An integrated pressure transducer for biomedical applications

Abstract

A monolithic integrated-circuit piezoresistive pressure transducer featuring a high output signal (of the order of mV/mmHg), high stability (less than 05 mmHg/24 h) and low temperature coefficient (temperature coefficient of sensitivity less than 10 −4/°C) is presented. These features are achieved through careful design of the full bridge, the diaphragm and the on-chip amplifier. In addition to the conventional bipolar IC process, silicon anisotropic etch and stress-free package techniques have been used in fabricating the devices. Since the application set-up of the device is simple and inexpensive, widespread usage is also expected in areas other than biomedical applications.