SENSOR DEVICES

MECHANICAL SENSORS
OU
OUTLINE
• 4 Mechanical Sensors
•Introduction
Introduction
•General mechanical properties
•Piezoresistivity
•Piezoresistive sensors
•Capacitive sensors
pp
•Applications
INTRODUCTION
• MECHANICAL SEMICONDUCTOR SENSORS
• Combine electronic properties of semiconductorswith its excellent
mechanical properties

• TWO MAJOR CLASSES OF MECHANICAL SENSORS

• Piezorestistive sensors ((material p p y in silicon))
property
• Capacitive sensors (relative motion of electrodes)

• APPLICATIONS
• Pressure sensors
• Accelerometer
• Flow sensors
”Piezo” = ”squeeze” or ”press”
INTRODUCTION
Piezoresistive sensing applications

Accelerometer Pressure sensor

Load cell
General mechanical properties
Hooke's law: σ = Eε
Stress: σ = F Area,
Area [N/m 2]
Strain: ε = ΔL L
Young'ss module: E, [N/m 2 =Pa],
Young Pa],

Volumetric
Vo u et c cchange:
a ge:
ΔV ΔL 2ΔLl ΔL
V
≈
L
−
L
(
= 1− 2ν )L
ΔLl εl
Poisson's ratio: ν = = - , l =lateral
ΔL ε

Silicon: E Si 190 GPa, ν Si ≈ 0.28

General mechanical properties
Brittle
Fracture
• Silicon
x
Ductile • Linear elasticity until fracture
• No plastic deformation
• Excellent for sensor applications
• Metals
• Linear elastic behaviour for small
strain only
• Strength
g
• Yield strength = tensile stress
where plastic deformation starts
(
(non-reversible))
• Tensile strength = maximum
tensile stress before facture
General mechanical properties
General mechanical properties
Stress in thin film
Stress in thin film cause a
curvature off the
h sample,
l
which can be measured
using a laser system

1 Δs
unstressed = 6 (1 −ν )
R ET 2
Δs = σ t
= surface stress [N/m]
R
R= radius
E= Young’s module in substrate
stressed T= substrate thickness
t = thin film thickness
v = Poisson’s ratio in substrate
General mechanical properties
p p
– Cantilever beams
• Max deflection
• Max longitudinal stress
• Resonant frequency

– Square membranes
• Max deflection
• Max longitudinal and transverse stress
• Resonant frequency
 General mechanical properties
Cantilever beam with uniform
distributed load (P
(P=F/Δx)
F/Δx) d 4 w(x)
Beam equation: EI 4
=P
dx
Beam stifness: EI = Eat 3 12
P [N/m] I = at 3 12 (2nd moment of inertia)

( )
a P 2
Deflection: w(x) = x 6L2 − 4Lx + x2
L t 24EI
PL4
Max stress w(L)
( )=
8EI
tE d 2 w(x)
SENSOR: Surface stress: σ (x)= -
2 dx2
P = att ρ ⋅ acceleration
l ti PL2t 3PL2
Max stress: σ (0) = = 2
ΔP = at ρ measurand ⋅ g 4I at
General mechanical properties
Cantilever beam point load at the end
Qx 2
Q
Defelction: w( x) = ( 3L − x )
6 EI
Q [N]
QL3
w( L) =
2 EI
a
QLt 6QL
L t Max stress: σ (0) = = 2
2I at
Max stress
Resonant frequency:
t E t Eta
F0 = 0.161 = 0.161
L2 ρ L ML
SENSOR: Quasi-static
Q asi static sensing
Q = mass ⋅ acceleration f measure < F0
General mechanical properties
SQUARE MEMBRANES (UNIFORM LOAD)

P [N/m^2] Plate equation: D ∇ 4 w(x, y) = P

Et 3
Membrane stiffness: D =
E, ρ, ν
t
(
12 1− ν 2 )
Pa4
Max deflection:
d fl i wmax = 0.001265
0 00126
a D
Pa2
longitud stress: σ l = 0.3081
Max longitud. 0 3081 2
t
Max transverse stress: σ t ≈ νσ l
12D
Resonant frequency: F0 = 1.654
ρta4
 Piezoresistivity R=ρ
L
a2
Resistivity change in semiconductor: ρ = ρ (σ )
• Resistivity change due to mechanical stress
L
• piezoresistive effect R (σ ) = R + ρ ′σ
• Large resistivity change a2
• Dependence on ΔR R = ( ρ ′ ρ ) σ
• Doping (n- or p-type, doping concentration) ≡ πσ
• Temperature
• Direction of force and direction of current flow = π Eε
(anisotropic effect) ΔR R 100ε

Resistivity change in metal strain gauge – mainly due to geometric effect

F
L L
R=ρ L+ΔL
a a2
F a+Δa
 Piezoresistivity
Longitudinal and transverse piezoresistance coefficients

Force
• Longitudinal stress: ΔR/R = πlσl
σl Current
flow V πl = longitudinal piezoresistance
coefficient
Force

• Transverse stress: ΔR/R = πtσt

Force σt Current
flow
Force V πt = transverse piezoresistance
coefficient

Stress: σ=Force/Area
• In general we have both longitudinal
Ei = ∑ j ρij j j and transverse stresses:

