COIMBATORE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

(Government Aided Autonomous Institution)

Coimbatore-641014.

CONTRO THEORY AND MECHATRONICS

SEMINAR

DONE BY :
K.KARTHICK - 1602212
MECH – IV YEAR
 PRESSURE SENSOR

A pressure sensor is a device for pressure

measurement of gases or liquids. Pressure is an expression
of the force required to stop a fluid from expanding, and is
usually stated in terms of force per unit area. A pressure
sensor usually acts as a transducer; it generates a signal as
a function of the pressure imposed. For the purposes of this
article, such a signal is electrical. Pressure sensors are
used for control and monitoring in thousands of everyday
applications. Pressure sensors can also be used to
indirectly measure other variables such as fluid/gas flow,
speed, water level, and altitude. Pressure sensors can
alternatively be called pressure transducers, pressure
transmitters, pressure
indicators, pyrometers and manometers, among names.
Pressure sensors can vary drastically in technology, design,
performance, application suitability and cost. A conservative
estimate would be that there may be over 50 technologies
and at least 300 companies making pressure sensors
worldwide.
Pressure sensors can be classified in term of pressure ranges they
measure, temperature ranges of operation, and most importantly
the type of pressure they measure. In terms of pressure type, we
can categorize them in five categories:

 Absolute pressure sensor: This sensor measures the pressure

relative to perfect Vacuum pressure (0 PSI or no pressure).
Atmospheric pressure, is about 100kPa (14.7 PSI) at sea
level. Atmospheric pressure is an absolute pressure.

 Gauge pressure sensor: This sensor is used in different

applications because it can be calibrated to measure the
pressure relative to a given atmospheric pressure at a given
location. An example of gauge pressure would be a tyre
pressure gauge. When the tyre pressure gauge reads 0 PSI,
there is really 14.7 PSI (atmospheric pressure) in the tyre.

 Vacuum pressure sensor: This sensor is used to measure

pressure less than the atmospheric pressure at a given
location.

 Differential pressure sensor: This sensor measures the

difference between two or more pressures introduced as
inputs to the sensing unit. For example, measuring the
pressure drop across an oil filter. Differential pressure is also
used to measure flow or level in pressurized vessels.

 Sealed pressure sensor: This sensor is the same as the Gauge

pressure sensor except that it is previously calibrated by
 manufacturers to measure pressure relative to sea level
pressure (14.6 PSI).

 Fibre optic sensors: This technology uses the properties of

fibre optics to affect light propagating in a fibre such that it
can be used to form sensors. Pressure sensors can be made by
constructing miniaturized fibre optic interferometers to sense
nanometre scale displacement of membranes. Pressure can
also be made to induce loss into a fibre to form intensity
based sensors.

FABRICATION
 The fabrication process of a typical pressure sensor is done
using electrochemical etching (ECE).
 An n-type epitaxial layer of silicon is grown on a p-type,
{100} wafer. A thin, preferably stress-free, insulating layer is
deposited or grown on the front side of the wafer, and a
protective silicon nitride film is deposited on the back side.
 The piezoresistive sense elements are formed by locally
doping the silicon p-type using the masked implantation of
boron, followed by a high-temperature diffusion cycle.
 Etching of the insulator on the front side provides contact
openings to the underlying piezoresistors.
 A metal layer, typically aluminum, is then sputter deposited
and patterned in the shape of electrical conductors and bond
pads. A square opening is patterned and etched in the silicon
nitride layer on the back side.
 Double-sided lithography ensures that the backside square is
precisely aligned to the sense elements on the front side.
 At this point, electrical contacts are made to the p-type
substrate and n-type epitaxial layer, and the silicon is
electrochemically etched from the back side in a solution of
potassium hydroxide.
 Naturally, the front side must be protected during the etch.
One practical protection method includes coating with wax
such as paraffin and clamping in a fixture.
 The etch stops as soon as the p-type silicon is completely
removed, and the n-type layer is exposed.
 The process forms a membrane with precise thickness
defined by the epitaxial layer. • Anodic bonding in vacuum
of a Pyrex glass wafer on the back side produces an absolute
pressure sensor that measures the pressure on the front side .