Vacuum pressure and gas detection with a silicon based micromechanical squeeze film sensor

Abstract

AbstractIn this work a new concept for the fabrication of a silicon based micromechanical squeeze-film sensor has been developed. A thin film of a gas is trapped between the resonator structure and its fixed substrate and builds up a squeeze-film arrangement. Characteristic parameters, such as resonance frequency, quality-factor and phase-shift depend on pressure and viscosity of the trapped gas and thus can be used for sensing these gas properties. First samples with different geometries have been fabricated by using a combination of dry and wet etching of the silicon substrate. Measurement results of the squeeze effect of this micro sensor are shown and compared with theoretical simulations