Modeling and Simulation of Dual Application Capacitive MEMS Sensor

A. Ravi[1], R. Krishna[1], J. Christen[1]
[1]Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
Published in 2014

Capacitive MEMS sensors offer high spatial resolution, sensitivity and good frequency response. In this paper, we present a circular membrane capacitive MEMS device that finds use both as capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) and pressure sensor. The MEMS device is first designed and simulated to work as a CMUT operating at about 5 MHz frequency. The device can also function as a highly sensitive absolute pressure sensor. The CMUT operating at around 5 MHz frequencies find applications in medical imaging, biometrics, non-destructive evaluation and navigation, and the pressure sensor described can be used as altitude, tactile and automobile pressure sensors. The paper describes the design considerations and COMSOL Multiphysics® simulation results.

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