A Silicon Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor

1
Ranjit Singh, 1Low Lee Ngo, 1Ho Soon Seng, 2Frederick Neo Chwee Mok
1
School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering,
2
School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering
Singapore Polytechnic 500 Dover Road, Singapore 139651.
Email: ranjit@sp.edu.sg,LowLN@sp.edu.sg,HoSS@sp.edu.sg, FredNeoCM@sp.edu.sg

Abstract Absolute pressure, (2) Differential pressure and (3) Gauge

The paper describes the design, simulation and pressure. The absolute pressure is measured relative to
fabrication of a silicon pressure sensor. The device makes perfect vacuum. An example is atmospheric pressure. The
use a of monocrystaline silicon square diaphragm differential pressure is the difference in pressure between
supported by a thick silicon rim. The diaphragm is two points of measurement. Gauge pressure is measured
fabricated by etching away the bulk silicon on a defined relative to ambient pressure. Blood pressure is one
region until the required thickness is achieved. The sensor example. Intake manifold vacuum in an automobile engine
makes use of four piezoresistors diffused into the surface is an example of a vacuum gauge measurement (vacuum is
of a diaphragm close to the edges. The piezoresistors are negative gauge pressure). Note that the same sensor can
arranged in the Wheatstone bridge configuration to be used to measure all types of pressure. Only the
achieve higher voltage sensitivity and low temperature reference is different. Differential pressures may be
sensitivity. The sensor has been designed and simulated measured anywhere in the range- above, below and around
using COVENTER and ANSYS software tools. The paper atmospheric pressure. Although there are several different
also discuss the results obtained from the simulations and methods of pressure sensing using silicon technology, yet
the response from the fabricated sensor. we have focussed only on the one using piezoresistors.
A piezoresistive pressure sensor consists of a thin
monocrystaline silicon membrane supported by a thick
1. Introduction silicon rim as shown in Figure 1. The diaphragm is
fabricated by etching away the bulk silicon on a defined
The piezoresistive silicon pressure sensor was one of region until a required thickness is reached. Piezoresistors
the first micromachined products manufactured in are made by diffusing or implanting into the membrane
production quantities. Development of the first prototypes typically close to the edges. The diaphragm acts like a
began over a decade ago. Some processes such as mechanical stress amplifier. The silicon is not only used as
anisotropic etching were developed specifically for the a substrate for the diffused resistors but also as an elastic
production of silicon pressure sensors. Silicon is used for material [3].
Applied
pressure sensors, because it combines well-established Piezoresistors Pressure
electronic properties with excellent mechanical properties
[1]. Other advantages of silicon include drastically reduced
dimensions and mass, batch fabrication and easy
interfacing or even interfacing with electronic circuits and Silicon diaphragm
microprocessors. Silicon pressure sensors can be
fabricated either using bulk micromachining or surface
micromachining. In bulk micromachining, many methods
have been developed to fabricate silicon diaphragms.

2. Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor Figure 1

When a pressure difference is applied across the device,
The pressure sensor is a device, which can be used to the thin diaphragm will bend downward or upward,
measure static, pressure, or a pressure in moving fluids [2]. indicating traction or compression on the piezoresistors.
There are three types of pressure measurements: (1)

