An SOI-Structured Piezoresistive Differential Pressure Sensor with High Performance

Abstract

This paper presents a piezoresistive differential pressure sensor based on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure for low pressure detection from 0 to 30 kPa. In the design phase, the stress distribution on the sensing membrane surface is simulated, and the doping concentration and geometry of the piezoresistor are evaluated. By optimizing the process, the realization of the pressure sensing diaphragm with a controllable thickness is achieved, and good ohmic contact is ensured. To obtain higher sensitivity and high temperature stability, an SOI structure with a 1.5 µm ultra-thin monocrystalline silicon layer is used in device manufacturing. The device diaphragm size is 700 µm × 700 µm × 2.1 µm. The experimental results show that the fabricated piezoresistive pressure sensor has a high sensitivity of 2.255 mV/V/kPa and a sensing resolution of less than 100 Pa at room temperature. The sensor has a temperature coefficient of sensitivity (TCS) of −0.221 %FS/°C and a temperature coefficient of offset (TCO) of −0.209 %FS/°C at operating temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 160 °C. The reported piezoresistive microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pressure sensors are fabricated on 8-inch wafers using standard CMOS-compatible processes, which provides a volume solution for embedded integrated precision detection applications of air pressure, offering better insights for high-temperature and miniaturized low-pressure sensor research.

Keywords

• high-sensitivity
• low temperature drift
• piezoresistive effect
• silicon-on-insulator (SOI) pressure sensor
• microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)