Module 2 Part 1
Module 2 Part 1
Power
Supply
Micro
Input Transduction Output
Sensing Unit
Signal Signal
Element
Acoustic Wave Sensors
Acoustic wave sensor does not related to the sensing of acoustic waves transmitted in
solids or other media, as the name implies.
Primary application of these sensors is to act like “band filters” in mobile telephones and
base stations.
The term “BioMEMS” has been a popular terminology in the MEMS industry in
recent years due to the many break-through in this technology, which many
believe to be a viable lead to mitigate the sky-rocketing costs in healthcare costs
in many industrialized countries.
Biomedcial Sensors
For the measurements of biological substances in the sample and also for medical
diagnosis purposes.
Input signal: Biological sample (e.g., blood samples or body fluids typically in
minute amount in µL or nL)
Transduction unit: the product of whatever the chemical reactions between the
sample and the chemical in the sensing element will convert
itself into electrical signal (e.g. in milli volts, mV).
Pt electrode
Blood sample
Polyvinyl alcohol solution
V H+ H+ H+ H+ H+
i
Ag/AgCl Reference electrode
Working principle:
● The glucose in patient’s blood sample reacts with the O2 in the polyvinyl
alcohol solution and produces H2O2.
● The difference of potential between the two electrodes due to the build-up
of H2 in the Pt electrode relates to the amount of glucose in the blood
sample.
Biosensors
Biomolecule B
B Supply
Biomolecule Layer B B
Chemical
B B B B Optical
Output Thermal
Sensor
Signals Resonant
Electrochemical
ISFET (Ion Sensitive
Field Effect Transducer )
Chemical Sensors
Work on simple principles of chemical reactions between the sample, e.g. ,O2
and the sensing materials, e.g., a metal.
Measurand Gas
Chemical Sensors-Cont’d
Measurand Gas
SiO2
Silicon Substrate
Chemical Sensors-Cont’d
SnO2 Pt + Sb CO
SnO2 Pt Alcohols
WO3 Pt NH3
Fe2O3 Ti-doped + Au CO
Ga2O3 Au CO
In2O3 None O3
Optical Sensors
● These sensors are used to detect the intensity of lights.
incident light
Semiconductor B R
Bias
Voltage Photon Energy
Photon Energy
Reverse _ R
Bias + p-Material
Voltage p n
Vout
n-Material Leads
(c) Photodiodes
Optical Sensors-Cont’d
Photon Energy
Photon Energy
Collector p n p Emitter Collector p n p Emitter
Base Base
(d) Phototransistors
Silicon (Si) and Gallium arsenide (GaAs) are common sensing materials.
GaAs has higher electron mobility than Si- thus higher quantum efficiency.
Other materials, e.g. Lithium (Li), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K) and
Rubidium (Rb) are used for this purpose.
Pressure Sensors
● Micro pressure sensors are used to monitor and measure minute gas
pressure in environments or engineering systems, e.g. automobile intake
pressure to the engine.
● They are among the first MEMS devices ever developed and produced for
“real world” applications.
Silicon Die
with
Diaphragm
Cavity Cavity
Constraint
Base
Measurand
Fluid Inlet
R3 (+ve) R1(+ve)
Wire bond Piezoresistors
+
Metal film Vin a Vo
Dielectric layer b
-
R2(-ve) R4(-ve)
Silicone gel
Silicon Metal
Diaphragm Die Casing
Attach
Pyrex Glass Wheatstone bridge for signal transduction
Constraining
Base or Metal R1 R3
Header
Vo = Vin −
Passage for
1
R + R 4 R 2 + R3
Interconnect
Pressurized
Medium R1,R 3= resistance induced by longitudinal and transverse stresses
R2,R4 = reference resistors
Pressure Sensors-Cont’d
Metallic
Silicon Cover
Signal output: capacitance changes
Electrode
(for higher temperature applications)
A
C = r o
Metallic
V Electrode
d
Silicon Die
r = Relative permittivity = 1.0 with air
Cavity
Constraint o = Permittivity in vacuum = 8.85 pF/m
Base A = Overlap area
D = Gap between plate electrodes
Measurand
Fluid Inlet
Diffused p-type Vibrating beam:
electrode (n-type Si wafer,40 m wide
Silicon diaphragm x 600 m long x 6 m thick)
By resonant vibration 1200 m sq.x 100 m thick
12
Vo Vin 10
8
C C 6
4
2
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Gap,micrometer
Pressure Sensors-Cont’d
The generated voltage (V) by a temperature rise at the bead (∆T) is:
V = T
where β = Seebeck coefficient
Thermal Sensors-Cont’d
Thermocouples
Hot Junction
Region, Th
Cold Junction
Region, Tc
V
The induced voltage (∆V) by the temperature change at the hot junction (∆T) is:
V = N T
with N = number of thermocouple pairs in the thermopile.
Thermal Sensors-Cont’d
A micro thermal sensor:
3.6 mm
32 Thermocouples
● 32 polysilicon-gold thermocouples
16 m wide
Hot
Junction
Region
● Typical output is 100 mV
Diaphragm: 1.6 mm dia
x 1.3 m thick ● Response time is 50 ms
Top view
Hot Junction
Region
Thermocouples
20 m
Silicon Rim
Diaphragm Support
Elevation
Working Principles for Microactuators
Power
Supply
Micro
Output Transduction
Actuating Unit
Action
Element
● A solid rod with a length L will extend its length by ∆L = α∆T, in which
α = coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) – a material property.
