“RECENT TRENDS IN MEMS AND NANOTECHNOLOGY”

By
Dr. Kirankumar B. Balavalad
Assistant Professor, ECE department
Basaveshwar Engineering College (A)
Bagalkot-587103, Karnataka. India.
Email: kiranb4004@[Link] [Link]
Phone NO.: 9742919103
 Sensor is a device that receives a stimulus and
outputs an electrical signal
 Upon a stimulus (the quantity, property or the
condition that is being sensed), sensors generate
electrical output.
 In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device,
module, machine, or subsystem that detects
changes in its environment and sends the
information to other electronics.
 Sensors are always used with other electronics.

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 2
 Power Supply

Transduction
Sensing Mechanism
Input
Signal
Element (Electronic
Stimulus Conditioning
(Mechanical Component)
Circuit
Structure) (piezoresistive/piezoelec
tric/resonant/capacitive)

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 3
Elements Materials

 Burdon Tubes  Metals (Low Gauge factor)

 Semiconductors (High gauge factor)

 Bellows  CNT

 Diaphragms

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 4
 Bourdon Tube

 The Bourdon tube is the sensing

element used in most pressure
indicating gauges.
 It is a closed, spiral tube, connected at
one end to the pressure being sensed,
with atmospheric pressure as a
reference.
 As the sensed pressure increases, the
tube tends to straighten, and, through a
linkage and gear, drives an indicating
pointer.
Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),
Bagalkot
1/4/2023 5
 Bellows
Working principle

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 6
 Diaphragm based pressure sensors
• Many pressure sensors depend on the
deflection of a diaphragm for
measurement.

• The diaphragm is a flexible thin layer

made-up of metals or semiconductors,
which are flat.

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 7
 Based on type of pressure to be measured, pressure
sensors are categorized into

 Absolute
 Gauge
 Differential

[Link]

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 8
 S Type of Advantages Disadvantages Remarks
l Sensor
.
N
o
1 Capacitive highly sensitive and are practically (1) Stray capacitance Suitable for high
. insensitive to the temperature (2) Needs capacitance temperature with limited
variations to voltage conversion pressure ranges. But
(3) Complex complex fabrication
fabrication process.
(4) Sensitive to Electro
Magnetic Interference
• Piezoresistive (change in resistivity) (EMI)
(5) nonlinear
response

• Capacitive (change in capacitance) 2

.
Resonant simple structures are used Complex processing
and need to maintain
Suitable, but fabrication
and use are complex
high quality factor Q.

3 Piezoelectri External power supply is not Only used for Suitable for high
• Piezoelectric (generation of electric charge) . c required dynamic pressures temperature with dynamic
sensing pressure measurements
only

• Resonant (change in resonant frequency) 4 Piezoresisti Mature fabrication process, linear Sensitive to Suitable for wide range
. ve operation over wide range of temperature, pressure.
pressure, Simple read out Can be made suitable for
circuitry, can be made highly high temperature with
• Optical (light reflection and diffraction) sensitive proper selection of
materials and design

Piezoresistive transduction is widely used in many applications as, they are highly sensitive and simple to
fabricate.

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 9
 METAL STRAIN GAUGES
 change in resistance due to change in geometry (shape
deformation).

 Zigzagged conductor path is commonly used to increase the length

of the resistor and the amount of total resistance under a given area.

 Metal alloys are used to develop strain gauge sensors.

 Strain gauges are fabricated on mechanical beams and membranes

with their gauge factors ranging from 0.8 to 3.0. Metal Strain gauge

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 10
 Piezoresistive strain gauges are among the most common types of pressure sensors.

 Use change in electrical resistance of a material when stretched to measure the pressure.

 These sensors are suitable for a variety of applications because of their simplicity and
robustness.

 Can be used for absolute, gauge, relative and differential pressure measurement, in both
high- and low-pressure applications

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 11
 Semiconductors
 The effect of piezoresistance in germanium and silicon was discovered by C.S. Smith in 1954.

 The piezoresistive effect describes the change in electrical resistance that occurs when an external force is
applied to a semiconductor.

 He discovered that the change in resistance was due to change in resistivity of the material as well as change of
the geometric dimensions.

 Piezoresistivity is largely found in semiconducting materials.

 Change in resistance due to change in resistivity as a function of strain in called piezoresistivity.

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 12
 Metal Strain Gauges v/s Semiconductors

 The effect of metal strain gauge is caused by the geometric deformation of the
resistor whereas piezoresistance is caused by the change of resistivity of the
material.

 The effect of metal strain gauge is isotropic whereas the effect of

piezoresistance is generally anisotropic.

 The effect of piezoresistance can be two orders of magnitude larger than that
of the metal strain gauge effect.

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 13
Source: [Link]
[Link]
Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),
Bagalkot
1/4/2023 14
 The electrical resistance (R) of a homogeneous structure is a function of its dimensions and resistivity (ρ),
𝜌𝐿
𝑅=
𝐴
 Gauge Factor is defined as the ratio of per unit change in resistance to the per unit change in length. This can be
mathematically written as,
Gf = (ΔR / R) / (ΔL / L)
ΔR / R = Per unit change in resistance
ΔL / L = Per unit change in length
Gf = Gauge Factor

 As strain of an elastic material is defined as the per unit change in length, therefore
Strain, ε = Change in Length / Original Length = ΔL / L
Hence,
Gauge Factor, Gf = ε(ΔR / R)

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 15
The change in the resistance due to applied stress happens due to:
• Geometric change

• Fractional change in resistivity

∆𝑅 ∆𝜌 change in
Change in = 1 + 2𝑣 𝜀 + resistivity
𝑅 𝜌
geometry

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 16
Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),
Bagalkot
1/4/2023 17
 For semiconductors

For metals ∆𝜌
= 𝜋𝜎
𝜌
∆𝜌
ൗ𝜌 𝜋 − 𝑝𝑖𝑒𝑧𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑙
 𝐺𝐹 = 1 + 2𝜗 +
𝜀
 For most of the metals, 𝜗 = 0.3 & change in 𝜎 − 𝑆𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑠
resistivity due to strain = 0.4 We also have,
Hence, 𝐺𝐹 = 1 + 2𝑋0.3 + 0.4 𝜎 = 𝐸𝜀
GF=2
𝐺𝐹 = 1 + 2𝜗 + 𝜋𝐸
 Change in resistance in metal,
𝐺𝐹 = 1 + 2𝑋0.3 + 𝜋138.9
∆𝑅 ∆𝐿
= 2𝑋 𝐺𝐹 ≅ 150 𝑡𝑜 200
𝑅 𝐿

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 18
(a) Top view of the
sensor

(b) Cross-sectional
View

(c) Cavity

Piezoresistors are made from N or P type silicon and are either manufactured as separate
elements for bonding to the surface of a sensing diaphragm or embedded into a silicon chip
sensing diaphragm via a ion implantation process
Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),
Bagalkot
1/4/2023 19
  The 4 piezoresistors
are connected in the
form of Wheatstone
bridge

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 20
 Thank You
mail id: kiranb4004@[Link]

Dr. Kirankumar B. B. Electronics and Communicaiton Engineering department, BEC(A),

Bagalkot
1/4/2023 21