New Universal Figure of Merit for Embedded Si Piezoresistive Pressure Sensors

In this article, we are presenting a new classification methodology for high resolution membrane based MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensors embedded in Internet of Things (IoT) nodes or in body-implanted devices. This is based on a new figure of merit (FoM) that includes the four key parameters as the power consumption, the area, the noise and the sensitivity of the transducer. The proposed classification allows to directly evaluate, based on power consumption and area requirements, the ultimate limit of detection that can be reached by a proposed technology. The derivation of the proposed FoM is validated based on wide survey and comparisons of literature results. It shows that, until now, wet etching technics for membrane release still allow for reaching higher performances than reactive ion etching.

Automated summary

This article introduces a new classification methodology for high resolution membrane based MEMS piezoresistive pressure sensors, based on a new figure of merit (FoM) that allows for evaluating the ultimate limit of detection of a technology. The proposed FoM is validated through extensive literature survey and comparisons, showing that wet etching techniques outperform reactive ion etching in membrane release for higher performance.