The beam-diaphragm structure is a new type of stress concentration structure in which the stress concentration areas are separated for positive and negative stresses. Geometric design considerations for beam-diaphragm structures have been investigated theoretically and experimentally. According to the results of finite-element analysis and experimental measurements, geometric design rules for maximum sensitivity are given. Experimental results of the dependence of the non-linearity on the beam width, W 2, are also presented.