CMOS compatible bulk micromachined silicon piezoresistive accelerometer with low off-axis sensitivity

The CMOS compatible bulk micromachined piezoresistive accelerometer presented in this paper consists of four flexures supporting a proof mass. Four pairs of boron-diffused piezoresistors are located at maximum stress points on the flexures near the proof mass and frame ends. Because of the opposite nature of stress at the two ends, these piezoresistors can be connected to form a Wheatstone bridge such that the off-axis responses are practically cancelled while the on-axis (along perpendicular to proof mass) response is maximized. The device is simulated using CoventorWare. In the fabrication process, dual-doped TMAH solution is used for wet anisotropic etching. The novelty of this etching process is that the bulk micromachining can be performed after aluminum metallization. The etched surface is also smooth. The fabrication is thus CMOS compatible. The accelerometer exhibits good linearity over 0–10 g.