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Batch derivation of piezoresistive coefficient tensor by matrix algebra

Article  in  Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering · November 2003

DOI: 10.1088/0960-1317/14/3/003

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Minhang Bao Yiping Huang

Fudan University Peking University
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INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS PUBLISHING JOURNAL OF MICROMECHANICS AND MICROENGINEERING
J. Micromech. Microeng. 14 (2004) 332–334 PII: S0960-1317(04)67385-2

Batch derivation of piezoresistive

coefficient tensor by matrix algebra
Minhang Bao and Yiping Huang
State Key Laboratories of ASIC and System, Department of Microelectronics,
Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, People’s Republic of China
E-mail: mhbao@fudan.edu.cn

Received 8 August 2003, in final form 22 September 2003

Published 18 November 2003
Online at stacks.iop.org/JMM/14/332 (DOI: 10.1088/0960-1317/14/3/003)

Abstract
To commemorate the important discovery of the piezoresistance effect of
germanium and silicon by C S Smith half a century ago, we present a new
method of deriving the piezoresistive (PR) coefficient tensor for diamond
structure material using matrix algebra. Using this method, all the
components of the PR coefficient tensor (of the fourth rank) in an arbitrary
Cartesian coordinate system can be obtained in a batch and the relation
between the components is clearly shown.

1. Introduction So far, however, no batch derivation has been carried out for
the PR tensor directly from equation (1) using a matrix algebra
The piezoresistance effect in germanium and silicon was method.
discovered by C S Smith half a century ago (the first We report on a novel method for deriving the PR
publication on piezoresistance was in Physics Review in 1954 coefficient tensor of silicon using matrix algebra. Using this
[1]). To commemorate this important discovery, which led to method all the components of the PR coefficient tensor (of the
the vigorous development of solid-state sensors and actuators fourth rank) in an arbitrary coordinate system can be obtained
during the following decades, in this paper we present a in a batch and the relation between the components is clearly
new derivation method for deriving the piezoresistive (PR) shown. The derivation result is applicable to all materials with
coefficient tensor of silicon using matrix algebra. diamond structure, although silicon is the only material used
In many transducers, such as pressure sensors, in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
accelerometers and some resonant sensors, silicon
piezoresistors play an important role. For the design of PR
sensors (a resistor, a half bridge or a Wheatstone bridge), it
2. Basic knowledge of the PR tensor of silicon
is important to design a silicon piezoresistor with high PR
As is well known in solid-state physics, the resistivity of single-
effect. To achieve this, it is important to have knowledge
crystalline silicon is isotropic when the material is free from
of the components of the PR coefficient tensor related to the
any stress. Therefore, the resistivity tensor is diagonal
orientation.  
The components of the PR coefficient tensor of silicon 1 0 0
in a crystallographic coordinate system (π) have been ρ = ρ0 0 1 0 . (3)
experimentally determined. The components of the PR 0 0 1
coefficient tensor of silicon in an arbitrary coordinate system When the silicon material is stressed, it is deformed so that the
(π
) are found to be related to (π) [2, 3] symmetry of the crystal is changed. Therefore, the resistivity
(π
) = (α)(π)(α −1 ) (1) tensor is no longer diagonal. It takes a general form as
     
where α is the coordinate transformation matrix for a tensor ρ1 ρ6 ρ5 1 0 0 1  6  5
of the second rank [2]. ρ6 ρ2 ρ4 = ρ0 0 1 0 + ρ0 6 2 4
Based on equation (1), the components of (π
) have been ρ5 ρ4 ρ3 0 0 1 5 4 3
obtained one by one using the following equation in many (4)
references: where i are the relative variations of the resistivity tensor


π
ij = αik πkl αlj−1 . (2) components, with i = ρi ρ−ρ 0
0
for i = 1, 2, 3, and i = ρρ0i
k,l for i = 4, 5, 6. The relative variation of the resistivity tensor

0960-1317/04/030332+03$30.00 © 2004 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK 332

 Batch derivation of piezoresistive coefficient tensor by matrix algebra

components, i , is related to the stress tensor applied on the the general relations between the components with only six
material full expressions of them. Recently, Bao [3] has given the






 
  π11 π12 π13 π14 π15 π16 T1 expressions of all 36 components in his book. However,
1  π
π
π
π
π
π
  T  so far there has been no derivation of (π
) directly from
 2   21 22 23 24 25 26   2 
  
  equation (1) by matrix algebra operation. As an alternative
 3   π31 π32 π33 π34 π35 π36 
  






 =
  T3  (5) derivation approach, in the next section, we give a derivation
 4   π41 π42




 
  