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Proceedings of the First IEEE International Workshop on Electronic Design, Test and Applications (DELTA’02)
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 The resistance change caused by this stress can be easily where πl and πt are the piezoresistive coefficients parallel
measured. The latest piezoresistive pressure sensors are up (or longitudinal) and perpendicular( or transverse) to the
to ten times more sensitive than old transducers and with resistor length. The presently accepted explanation for the
response times as rapid as a millisecond. These sensors are piezoresistive effect is based on Herring’s [4] formulation
used for applications as automotive, hi-fi, aerospace and of the many-valley conduction/ valence band model. In a
medical equipment industries. More than a dozen cubic semiconductor, the matrix of piezoresistive
applications for pressure sensors have been identified and coefficients contains only three independent values,
silicon thin-diaphragm piezoresistive sensors are conventionally labelled as π11, π12, and π44. The
responsible for many of these system needs. These sensors coefficients πl and πt can be derived for any direction in
are used in vehicles to control the ignition and the the crystal form from these three coefficients [5]. The
composition of the petrol mixture, in audio systems to dominant piezoresistive coefficients for n- and p-type
compensate for loudspeaker resonance and in medical for silicon are π11 and π44 respectively. Maximum pressure
dialysis, middle ear diagnosis, and disposable blood sensitivity is achieved for this case using two parallel and
pressure meters. two perpendicular resistors in the [110] direction, all
located near the edge of the membrane. The piezoresistive
3. The Piezoresistive Effect coefficients are sensitive to several quantities such as
conductivity type, orientation, temperature and doping
The piezoresistive effect is the change in resistivity of a level [4, 6]. The strain dependence on different crystal
material caused by the application of a stress. The well- directions is determined by evaluating the piezoresistive
known phenomenon is quite large in semiconductors. coefficients in the <110> directions. The piezoresistive
Since the strain that can be introduced in a crystal is coefficients, πl and πt are given by:
usually small, only the linear theory of relationship π 11 + π 12 + π 44 π 44
between resistivity and strain is of interest. The most πl = ≈
general linear dependence of the change in resistivity 2 2
caused by stress is given by: π 11 + π 12 − π 44 π 44
∆ρ ij = ∑ π ijkl σ kl πt = ≈−
2 2
k ,l
where πijkl are the piezoresistive coefficients, σ is the 4. Design of a Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor
stress and ∆ρ is the change in resistivity caused by applied
stress. The complete piezoresistance tensor for (100) Figure 2 shows the four piezoresistors connected in the
silicon is given by: Wheatstone bridge configuration. Two resistors are
∆ρ1  π 11 π 12 π 12 0 0 0  σ 1  oriented so that they can sense stress in the direction of
∆ρ    σ  their current axes and two are placed to sense stress
 2  π 12 π 11 π 12 0 0 0  2  perpendicular to their current flow. Therefore, resistance
∆ρ 3  π 12 π 12 π 11 0 0 0  σ 3  change of the first two piezoresistors will always be
 =  
 ∆ρ 4   0 0 0 π 44 0 0  σ 4  Vbias
∆ρ   0 0 0 0 π 44 0  σ 5  R1 R2
 5   
∆ρ 6   0 0 0 0 0 π 44  σ 6 

where the ∆ρ tensor relates the changes in resistivity with

stress for the six crystallographic directions in silicon, σ1, Bridge
σ2, and σ3 represent normal stresses and σ4, σ5, and σ6 are Output
shear stresses. The piezoresistive coefficient relates the R4
fractional change in resistance to the applied stress. For a R3
diffused resistor subjected to longitudinal and transverse
stress components, σl, and σt, respectively, the resistance
change is given by:

∆R
= π lσ l + π tσ t
R
Figure 2

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Proceedings of the First IEEE International Workshop on Electronic Design, Test and Applications (DELTA’02)
0-7695-1453-7/02 $17.00 © 2002 IEEE
 opposite to that of the other two. This is achieved by silicon wafer. At present no effort was made to include the
placing two piezoresistors parallel to opposite edges of the circuitry needed for amplification, temperature compen-
diaphragm and the other two perpendicular to the other sation and calibration. The device has been packaged in
two edges. When the is diaphragm bent downwards, TO-5 package with inlet ports on two sides of it.
causing the tensile stress on the diaphragm surface at the
edges, the parallel resistors are under lateral stress and 6. Discussion of Results
show a decrease in resistance while the perpendicular ones
are under longitudinal stress and show an increase in Figure 4 shows the x-component (σl) and Figure 5, the
resistance. If the resistors are correctly positioned with y-component of the stress (σt) along the two sides of the
respect to the stress field over the diaphragm, the absolute piezoresistors, which are perpendicular to the edges. The
value of the four resistors changes can be made equal. variation of the stress along the other two piezoresistors
Figure 3 shows the top and the front view of one of the (i.e., the one parallel to the edges) were found to be equal
pressure sensor designs modelled and fabricated at but opposite to the ones shown in Figure 4 and 5. Using
Singapore Polytechnic in the School of Electrical and the values of x-component of stress and the y-component
Electronic Engineering. We have simulated the device of stress, it is possible to work out a fractional change in
with several different diaphragm sizes ranging from the value of resistance of a P-type piezoresistors through
1000x1000 to 2000x2000 µm. The thickness has also been the equation [1] below:
varied from 50 to 100 µm. The piezoresistors size has also
been varied from 100x5x1 µm to 400x5x1 µm. The ∆R π 44
spacing from the edges was another variable parameter. = (σ l − σ t )
The piezoresistors with different geometry layout were R 2
also tried. The sensor was modelled using ANSYS. The The Wheatstone bridge configuration converts the
material was considered to be monocrystaline silicon with resistance change directly to a voltage signal. The
Young’s modulus of 1.8 x 1011 N/m2 and Poison’s ratio, differential output voltage (∆V) of an ideally balanced
ν=0.28. A brick element with 20 nodes was used to mesh
the geometry. A uniform pressure of 100 kPa was applied
to the entire surface of the membrane. The results obtained
from the simulation are discussed later.

