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Sripathi Siva PrasadCopyright
© © All Rights Reserved
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/ 22
1: Overview of MEMS and Microsystem
The term MEMS js an abbreviation of microelectromechanical system. A MEMS contains
components of sizes in 1 micrometre (jum) to 1 millimetre (mm). A MEMS is constructed to
achieve a certain engineering function or functions by electromechanical or electrochemical
‘means. The core element in MEMS generally consists of two principal components,
1. a sensing or actuating element and
2. asignal transduction unit
Figure 1. Illustrates the functional relationship between these two components in a microsensor
Output
signal
+
fs |
Figure 1, MEMS as a microsensor
Micro sensors are built to sense the existence and the intensity of certain physical,
chemical, or biological quantities, such as temperature, pressure, force, sound, light, nuclear
radiation, magnetic flux, and chemical compositions. There ate many different types of
microsensors developed for a variety of applications, and they are widely used in industry,
Common sensors include biosensors, chemical sensors, optical sensors, and thermal and
pressure sensors. There are many other types of microsensors that are either available in the
marketplace or being developed. They include chemical sensors for detecting chemicals or
toxic gases such as CO, CO 2, NO, Os, and NH, ete. either from exhaust from a combustion
ora fabrication process, or from the environment for air quality control
Figure 2, lMlustrates the functional relationship between the actuating element and the
transduction unit in a microactuator. The transduction unit converts the input power supply into
the form such as voltage for a transducer, which functions as the actuating element, One
popular actuation method involves electrostatic forces generated by charged parallel
conducting plates, or electrodes separated by a dielectric material such as air.
The application of input voltage to the plates (i.¢., the electrodes in a capacitor) can result in
electrostatic forces that prompt relative motion of these plates in normal direction of aligned
plates or parallel movement for misaligned plates. These motions are set to accomplish the required actions. Electrostatic actuation is used in many microactuators. One such application
is in a microgripper si shown in the figure 3.
pom
—
4
in Micoacting Trnecion
—_ — =
Figure.2 MEMS as a microactuator.
Groping wm
4 te
ecrodes V)
t ia
Closing
second
a
4 aL ¥)
cones st —_
ising he
lcaede
Figure.3 MEMS using electrostatic actuation
Microsystem:
A microsystem is an engineering system that contains MEMS components that are
designed to perform specific engineering functions. MEMS components can be produced in
the size of micrometres.
‘A microsystem includes three major components of micro sensors, actuators, and @
processing unit as shown in the Figure 4
* Signals received by a sensor in a microsystem are converted into forms
compatible with the actuator through the signal transduction and processing
unit, Example airbag deployment system in an automobile
Microsystem Products Microg
Micromotors
Microturbines.
Micro-optical components,
Figure.4 Components of a microsystem
Microsystems and Microelectronics
There are significant differences in the design and packaging of microsystems from that
of integrated circuits and microelectronics,
Microsystems involve more different materials than microelectronics. Polymers
and metallic materials are common in microsystems produced by LIGA
processes. Packaging materials for microsystems include glasses, plastic, and
‘metals, which are excluded in microelectronics
Microsystems are designed to perform a greater variety of functions than
microelectronics. The latter are limited to specific electrical functions only.
Many microsystems involves moving parts such as microvalves, pumps, and
gears. Many require fluid flow through the systems such as biosensors and
analytic systems, Micro-optical systems need to provide input/output (1/0) ports,
for light beams. Mictoelectronics does not have any moving component or
access for lights or fluids.
Integrated circuits are primarily a two-dimensional structure that is confined to
the silicon die surface, whereas most microsystems involve are in three
dimensions. Mechanical engineering design is essential in the product
development of microsystems
The integrated circuits in microelectronics are isolated from the surroundings
‘once they are packaged, The sensing elements and many core elements in microsystems, should be in contact with working media, which creates many
technical problems in design and packaging.
