Analysis and stability of a silicon-based thermally actuated MEMS viscosity sensor

The proposed MEMS-technology viscosity sensor solves two major drawbacks associated with current state of the art MEMS viscosity sensors, such as: (1) Functional complexity and integration of external components for actuation and subsequent data acquisition; (2) Fabrication incompatibilities with CM...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in2017 IEEE 37th International Conference on Electronics and Nanotechnology (ELNANO) pp. 75 - 78
Main Authors Puchades, Ivan, Fuller, Lynn F., Lyshevski, Sergey E.
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 01.04.2017
Subjects
electronics
Frequency measurement
Heating systems
MEMS
Micromechanical devices
sensors
Silicon
Temperature measurement
thermal actuator
vibration
Vibrations
Viscosity
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Summary:The proposed MEMS-technology viscosity sensor solves two major drawbacks associated with current state of the art MEMS viscosity sensors, such as: (1) Functional complexity and integration of external components for actuation and subsequent data acquisition; (2) Fabrication incompatibilities with CMOS processes. The proposed solution is based on thermally induced actuation, subsequent vibrations of a silicon plate, and, plate damping in the surrounding fluid. This vibration viscometer device utilizes thermal actuation through an in-situ resistive heater and piezoresistive sensing of vibration. The studied MEMS sensor structures and components utilize CMOS compatible materials and fabrication processes. This leads to affordable, high-yield and reliable systems. A technology-centric solution is verified, tested and characterized to demonstrate that sensor is capable of measuring viscosities in the range from 10 to 500 cP with less than 5% error. Long-term stability testing shows a frequency variation of less than 5% for more than 1×10 6 actuation cycles.
DOI:10.1109/ELNANO.2017.7939722