a a= 2000 µm
u u = 30 µm
x = 375 µm
t =100 µm
Membrane
x Piezoresistor

Figure 4
bridge with assumed identical (but opposite in sign)
resistance change, ∆R, in response to a differential
t pressure change ∆P on the sensor, is given by:
∆R
∆V = Vbias
Figure 3 R
where R is the zero-stress resistance and Vbias, the bridge
5. Fabrication of the Pressure Sensor supply voltage. The pressure sensitivity (S) is then defined
as the relative change of output voltage per unit of applied
The pressure sensor at our place has been fabricated on differential pressure and is given by:
a 6-inch wafer with 650 µm thickness. Etching of the back
of the wafer forms the diaphragm. The cost of the sensing ∆V 1 ∆R 1
element is low since large number of devices fit on a S= =
∆P Vbias ∆P R

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Proceedings of the First IEEE International Workshop on Electronic Design, Test and Applications (DELTA’02)
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 applying an air pressure from 20kPa to about 200 kPa. The
output of the device is found to be quite linear with respect
to the input pressure. The sensitivity of the device has
been found to be very encouraging.

Figure 5

Figure 6 shows the x-component of the stress on the

surface of the diaphragm in a direction perpendicular to
the applied pressure. Note that stress is maximum at the at Figure 7
the edges and minimum at the centre of the diaphragm.
The stress at the edges is maximum because the edges are
constrained (i.e., no displacement along x, y and z- 7. Conclusions
direction)
We have described the design, simulation and
fabrication details of a pressure sensor. The sensor
contains only the transduction part. It does not include the
circuitry for amplification, temperature compensation etc.
The idea at the first stage was to learn the basic technology
and extend it further to include the processing circuitry.
There are several possibilities to extend this work further.
In of the possibilities we can make the circuitry for
amplification and temperature compensation on a separate
chip and then bond the device and the circuitry together in
a single package. The other possibility could be to
fabricate the sensing device and the circuitry on the same
chip. The second approach is more challenging.

8. References
Figure 6 1. S.M. Sze,. “Semiconductor Sensors” John Willey & Sons,
pp160-189. 1994.
Figure 7 shows the displacement of the piezoresistors 2. Bicking, R.E. “Fundamentals of Pressure Sensor Technology”,
Sensors, Vol 30, 1998.
perpendicular to the direction of applied pressure. Note
3. Shankland, E.P, “Piezoresistive Silicon Pressure Sensors”,
that displacement varies from one end of the piezoresistor Sensors, Vol 22, Aug. 1991.
to the other. If the piezoresistor is small, then we can 4. Herring,“Transport properties of many-valley semiconductor”
assume the displacement to be nearly the same throughout Bell System Technology Journal, Vol 34, No. 2, pp. 237-290,
the geometry and accordingly we can estimate a better 1955.
value for the resistance change. 5. C. Smith, “Piezoresistance effect in Ge and Si”, Physics
Review, Vol. 94, pp 248, Feb 1936.
In order to test the pressure sensor, a circuitry using a 6. O. Tufte, P Chapman and D. Long, “ Silicon diffused-element
very high common mode rejection ratio (CMRR) OP- piezoresistive diaphragms”, J. of Applied Physics, Vol. 33, No.
11, pp3322-3327, Nov. 1962.
AMPs has been designed and fabricated The pressure
sensor was mounted on the PCB. The device was tested by

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Proceedings of the First IEEE International Workshop on Electronic Design, Test and Applications (DELTA’02)
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