● When two materials with distinct CTE bond together and is subjected to a
temperature change, the compound material will change its geometry
as illustrated below with a compound beam:
Heat
1 2
1
2
● SMA are the materials that have a “memory” of their original geometry (shape)
at a typically elevated temperature of production.
● These alloys are deformed into different geometry at typically room temperature.
● The deformed SMA structures will return to their original shapes when they are
heated to the elevated temperature at their productions.
Constraint Base
Actuation Using Piezoelectric Crystals
Induced Mechanical
Mechanical Deformation
Forces
Applied Voltage, V
V
Electrodes
V
Piezoelectric
Constraint Base
Actuation Using Electrostatic Forces
A
(with charge q)
B
(with charge q’)
1 qq'
The attraction or repulsive force: F =
4 r 2
where ε = permittivity of the medium between the two particles
= 8.85 x 10-12 C2/N-m2 or 8.85 pF/m in vacuum (= εo) r
= Distance between the particles (m)
Actuation Using Electrostatic Forces-Cont’d
Length, L
V
Gap, d
A WL
● The induced capacitance, C is: C = r o = r o
d d
● The induced normal force, Fd is:
1 r o WL 2
Fd = − 2
V
2 d
in which εr = relative permittivity of the dielectric material between the two plates
(see Table 2.2 for values of εr for common dielectric materials).
Actuation Using Electrostatic Forces-Cont’d
Fd
Fw
L FL
V d W
100 µm
Drive Arm
Arrangement of electrodes:
10 µm
V
Closure Arm
160
Drastic reduction in required
140
actuation voltage with increase
Required Voltage, v
120
of number of pairs of electrodes: 100
80
60
40
20
0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Number of Electrode Pairs
Applications of Microactuations
Most microphones are designed for 20-80 dB in the frequency range of 150-1000 Hz
Micromotors
Unlike traditional motors, the driving forces for micro motors is primarily the parallel
electrostatic forces between pairs of misaligned electrically charged plates
(electrodes), as will be demonstrated in the following two cases:
● Energize the set A-A’ will generate a force pulling A’ over A due to initial misalignment.
● Energize the misaligned B-B’ will generate electrostatic force pulling B’ over B.
● Energize C’ and C will produce another step movement of the moving set over the
stationary set.
● Repeat the same procedure will cause continuous movements of the moving sets
● The step size of the motion = w/3, or the size of preset mismatch of the pitch
between the two electrode sets.
Applications of Micro Actuations-Cont’d
Rotary stepping motors:
● Involve two sets of electrodes- one set for the rotor and the other for the stator.
● Dielectric material between rotor and stator is air.
● There is preset mismatch of pitches of the electrodes in the two sets.
Applications of Microactuations-Cont’d
Rotor
Gear for
Stator transmitting
torque
Microvalves
Electric Resistance
Heating Rings
Flexible Silicon Diaphragm INLET FLOW
Silicon
Base
Constraint Base
FLOW OUTLET
Centerline
Micropumps
Electrostatically actuated micropump:
Electrode V
Pumping Chamber
Inlet
Check
Valve
Outlet
Check
Valve Constraint
Base
Flow F V
Flexible Tube
Wall
Micro Heat Pipes
Heat pipes = Closed systems that transport heat from heat source @ higher temperature to
heat sink @ lower temperature. They are often referred to as “Heat pumps.”
Micro heat pipes provide promising solution to effective heat dissipation in micro and molecular
electronics circuits as will be presented in Chapter 12.
● A pipe with triangular or trapezoidal
x-section (dp ≈ 100 µm) is in contacts with
heat source, e.g., IC and a heat sink, e.g.,
ambient cool air with cooling air by a fan.
● The pipe contains liquid, e.g., Ethanol
● Liquid vaporizes near the heat source
● The vapor flows towards heat sink due to
temperature difference
● The vapor condenses in the motion due to
drop in temperature
Cross-Sections
● Vapor turns into liquid near the heat sink
Heat ● The condensed liquid moves in the sharp
LIQUID Sink
corners towards the heat sink due to the
Heat capillary effect
VAPOR
Source ● The liquid vaporizes upon arriving at the
heat sink
Elevation ● The heat transport cycle repeats itself
as long as temperature differences
between the heat source and sink maintain.
Microaccelerometers
Spring
k
Mass
M Dashpot
with
damping
C
Vibrating
Solid Body
Microaccelerometers-Cont’d
The accelerometer is
attached to the vibrating
solid body
to time, t. M Dashpot
with
damping
C
Vibrating
Solid Body
● The associated velocity, V(t) and the acceleration
α(t) may be obtained by the following derivatives:
♦ Alternative substitutes for the coil spring, dashpot, and even the proof mass
need to be found.
Microaccelerometers-Cont’d
Silicon Cantilever
Beam Piezoresistor
Mass, M
Casing
Constraint Base
Constraint Base
Vibrating Base
The movement of the proof mass is carried out by the attached piezoresistor.
Microaccelerometers-Cont’d
Stationary
electrodes
Moving electrode
● The movement of the proof mass is carried out by measuring the change of
capacitances between the pairs of electrodes.
Microgyroscopes
y-Position
The induced Colioris forces are used to self-regulate the navigation of the moving
structures.
End of Chapter 2