Leadless, Miniature Silicon On Insulator (SOI) sensors for Extreme Environments

Abstract

Semiconductor pressure transducers, which can operate at extremely high temperatures, in harsh environments that are corrosive, oxidizing, experiencing high vibration, are constantly on the rise in demand across many industries. This paper addresses the industry drive and discusses the recent developments of Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) piezoresistive pressure sensors for extreme environments. The design of the latest leadless miniature dynamic pressure transducer is described in detail. The sensor is capable of operating reliably under extreme environmental conditions such as: a) at temperatures in excess of 1100°F, b) under accelerations/vibrations greater than 200g, and c) in corrosive/oxidizing environments. The performance of such leadless pressure transducers is presented to indicate that ruggedized, high frequency, miniature, acceleration compensated piezoresistive transducers with improved performance characteristics are feasible for use in extremely harsh, high temperature environments. The construction of these transducers is based on Building Block approach to provide enormous flexibility in the design and thereby enabling these sensors to be used across a wide range of industry applications.