+ Manufacturing and packaging of microelectronics are mature technologies with
well-documented industry standards. The production of microsystems is far
from that level of maturity. In microsystems, the packaging of these products is,
in its infant stage at the present time
‘Table 1.1Comparison of Microelectronic
and Microsystems
Microelectronics
Microsystems
Uses Single crystal silicon die, silicon
compounds and plastic
Uses single-crystal silicon die and few other
materials such as GaAs, quartz, polymers and
metals
Transmits electricity for specific electric
funetions
Performs a great variety of specific biological
chemical, electromechanical and optical
functions
Stationary Structures 2D
structures
Primarily
May involve moving Components
Complex 3-D structures
‘Complex patterns with high density over
substrates
‘Simpler pattems over substrates
Fewer components in assembl
‘Many components to be assembled
IC die is completely protected from
contacting media
‘Sensor die is interfaced with contacting media
Mature IC design methodology
Lack of engineering design methodology and
standards
Large number of electrical feed throughs
and
leads
Fewer electrical feedthroughs and leads
Industrial standards available
No industrial standards to follow
Mass production
Batch production or on customer-needs basis,
Fabrication techniques are proved and we
documented
Many microelectronics fabrication techniques
can be used for production
‘Manufacturing techniques are proved and
well documented
Distinet manufacturing techniques
Packaging technology is relative well
established
Packaging technology is at the infant stage
UNIT 2: WORKING PRINCIPLES OF MICROSYSTEMS
MICROSENSORS:
A sensor is a device that converts one form of energy into another and provides the user with
‘usable energy output in response to a specific measurable input. Different types of Microwave
‘+ Acoustic Wave Sensors
‘* Biomedical Sensors and Biosensors
‘© Chemical Sensors
‘© Optical Sensors
‘© Pressure Sensors
‘© Thermal Sensors 1. Acous
The principal application of an acoustic wave sensor is to measure chemical
compositions ina gas. These sensors generate acoustic waves by converting mechanical
energy to electrical. Acoustic wave devices are also used to actuate fluid flow in
microfluidic systems. Actuation energy for this type of sensor is provided by two
principal mechanisms: piezoelectric and magnetostrictive.
2, Biomedical Sensors and Biosensors
BioMEMS encompasses
‘+ biosensors,
* bio instruments and surgery tools and.
‘+ systems for biotesting and analysis for quick, accurate, and low-cost testing of
biological substances
Wave Sensors
‘Major technical issues involved in the application of MEMS in biomedicine are:
+ Functionality for biomedical operations
+ Adaptivity to existing instruments and equipment
‘* Compatibility with biological systems of patients
+ Controllability, mobility, and easy navigation for operations such as those
required in a laparoscopy surgery
+ Fabrication of MEMS structures with a high aspect ratio, defined as the ratio
of the dimensions in the depth of the structure to the dimensions of the
surfa
‘There are generally two types of sensors used in biomedicine:
1. Biomedical sensors and
2. dio
Biomedical sensors:
It’s used to measure biological substances as well as for medical diagnosis purposes.
The miniaturized biomedical sensors have many advantages like they need minute amount of
samples and can perform analyses much faster, Electrochemical sensors work on the principle
that certain biological substances, such as glucose in human blood can release certain elements
by chemical reaction, these elements can alter the electricity flow patter in the sensor, which
can be readily detected, a small sample of blood is introduced to a sensor with a polyvinyl
alcohol solution. Two electrodes are present in the sensor; a platinum film electrode and a thin
Ag/AgCl film is shown in figure 6. The chemical reaction takes place between the glucose and
the oxygen in the polyvinyl alcohol solution
Glucose + 02 > gluconolactone + H202
The H202 produced by this chemical reaction is electrolyzed by applying a potential to the
platinum electrode, with production of positive hydrogen ions, which will flow toward this
electrode, The amount of glucose concentration in the blood sample can thus be measured by
measuring the current flow between the electrodes, Figure 6, Biomedical sensor tor measuring glucose concentration
Biosensors work on the principle of the interaction of the analytes that need to be
detected with biologically derived biomolecules, such as enzymes of certain forms, antibodies,
and other forms of protein. These biomolecules, when attached to the sensing elements, can
alter the output signals of the sensors when they interact with the analyte. Figure7 illustrates
how these sensors are made to function. Proper selection of biomolecules for sensing elements
(chemical, optical, ete., as indicated in the right box in the figure) can be used for the detection
of specific analyte.