π43 π44 π45 π46   T4  of (π
) from equation (1) directly by matrix algebra operation.
5






  
 π51 π52 π53 π54 π55 π56 T5 
6






π61 π62 π63 π64 π65 π66 T6 3. Batch derivation of PR tensor



or in a simple form of  = π T where






 For batch derivation by matrix algebra, we define
π11 π12 π13 π14 π15 π16
 π
π
π
π
π
π


 21 22 23 24 25 26  A 2B


 (α) = (11)
 π π

π

π

π

π  C D
(π
) =  31 32 33
 π
π
π
π
π
π

34 35 36 
(6)
 41 42 43 44 45 46  where







 π51 π52 π53 π54 π55 π56   







l12 m21 n21
π61 π62 π63 π64 π65 π66
A =  l22 m22 n22  (12)
and (π
) is the PR coefficient tensor in an arbitrary coordinate
system. It is well known that the PR coefficient tensor l32 m23 n23
 
of a material with diamond structure in the crystallographic m1 n1 n1 l1 l1 m1
coordinate system takes a simple form: B =  m2 n2 n2 l2 l2 m2  (13)
 
π11 π12 π12 0 0 0 m3 n3 n3 l3 l3 m3
 π12 π11 π12 0 0 0   
  l2 l3 m2 m3 n2 n3
 π12 π12 π11 0 0 0  C = l3 l1 m3 m1 n3 n1
(π) =  . (7) (14)
 0 0 0 π44 0 0 
  l1 l2 m1 m2 n1 n2
0 0 0 0 π44 0  
0 0 0 0 0 π44 m2 n3 + m3 n2 n2 l3 + n3 l2 m2 l3 + m3 l2
D = m3 n1 + m1 n3 n3 l1 + n1 l3 m3 l1 + m1 l3 . (15)
Also, the PR coefficient tensor in an arbitrary coordinate
m1 n2 + m2 n1 n1 l2 + n2 l1 m1 l2 + m2 l1
system is related to the PR coefficient tensor in the
crystallographic coordinate system of silicon by According to the above definition, we have
(π
) = (α)(π)(α −1 )
T 
A 2C T
(α −1 ) = (16)
where B T DT
 l2 m21 n21 2m1 n1 2n1 l1 2l1 m1 
1
 l22 m22 n22 2m2 n2 2n2 l2 2l2 m2  where the superscript ‘T’ designates the transpose of a matrix;
 
 l2 m23 n23  for example,
 2m3 n3 2n3 l3 2l3 m3 
α= 3   2 
 l2 l3 m2 m3 n2 n3 m2 n3 + m3 n2 n2 l3 + n3 l2 m2 l3 + m3 l2  l1 l22 l32
 
l l m l +m l 
AT =  m21 m22 m23  .
3 1 m3 m1 n3 n1 m3 n1 + m1 n3 n3 l1 + n1 l3 3 1 1 3
(17)
l1 l2 m1 m2 n1 n2 m1 n2 + m2 n1 n1 l2 + n2 l1 m1 l2 + m2 l1
(8) n21 n22 n23

and Similarly, by using the notations in matrix algebra

 l2 l22 l32 2l2 l3 2l3 l1 2l1 l2     
1 1 0 0 1 1 1
 m2 m22 m23 
 1

2m2 m3 2m3 m1 2m1 m2 
 I= 0 1 0 and E= 1 1 1
 n2 n22 n23 2n2 n3 2n3 n1 2n1 n2 
 1  0 0 1 1 1 1
α −1 = .
 m1 n1 m2 n2 m3 n3 m2 n3 + m3 n2 m3 n1 + m1 n3 m1 n2 + m2 n1 
 
  the PR coefficient tensor in the crystallographic coordinate
 n1 l1 n2 l2 n3 l3 n2 l3 + n3 l2 n3 l1 + n1 l3 n1 l2 + n2 l1 
l1 m1 l2 m2 l3 m3 m2 l3 + m3 l2 m3 l1 + m1 l3 m1 l2 + m2 l1
system is written as
(9)

π1 0
π= (18)
In these equations, l, m and n are the direction cosines of the 0 π4
direction vectors of the arbitrary coordinates (i
, j
, k
) on those
where
in the crystallographic coordinates (i, j, k)  

    π11 π12 π12
i l1 m1 n1 i

π1 = π12 π11 π12 = π11 I + π12 (E − I ) (19)
j = l2 m2 n2 j . (10)
π12 π12 π11
k
l3 m3 n3 k
From equation (1) the components of π
can be expressed by and
the components of π by equation (2).  
π44 0 0
Based on equation (2), the components of (π
) have π4 = 0 π44 0 = π44 I. (20)
been obtained one by one. Pfann and Thurston [4] gave 0 0 π44

