Design and Simulation of Pressure Sensor for Ocean Depth Measurements

Abstract

MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System) are usually defined as highly miniaturized devices combining both electrical and mechanical components that are fabricated using integrated circuit batch processing techniques. Pressure sensors are usually manufactured using square or circular diaphragms of constant thickness in the order of few microns. In this work, a comparison between circular diaphragm and square diaphragm indicates that square diaphragm has better perspectives. A new method for designing diaphragm of the Piezoresistive pressure sensor for linearity over a wide pressure range (approximately double) is designed, simulated and compared with existing single diaphragm design with respect to diaphragm deflection and sensor output voltage.

Computer aided modeling for a miniature silicon-on-insulator MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensor

“…A silicon MEMS pressure sensor which changes the capacitance as a sensing mechanism has been widely reported [6][7][8]. The use of a square diaphragm for pressure sensing is preferred because it has better sensitivity than a circular diaphragm [9]. Piezoresistive gauges aligned in the (111) direction on a {110} plane square diaphragm with central boss was found to give better sensitivity [10].…”