Biomoecule layer
Electrochemical
ISFET (lon-sensitive
field-effect wansducer)
Figure 7. Schematic of biosensors
Simple Analyte system:
‘A simple analyte system used in biotesting and analysis uses a capillary electrophoresis,
(CE) network, as illustrated in Figure 8. It consists of two capillary tubes of diameter in the
order of 30m, The sample injection reservoir A and the analyte waste reservoir A is connected
and the other longer channel is connected to the buffer solvent reservoirs B and B’. A sample
containing the species S, S:, Ss with different electro-osmotic mobilities is injected into A.
Applying an electric field between terminals A and A’ prompts the flow of the injected samples
from A to A’, A congregation of the sample forms at the intersection of the two channels
because of higher resistance to the flow at that location A high voltage electric field is then
switched to the terminals B and B' This electric field can drive the congregated sample in the
buffer solvent to flow from reservoir B to B'. The species in the sample can separate in this
portion of the flow because of their inherent differences in electro-osmotic mobility Figure 8. Schematic diagram of a capillary electrophoresis system
Chemical Sensors:
Chemical sensors are used to sense particular chemical compounds, such as various gas,
species. The working principle of this type of sensor is Significant oxide layer builds up over
the metal surface can change material properties such as the electrical resistance of the metal.
Measuring the change of electrical resistance in a metallic material as a result of the chemical
reaction of oxidation. The presence of oxygen as detected by a chemical sensor by natural
oxidation of a metal, and the physical sizes of the samples are on the microscale.
1. Chemiresistor sensors.
Organic polymers are used with embedded metal inserts. These polymers change the
electric conductivity of metal when it is exposed to certain gases. For an example, a special
polymer called phthalocyanine is used with copper to sense ammonia (NH3) and nitrogen
dioxide (NO2) gases,
2.Chemicapacitor sensors.
Some polymers can be used as the dielectric material in a capacitor. The
exposure of these polymers to certain gases can alter the dielectric constant of the
material, which in turn changes the capacitance between the metal electrodes. An
example is to use polyphenylacetylene (PPA) to sense gas species such as CO, COz,
Ne. and CHa
Tipo current Figure 9. Working Principle of Chemical Sensors
3.Chemimechanical sensors:
There are certain materials, e.g., polymers, that change shape when they are
exposed to chemicals (including moisture), Such chemicals ean be found by measuring
the change of the dimensions of the material. An example of such sensor is a moisture
sensor using pyraline
P1-2722,
4, Metal oxide gas sensors
‘This type of sensor works on a principle similar to that of chemiresistor sensors.
Several semiconducting metals, such as Sno, change their electric resistance after
absorbing certain gases. The process is faster when heat is applied to enhance the
reactivity of the measurand gases and the transduction semiconducting metals. Figure
10 illustrates a microsensor based on the semiconducting material S02, [Kovacs 1998]
omens
Py
beri cote #0,
rt
(Aor Kovacs {1908))
Figure 10. A typical metal oxide gas sensor
Optical Sensor
Devices that can convert optical signals into electronic output have been developed and
utilized in many consumer products such as television, Micto-optical sensors have been
developed to sense the intensity of light. Solid-state materials that provide strong photon-
electron interactions are used as the sensing materials. Figure 11 illustrates the four
fundamental optical sensing devices
ST ae
(a) Photovoltaic junction (b) Photoconductive device —— TIT
V1
"Sn Materil Leads
(©) Photodiodes
Photon energy
Lid
Collector “HP Eniner i oa miner
(4) Phototransistors
Figure 11. Optical sensing devices
‘The photovoltaic junction in Figure 1a can produce an electric potential when the more
transparent substrate of semiconductor A is subjes
ed to incident photon energy. The produced
voltage can be measured from the change of electrical resistance in the circuit by an electrical
bridge circuit. Figure 11b illustrates a special material that changes its electrical resistance
when it is exposed to light. The photodiodes in Figure Ile are made of p- and n-doped
semiconductor layers. The phototransistors in Figure 11d are made up of p-, n-, and p-doped
layers. As illustrated in these figures, incident photon energy can be converted into electric
current output from these devices. ll the devices illustrated in Figure 11 can be miniaturized
in size and have extremely short response time in generating electrical signals. They are
excellent candidates for micro-optical sensors
Selection of materials for optical sensors is principally based on quantum efficiency,
which is a material's ability to generate electron-hole pairs (electron output) from input
photons. Semiconducting materials such as silicon (Si) and gallium arsenide (GaAs) are
common materials used for optical sensors. GaAs has superior quantum efficiency and thus
higher gains in the output, but is more costly to produce. Alkali metals such as lithium (Li),
sodium (Na), potassium (K), and rubidium (Rb) are also used for this type of sensor. The most
commonly used alkali metal is cesium (Cs). Pressure Sensors
‘These sensors function on the principle of mechanical deformation and stresses of thin
diaphragms induced by the measurand pressure. Mechanically induced diaphragm deformation
and stresses are then converted into electrical signal output through several means of
transduction,
‘There are generally two types of pressure sensor: absolute and gage pressure sensors.