ρij = ∑ k ∑ l π ijklσ kl ΔR/R = πtσt + πlσl

PIEZORESISTIVITY
Piezoresistance coefficients in
p type silicon [10-11
p-type 11 /Pa]
• 100 plane
l
• Upper half
• Longitudinal coefficient πl
• Lower half
• Transverse coefficient πt

In sensor application the π

should be as large as
possible ii.e.
possible, e resistors along
<110> direction

π l = 1 2 (π 11 + π 12 + π 44 )
π t = 1 2 (π 11 + π 12 − π 44 )
PIEZORESISTIVITY
Resistors along <110> direction in (100) wafers (common for bulk micromachining)
(
π l = 1 π 11 + π 12 + π 44
2 )
(
π t = 1 π 11 + π 12 − π 44
2 )
<110>
ΔR
= π l σ l + π tσ t
R
π 44
≈ (σ l − σ t )
2

ΔR π 44 π
≈ σ ≈ 44 Eε ≈ 100ε
R 2 2
Piezoresistive Sensors
Piezoresitive pressure sensor
• Membrane fabrication
• Anisotropic etch
• Piezoresistor fabrication
• d
dopedd area
• or deposited polysilicon
resistor on an insulator
(SiO2 or Si3N4)
• Piezoresistor position
• at the edges of the
membrane where the stress
is maximal
Piezoresistive Sensors
Piezoresistive accelerometer

• The piezoresistor must be

places where the stress is
maximal
• To
T increase
i the
th sensitivity
iti it
an inertial mass is included
 L
R= ρ
Piezoresistivity w⋅ t

π ( N , T ) = π 0 P( N , T )
π 0 = low-doped
room-temerature
value
Piezoresistiv Sensor
Wheatstone Bridge Configuration
• R1 and R3 under lateral stress
ΔR π
and decrease ≈− σ 44
R 2
• R2 and R4 under longitudinal
stress and increase ΔR π 44
≈ σ
R 2
R1 = R3 = R − ΔR
R2 = R4 = R + ΔR
ΔR π 44
= (σ l − σ t )
R 2
⎛ ΔR ⎞ π 44
Vm = Vb ⎜ ⎟ = Vb (σ l − σ t )
⎝ R ⎠ 2
Piezoresistive Sensors
Pressure sensitivity for constant Vb:
ΔV Vb
Sv = [mV/V-bar]
ΔP
ΔR R
=
ΔP
=
1
2ΔP
(
π 44 σ l − σ t )

Pressure sensitivity for constant I b:

ΔV I b
Si = [ V/ A b ]
[mV/mA-bar]
ΔP
ΔR
= =
ΔP 2ΔP
1
(
Rπ 44 σ l − σ t )
Piezoresistive Sensors
Offset voltage Symmetrical mismatch of the resistors,
caused by difference in layout (parallel
and perpendicular to the edges of the
membrane)
R1 = R3 = R
R2 = R4 = R+ r
⎛ r ⎞
Vo = Vb ⎜ ⎟
⎝ 2R+ r ⎠
Vo r 1
O= = =
Vb 2R+ r 1+ 2R r
Offset also caused by residual stress
on resistors
i t
- pre-stress due to passivation layers
and packaging
Piezoresistive Sensors
Temperature coefficient of offset
⎛• • ⎞
∂O 2 Rr ⎜r − R⎟
=
∂T ( 2 Rπ + r )2 ⎜ r R ⎟
⎝ ⎠
If resistors have equal temperature
coefficients
• •
r R ∂O
= , =0
r R ∂T

However, temperature dependence of

pre-stress might be significant.
 Piezoresistive Sensors
Temperature coefficient of sensitivity
Constant bridge
voltage
S∝ π 44 (σ l − σ t )

Temperature coefficient for π44 can be high for p–type

p type silicon

Constant bridge
g
current
S∝ π 44 R(σ l − σ t )

- +
Piezoresistive Sensors
 Capacitive Sensors
Capacitor two electrodes separated by a dielectric

Electronic
El t i should
h ld bbe close
l tto
the sensor, minimising the
stray capacitance

Δd<< d result
in
High sensitivity means Large
area S and a small distance d Advantage with capacitive
sensors no direct sensitivity to
temperature
Capacitive Sensors
a) Pressure sensor
b) Accelerometer

c) ?

θ
Comparison of different technologies
Applications
Symmetric capacitive
accelerometer with low thermal
sensitivity
In some cases the movabel
electrode must be damped to
avoid serious oscillations
oscillations. A
small cavity with a viscous
liquid or gas can fulfil the
i
requirementst
Flow sensors (gas)

With no flow the two sensors

display the same temperature
With gas flow the first sensor is
cooled , while the second is heated
up by the gas
Some examples,
examples Bulk micro
micro-machined
machined
piezoresistive sensor

Laboratory for Electron Devices

Ljubljana SLOVENIA
EXERCISES
1))

2)

3)
 EXERCISES
4)

Force Q between two parallel

plates of area A, separation d
and applied voltage V
EXERCISES

ANSWER:
1)) Wmax=1.17µm,
µ ,
σl=12.3 MPa,
σt=3.45 MPa
2) σmax= 4.3*107 Pa,
a=150 µm
3) fo= 4.39 kHz
4) V=9.6V