Tuning the Sensitivity of a Metal-Based Piezoresistive Sensor Using Electromigration

Mohanasundaram, S. M.; Pratap, Rudra; Ghosh, Arindam

doi:10.1109/jmems.2012.2211579

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 12 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In order to prevent direct contact between the external environment and the electrically active metal piezoresistor, a thin layer of SU-8 is coated over the metal resistive element. Metal piezoresistors have the inherent advantage of low Johnson and 1/ f noise [ 244 ]. Moreover, the sensitivity factor (G/E—ratio of gauge factor of the piezoresistor to the Young’s modulus of the structural layer) of metal, especially Au- and Ti-based SU-8 cantilever sensors, is better than the combination of metal or doped polysilicon piezoresistor-based cantilevers with structural layer realized with other materials.…”

Section: Su-8 Polymer-based Piezoresistive Cantilever Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Surface Stress-Based Miniaturized Piezoresistive SU-8 Polymeric Cantilever Sensors

Mathew

Sankar

2018

Nano-Micro Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the last decade, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) SU-8 polymeric cantilevers with piezoresistive readout combined with the advances in molecular recognition techniques have found versatile applications, especially in the field of chemical and biological sensing. Compared to conventional solid-state semiconductor-based piezoresistive cantilever sensors, SU-8 polymeric cantilevers have advantages in terms of better sensitivity along with reduced material and fabrication cost. In recent times, numerous researchers have investigated their potential as a sensing platform due to high performance-to-cost ratio of SU-8 polymer-based cantilever sensors. In this article, we critically review the design, fabrication, and performance aspects of surface stress-based piezoresistive SU-8 polymeric cantilever sensors. The evolution of surface stress-based piezoresistive cantilever sensors from solid-state semiconductor materials to polymers, especially SU-8 polymer, is discussed in detail. Theoretical principles of surface stress generation and their application in cantilever sensing technology are also devised. Variants of SU-8 polymeric cantilevers with different composition of materials in cantilever stacks are explained. Furthermore, the interdependence of the material selection, geometrical design parameters, and fabrication process of piezoresistive SU-8 polymeric cantilever sensors and their cumulative impact on the sensor response are also explained in detail. In addition to the design-, fabrication-, and performance-related factors, this article also describes various challenges in engineering SU-8 polymeric cantilevers as a universal sensing platform such as temperature and moisture vulnerability. This review article would serve as a guideline for researchers to understand specifics and functionality of surface stress-based piezoresistive SU-8 cantilever sensors.

show abstract

Section: Su-8 Polymer-based Piezoresistive Cantilever Sensorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review on Surface Stress-Based Miniaturized Piezoresistive SU-8 Polymeric Cantilever Sensors

Mathew

Sankar

2018

Nano-Micro Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…High performance cantilever sensors have been realized with different class of materials like semiconductor [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23], polymer/plastic [24][25][26][27][28][29], ceramic [30], etc. However, silicon remains at the core as the principle material due to its excellent mechanical and electrical properties along with its long term stability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Numerical study on the influence of buried oxide layer of SOI wafers on the terminal characteristics of a micro/nano cantilever biosensor with an integrated piezoresistor

Mathew

Sankar

2016

Biomed. Phys. Eng. Express

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Piezoresistive micro/nano cantilever sensors have been extensively utilized in the detection and quantification of miniscule forces generated due to the physical interaction of biomolecules. Due to the ultra-sensitive nature of piezoresistive cantilever sensors, they have found numerous applications, especially in the development of point-of-care testing systems for healthcare applications. Over the years, silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers have been widely utilized to realize silicon based piezoresistive cantilever sensors due to their performance and fabrication related advantages. Treatise encompasses examples where researchers have retained the buried oxide (BOX) layer of SOI wafers to realize piezoresistive cantilever devices. In this paper, we investigate the impact of BOX layer of SOI wafers on the performance of composite piezoresistive cantilever biosensors. Typically, the response of piezoresistive cantilever sensors is evaluated by considering only the electro-mechanical response. However, the design of such sensors is a multi-variant problem due to (i) their composite structure and (ii) interdependent nature of the electrical, mechanical and thermal characteristics. Therefore, in the present study, we devise a new figure of merit (FoM) defined as the product of sensitivity ratio and the square of resonant frequency of the sensor. The sensitivity ratio represents the ratio of the electrical sensitivity due to surface stress and thermal sensitivity of the sensor. The proposed FoM takes into account the interplay between the electrical, mechanical and thermal response of the sensor. Finite element method based numerical simulations are performed to model and investigate the influence of BOX layer on the thermo-electro-mechanical response of a square shaped silicon piezoresistive cantilever sensor. Simulation results show that the presence of the supporting BOX layer enhances the mechanical stability i.e. spring constant and resonant frequency of the sensor. In addition, it is found that the BOX layer reduces the zero bias deflection of the cantilever due to difference in TCE of the constituent layer materials. Furthermore, it is shown that by dimensional optimization of the thicknesses of the constituent layers, sensitivity ratio of the sensor with BOX layer can be improved up to 2.96.

show abstract

A method for realizing robust micro-scale electromagnetic actuators for high current density applications

Reddy

Chaman

Pradeep

et al. 2021

ISSS J Micro Smart Syst

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tuning the Sensitivity of a Metal-Based Piezoresistive Sensor Using Electromigration

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

A Review on Surface Stress-Based Miniaturized Piezoresistive SU-8 Polymeric Cantilever Sensors

A Review on Surface Stress-Based Miniaturized Piezoresistive SU-8 Polymeric Cantilever Sensors

Numerical study on the influence of buried oxide layer of SOI wafers on the terminal characteristics of a micro/nano cantilever biosensor with an integrated piezoresistor

A method for realizing robust micro-scale electromagnetic actuators for high current density applications

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About