The absolute pressure sensor has an evacuated cavity on one side of the diaphragm. The
measured pressure is the "absolute" value with vacuum as the reference pressure. In the gage
pressure type, no evacuation is necessary.
Measurand
fui inlet
(a) Back side pressurized (b) Front side pressurized
Figure 12.Cross sections of micro pressure sensors
There are two different ways to apply pressure to the diaphragm. With back side
pressurization, as illustrated in Figure 12.a, there is no interference with signal transducer, such
as a piezoresistor, that is normally implanted at the top surface of the diaphragm. The other
way of pressurization, ie., front-side pressurization, Figure 12.b, is used only under very
special circumstances because of the interference of the pressurizing medium with the signal
transducer.
The sensing element is usually made of thin silicon die varying in size from a few
micrometers to a few millimeters square. A cavity is created from one side of the die by means
of a microfabrication technique. The top surface of the cavity forms the thin diaphragm that
deforms under the applied pressure from the measurand fluid. The thickness of the silicon
diaphragm usually varies from a few micrometers to tens of micrometers. A constraint base
made of metal (called a header) or ceramic (Pyrex glass is a common material) supports the
silicon die, The deformation of the diaphragm by the applied pressure is transduced into
electrical signals by various transduction techniques, as will be described later in this section.
The assembly of the sensing elements as shown in Figure 12, together with the signal
transduction element is then packaged into a robust casing made of metal, ceramic, or plastic
with proper passivation of the die, Figure 13. Micro Pressure sensor Assembly
Figure 13 schematically illustrates a packaged pressure sensor, the top view of the
silicon die shows four piezoresistors (Ri, Ro, Rs, and Rs, implanted beneath the surface of the
silicon die, These piezoresistors convert the stresses induced in the silicon diaphragm by the
applied pressure into a change of electrical resistance, which is then converted into voltage
output by a Wheatstone bridge circuit as shown in the figure. The pie7oresistors are essentially
miniaturized semiconductor strain gages, which can produce the change of electrical resistance
induced by mechanical stresses. In the case illustrated in Figure 13, the resistors Ry and Rs are
clongated the stresses induced by the applied pressure. Such elongation causes an increase of
electrical resistance in these resistors, whereas the resistors, Ro and Rs, experience the opposite
resistance change. These changes of resistance as induced by the applied measurand pressure
are measured from the Wheatstone bridge in the dynamic deflection operation mode as
Ry + Ry mim)
Where v, , and vin, are respectively measured voltage and supplied voltage to the
Wheatstone bridge
‘Thermal Sensors:
‘Thermocouples are the most common transducer used to sense heat. They operate on
the principle of electromotive force (emf) produced at the open ends of two dissimilar metallic
wires when the junction of the wires (called the bead) is heated. The temperature rise at the
junction due to heating can be correlated to the magnitude of the produced emf, or voltage.
‘These wires and the junction can be made very small in size. By introducing an additional
junction in the thermocouple circuit, as shown in Figure 14.b, and exposing that junction to a different temperature than the other, one would induce a temperature gradient in the circuit
itself. This arrangement of thermocouples with both hot and cold junetions can produce the
Seebeck effect. The voltage generated by the thermocouple can be evaluated by V = BAT in
which B is the Seebeck coefficient and AT is the temperature difference between the hot and
cold junctions. The coefficient B depends on the thermocouple wire materials and the range of
temperature measurements.
