down in energy by a factor of 535. Ten cycles at a frequency of 100
Hz would correspond to a time of 0.1 seconds, which is not very long.
This is why a saxophone note doesn't “ring” like a note played on a
piano or an electric guitar.
 Acceleration sensors

Q and Bandwidth

Resonant frequency
Bandwidth
,

The lower the bandwidth, the higher Q and vice versa

The higher the bandwidth, the lower Q and vice versa

 Acceleration sensors

F = m∙a

Brownian noise
The change in noise with
time is random whereas
white noise is random
time
noise
power

amplitude Freq.

Brownian noise is the integral of

white noise ☺
Acceleration sensors

Piezoresistive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer
 Acceleration sensors

Piezoresistive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

• Inertial mass sits inside a frame suspended by the spring

• Two thin boron-doped piezoresistive elements
• Wheatstone bridge configuration
• Piezoresistors are only 0.6 µm thick and 4.2 µm long
• very sensitive
• Inertial mass
• Output in response to 1G is 25mV for a Wheatstone bridge
excitation of 10V.
 Acceleration sensors

Piezoresistive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

• 6,000G for the inertial mass to touch the frame

• The device can survive shocks in excess of 10,000G
• Holes in inertial mass reduce weight and provide a high
resonant frequency of 28 kHz
 Acceleration sensors

Piezoresistive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

• {110} Silicon for center

• {111} plane is perpendicular to the surface, therefore an
anisotropic wet etchant can be used
 Acceleration sensors

Piezoresistive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

• Boron implantation and diffusion to form highly doped

p-type piezoresistors
• the piezoresistors are aligned along a <111> dir
• A silicon oxide or silicon nitride layer masks the silicon
in the form of the inertial mass and hinge during the
subsequent anisotropic etch in EDP
 Acceleration sensors

Piezoresistive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

• Deposit and pattern aluminum electrical contacts

• Pattern and etch shallow recesses in base & lid substrates
• Bond together using adhesive
Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer
 Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

• Measuring range from ±0.5G to ±12G

• Electronic circuits sense changes in capacitance using voltages
• Bandwidth is up to 400 Hz for the ±12G accelerometer
• Cross-axis sensitivity is less than 5%
• Shock immunity is 20,000G
 Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

Timed etching
 Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Bulk Micromachined

Accelerometer

Contacts On side
of wafer → Post-
processed
Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Surface Micromachined

Accelerometer
 Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Surface Micromachined

Accelerometer

• The overall capacitance is small, typically on the order of 100 fF

• (1 fF = 10-15 F)
• ADXL105 (programmable at either ±1G or ±5G)
• the change in capacitance in response to 1G is 100 aF
• (1 aF = 10-18 F).
• Two-phase oscillator
• 0 DC offset
 Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Surface Micromachined

Accelerometer

• Range from ±1G (ADXL 105) up to ±100G (ADXL 190)

• Bandwidth (typically, 1 to 6 kHz)
• The small change in capacitance and the relatively small mass
combine to give a noise floor that is relatively large
• ADXL105 - the mass is approximately 0.3 µg and noise floor
is dominated by Brownian noise
• Bulk-micromachined sensor can exceed 100 µg
 Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Surface Micromachined

Accelerometer

• Open loop measurement

• Voltage generated at sense
contacts
• Close loop measurement
• Applying a large-amplitude
voltage at low frequency—
below the natural frequency
of the sensor—between the
two plates of a capacitor gives
rise to an electrostatic force
that tends to pull the two
plates together.
Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Deep-Etched Micromachined

Accelerometer
 Acceleration sensors

Capacitive Deep-Etched Micromachined

Accelerometer

• Two sets of stationary fingers attached

directly to the substrate form the
capacitive half bridge.
• Structures 50 to 100 µm deep
• sensor gains a larger inertial mass,
up to 100 µg,
• larger capacitance, up to 5 pF.
• Larger mass reduces Brownian noise
and increases resolution.
 Measuring Capacitance
Improving the Circuit
• Design an accurate sensing
circuit
• + Wheatstone Bridge
• + Differential Amplifier
• = Sensitivity (1nF ~ 3mV)
More accurate
Wheatstone Bridge –
sensor modelon sensor
+ Based
Differential Amplifier
model and
optimized using PSPICE 10x Gain

Experimentally determined
that the biosensor behaves
like a capacitor in parallel
with a resistor

1.0Vpp
1.0Vpp
3.5kHz
3.5kHz
 Measuring Capacitance

Sensor Attach Point

Differential Amplifier
(10x Gain)

Variable Capacitor Variable Resistor

(0-2.1 uF) (0-210 Ohms)
 Measuring Capacitance

Sensor Attach Point

Differential Amplifier
(10x Gain)

Variable Capacitor Variable Resistor

(0-2.1 uF) (0-210 Ohms)