333
M Bao and Y Huang

Therefore, we have the piezoresistance in an arbitrary 

k13 = k31 k14 = 2k41 k15 = 2k51 k16 = 2k61
k26 = 2k62 
coordinate system k23 = k32 k24 = 2k42 k25 = 2k52



T  
2C T  
π
=
A 2B π1 0 A −2 l32 m23 + m23 n23 + l32 n23 k34 = 2k43 k35 = 2k53 k36 = 2k63 
T T 
k46 = 2k52 
C D 0 π4 B D

 l2 l33 + m2 m33 + n2 n33 k44 = 2k32 k45 = 2k63 
T
Aπ1 A + 2Bπ4 A T
2(Aπ1 C T + Bπ4 D T ) 
= l1 l33 + m1 m33 + n1 n33 k54 = 2k63 k55 = 2k31 k56 = 2k41 
Cπ1 AT + Dπ4 B T 2Cπ1 C T + Dπ4 D T

 l1 l2 l32 + m1 m2 m23 + n1 n2 n23 k64 = 2k52 k65 = 2k41 k66 = 2k21
M1 M2
≡ (21) (28)
M3 M4


where By now, (π ) is derived by matrix algebra directly from
equation (1) so that all the components of the PR tensor are
M1 = Aπ11 I AT + Aπ12 EAT − Aπ12 I AT + 2Bπ44 I B T obtained in a batch. The matrix (π
) can be expressed in a
+ (π44 AAT − π44 AAT ) = π0 AAT + π12 AEAT simple form as
+ π44 (AAT + 2BB T ) (π
) = (π) + π0 (k) (29)
where π0 = π11 − π12 − π44 . As AA + 2BB = I and T T
where (k) is a 6 × 6 matrix but with only 15 independent
AEAT = E, the expression for M1 can be further simplified components as indicated in equation (28). The relations
as between the components are clearly shown in equation (28).
M1 = π0 AAT + (π1 − π11 I + π12 I ) + π44 I The results agree with those given in table 5.2 of [3] derived
(22) one by one from equations (2), (8) and (9).
= π1 + π0 (AAT − I ).
With similar derivations, we have 4. Summary

M2 = 2{A(π12 E − π12 I + π11 I ) + Bπ44 I D T } = 2π0 AC T The transformation of the PR coefficient tensor from a
(23) crystallographic coordinate system to an arbitrary coordinate
system can be made through matrix algebra operation. All
M3 = π0 CA T
(24) 36 components of the PR coefficient tensor in an arbitrary
M4 = 2π0 CC + π44 I.
T
(25) coordinate system can be derived at same time by this matrix
algebra operation and expressed in the direction cosines of
Based on the above results, we have the new coordinates. The result shows that there are no more

T 
AA − I 2AC T than 15 independent components in any circumstances. In
π
= π + π0 ≡ π + π0 k (26)
CAT 2CC T the matrix of the PR coefficient tensor, the general relations
between components are clearly shown.
where k is a matrix of 6 × 6 components. The components of
the PR tensor can be expressed as
References
π
ij = πij + kij (π11 − π12 − π44 ). (27)
The matrix k has only 15 independent components listed as [1] Smith C S 1954 Piezoresistance effect in germanium and silicon
Phys. Rev. 94 42–9
follows: [2] Smith C S 1958 Macroscopic symmetry and properties of

−2 l12 m21 + m21 n21 + l12 n21 k12 = k21 crystals Solid State Physics, Advance in Research and
22  Applications vol 6, ed F Seitz and D Turnbull (New York:
l1 l2 + m21 m22 + n21 n22 −2 l22 m22 + m22 n22 + l22 n22
 Academic) pp 175–249
22
l1 l3 + m21 m23 + n21 n23 l22 l32 + m22 m23 + n22 n23 [3] Bao M-H 2000 Micro mechanical transducers Handbook of
k=
2 Sensors and Actuators vol 8, ed S Middelhoek (Amsterdam:
l1 l2 l3 + m21 m2 m3 + n21 n2 n3 l23 l3 + m32 m3 + n32 n3
 Elsevier) chapter 5
l 3 l + m3 m + n3 n l1 l22 l3 + m1 m22 m3 + n1 n22 n3 [4] Pfann W G and Thurston R N 1961 Semiconducting stress
1 3 1 3 1 3
transducers utilizing the transverse and shear piezoresistance
l13 l2 + m31 m2 + n31 n2 l1 l23 + m1 m32 + n1 n32
effects J. Appl. Phys. 32 2008–19

334

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