Metal wire A
yE
F
Heat Metal wire A
junction
Voltage output Junction
Bead, Metal wire B
Neingscoga 7 [heals]
(@) A thermocouple (b) A dual-junction thermocouple
Figure 14, Schematics of thermocouples
‘One serious drawback of thermocouples for micro thermal transducers is that the output
of thermocouples decreases as the size of the wires and the beads is reduced. Thermocouples
alone are thus not ideal for microthermal sensors. A micro thermopile is a more realistic
solution for miniaturized heat sensing. Thermopiles operate with both hot and cold junctions,
but they are arranged with thermocouples in parallel and voltage output in series. Materials for
thermopile wires are the same as those used in thermo-couples- copper/constantan (type T),
chrome/alumel (type K)
Hot junction
Figure 15 Schematic arrangement tor a thermopile
‘The voltage output from a thermopile can be obtained by the following expression
AV = NpAT
Where N= number of thermocouple pairs in the thermopile
B= thermoelectric power of the two thermocouple materials AT= temperature difference across the thermocouples, K
The overall dimension of the silicon chip on which the thermopile was built is 3.6 mm X 3.6
mm X 20 um thick. A typical output signal of 100 mV was obtained from a 500 K blackbody
radiation source of Q= 0.29 mW/em? with a response time of about 50 ms.
3.6mm
Diaphragm: 1.6 mm dia.
+13 pmhick
A
i / Six
9
4 Din -
Bein
Figurel6, Schematic of a microthermopile
MICROACTUATION:
The actuator is a very important part of a microsystem that involves motion. Four principal
means are commonly used for actuating motions of microdevices:
‘+ thermal forces
‘+ shape memory alloys
+ piezoelectric crystals and
electrostatic forces. ‘An actuator is designed to deliver a desired motion when it is driven by a power source. The
driving power for actuators varies, depending on the specific applications. An on/off switch in
an electric circuit can be activated by the deflection of a bimetallic strip as a result of resistance
heating of the strip by electric current.
Actuation Using Thermal Forces:
Bimetallic strips are actuators based on thermal forces. These strips are made by
bonding two materials with distinet thermal expansion coefficients.
The strip will bend when is heated or cooled from the initial reference temperature
because of incompatible thermal expansions of the materials that are bonded together.
It will retur to its initial reference shape once the applied thermal force is removed.
The two constituent materials have coefficients of thermal expansion, a1 and a2,
respectively, with a a1 > cg. The beam made of the bimetallic strips will deform from
its original straight shape to a bent shape shown in the right of the figure when it is
heated by external sources
‘The beam is expected to return to its original shape after the removal of the heat,
Heat
_ wT
a - —
:
Figure 17, Thermal actuation of dissimilar materials
Actuation Using Shape-Memory Alloys:
‘+ Microactuation can be produced more accurately and effectively by using shape
‘memory alloys (SMA) such as Nitinolor, or TiNi alloys. They tend to return to their
original shape at a preset temperature.
‘+ An SMA strip originally in a bent shape at a designed preset temperature T is
attached (0 a silicon cantilever beam. The beam is set straight at room temperature.
‘+ Heating the beam with the attached SMA strip to the temperature T would prompt
the strip’s memory" to return to its original bent shape.
‘+The deformation of the SMA strip causes the attached silicon beam to deform with
the strip, and microactuation of the beam is thus achieved. This type of actuation
has been used extensively in micro rotary actuators, micro joints and robots, and
microsprings
‘Shape memory alloy strip,
8. TINi or Nitinolor
Constraint base
Figure 18, Microactuation using shape memory alloys Actuation Using Piezoelectric Crystals:
An electric voltage can be generated across the crystal when an applied force
deforms the crystal as shown in the Figure 19. By attaching such a crystal to a
flexible silicon beam in a microactuator is shown in the Figure 20
‘An applied voltage across the piezoelectric crystal prompts a deformation of the
crystal, which can in tum bend the attached silicon cantilever beam.
Vv)
Mechanica-force-induced lectric-voltage-indoced
‘electric voltage SP cchanical cetormation
Figure 19. The piezoelectric effect.
Figure 20 Actuator using a piezoelectric erystal
Actuation Using Electrostatic Forces:
Electrostatic forces are used as the driving forces for many actuators, Accurate
assessment of electrostatic forces is an essential part of the design of many
micromotors and actuators
Coulomb's Law- Electrostatic force F is defined as the electrical force of repulsion
or attraction induced by an electric field E.
Figure 21 represents two charged plates separated by a dielectric material (i.e. an
electric insulating material) with a gap d. The plates become electrically charged
when an electromotive force (emf), of voltage, is applied to the plates. This action
will induce capacitance in the charged plates, which can be expressed as
c A__ WL
ré0q = reo
where A is the area of the plates and ¢,, is the relative permittivity Figure. 21 Electric potential in two parallel plates
‘+ The charges that are stored in either plate can be discharged instantly by short
circuiting the plates with a conductor. The energy associated with this electric
potential can be expressed as
1, WL
50" = 88057
‘+ The designation of forces indicated in Figure 22, expressions for the two forces in
the two directions
Le,eoLV?
Fy =
24
In width direction
poi eeav?
2d
In Length direction
Figure, 22 Electrostatic forces on parallel plates
Micromotors:
‘There are two types of micromotors that are used in micromachines and devices: Linear motors
and rotary motors, The actuation forces for micromotors are primarily electrostatic forces. The sliding
force generated in pairs of electrically energized misaligned plates.prompts the required relative motion
in a linear motor,
The working principle is based on the linear motion between two sets of parallel base plates.
Bach of the two sets of base plates contains a number of electrodes made of electric conducting plates.
All these electrodes have a length W we
Moving set
clectrodes:
Fixed set
Figure 23. Working principle of electrostatic micromotors
+ ‘The bottom base plate has an electrode pitch of W’ whereas the top base plate has a slightly
different pitch, say 1+ 173. The two sets of base plates are initially misaligned by 173,
+ We may set the bottom plates as stationary so the top plates can slide over the bottom plates in
the horizontal plane.
+ Thus, on energizing the pair of electrodes A and A’ can cause the motion of the top plates
‘moving to the left until A and A' are fully aligned
‘+ Atthat moment, the electrodes B and B' are misaligned by the same amount, 1/3.
+ One can energize the misaligned pair B - B' and prompt the top plates to move by another W73
distance toward the left
+ Wemay envisage that by then the C-C' pair is misaligned by 17/3 and the subsequent energizing
of that pair would produce a similar motion of the top plates to the left by another distance of
WES,
+ The motion will be completed by yet another sequence of energizing the last pair, D-D’
+ We may thus conclude that with carefully arranged electrodes in the top and bottom base plates
and proper pitches, one can create the necessary electrostatic forees that are required to provide
the relative motion between the two sets of base plates.
+ ILis readily seen that the smaller the preset misalignment of the electrode plates, the smoother
the motion becomes, Rotary micromotors can be made to work by a similar principle
‘+ A major problem in micromotor design and construction is the bearings for the 1
Micromotors built on the principles of electrostatic forces are described in de-tail by Fan.
Rotary motors driven by electrostatic forces can be constructed in a similar way. Figure 23 shows a top
view of an electrostatically driven micromotor. The electrodes are installed in the outer surface of the
rotor poles and the inner surface of the stator poles. As in the case of linear motors, pitches of electrodes
in rotor poles and stator poles are mismatched in such a way that they will generate an electrostatic
driving force due to misalignment of the energized pairs of electrodes. \I Poa.
Sass
oS
Figure 24 Schematic of a micro rotary motor
‘The ratio of poles in the stator to those in the rotor is 3:2. The air gap between rotor poles and
stator poles ean be as small as 2 umn, The outside diameter of the stator poles isin the neighborhood of
100 jum, whereas the length of the rotor poles is about 20 to 25 jum, One serious problem that is
encountered by engineers in the design and manufacture of micro rotary motors is the weat and
lubrication of the bearings. Typically these motors rotate at over 10,000 revolutions per minute (rpm).
‘With such high rotational speed, the bearing quickly wears off, which results in wobbling of the rotors
‘Much effort is needed for the solution ofthis problem, Consequently, micro tribology, which deals with
friction, wear and lubrication, has become a critical research area in microtechnology.
jerovalv
Microvalves are primarily used in industrial systems that require precision control of gas flow
for manufacturing processes, or in biomedical applications such asin controling the blood flow in an
artery. These valves are used as a principal component in microfluidic systems for precision analysis
and separation of constituents. Microvalves operate on the principles of microactuation is shown in
Figure 25. The heating of the two electrical resistor rings allached to the top diaphragm can cause a
downward movement to close the passage of flow. Removal of heat from the diaphragm opens the valve
again to allow the fluid to flow. The diaphragm is 2.5 mm in diameter and is 10 yum thick. The heating
rings are made of aluminum 5 ym thick. The valve has a capacity of 300 em3/min at fluid pressure
up to 100 psi, and 1.5 W of power is required to close the valve at 25 psig pressure.
cctric resistance |
Flexible silicon diaphragm Inter flow |
i
‘Sticon Figure 25 Schematic diagram of a micro valve
Microaccelerometers:
Accelerometer is an instrument that measures the acceleration (or deceleration) of a moving
solid,
Microaccelerometers are used to detect the associated dynamic forces in a mechanical system
in motion. These accelerometers are widely used in the automotive industry
For example, acceleration sensors in the +2g range arc used in a car's suspension system and
antilock braking system (ABS), whereas +50g range acceleration sensors are used to actuate air
bags for driver and passenger safety in event of collision with another vehicle or obstacles.
The notation g represents the gravitational acceleration, with a numerical value of 32 1US? or
9.81 mist
Vibrating
solid body
jure 26, Typical arrangement of an accelerometer
Principal components of an accelerometer are a mass supported by springs.
‘The mass is often attached to a dashpot that provides the necessary damping effect
‘The spring and the dashpot are in turn attached to a casing, as illustrated in Figure.26
In the case of micro accelerometers, significantly different arrangements are necessary because
of the very limited space available in microdevices.
A minute silicon beam with an attached mass (often called a seismic mass) constitutes a spring-
-mass system, and the air in the surrounding space is used to produce the damping effect.
The structure that supports the mass acts as the spring. A typical microaccelerometer is
illustrated in Figure.27 The mass is attached to a cantilever beam or plate, which is used as @
spring. Casing
Vibrating base
Figure 27. Schematic structure of a microaccelerometer
A piezoresistor is implanted on the beam or plate to measure the deformation of the attached
‘mass, from which the amplitudes and thus the acceleration of the vibrating mass can be
correlated.
Since acceleration (or deceleration) is related to the driving dynamic force that causes the
vibration of the solid body to which the casing is attached, accurate measurement of
acceleration can thus enable engineers to measure the applied dynamic force.
It is not surprising to find that microaccelerometers are widely used as a trigger to activate
airbags in automobiles in an event of collision, and also to sense the excessive vibration of the
chassis of vehicle from its suspension system,
‘There are many different types of accelerometers available commercially. Signal transducers
used in microaccelerometers include piezoelectric piezoresistive, capacitive, and resonant
members
Anchors
‘Shanees
(a) In equilibrium condition (@) With am aceleraion toward the lft
Figure 28 Schematic arrangement of a micro inertia sensor
‘The sensing element, ic, the accelerometer, has a special configuration as illustrated in Figure
Ba
‘A thin beam is attached to two tethers at both ends. The tethers are made of elastic material and
are anchored at one side as shown in the figure.
‘The thin beam acts as the seismic mass called the proof mass with an electrode plate attached.
‘The electrode plate that is attached to the proof mass is placed between two fixed electrodes + Inthe event of an acceleration of the unit, the proof mass will displace in the direction opposite
to the acceleration, as shown in Figure 28.b
+ ‘The movement of the proof mass induced by the acceleration can be correlated with the
capacitance change between the pair of the electrodes,
REFERENCES
1
Vijay K. Varadan, K. J. Vinoy and K. A. Jose , “RF MEMS & Their Applications’
Sons, 2003,
John Wiley &
2. Tal Re Hsu, “MEMS and Microsystems Design and Manicuring” Tata MC Grow il, New
Det, Editon 2002
3. Gabriel M Rebel, “RF MEMS - Theory Design ad Technology” lon Wiley and Sons, 2003
4 Nadim Malu "An intoduction to Micro electro mechanical sytem design’, Artech House 2000,
PART A
SRO Qusstons
1, Explain te dffeence between MEMS and miconptems
2. [Menion the type of enor used oieny the presence of oxygen Expl ihe operation of he nor
ZA parilel capacitor is made of wo square plates wih te dimensions L= W= 1000 pn or Tm),
shown in Figure, Determine the nonmal less fore if he gup between these two pas d= 2
pm The plas are separated by sate air,
‘
3. ae Be En oe
Length = 100m v
vale