Pressure sensor and pressure-measuring apparatus using pressure buffering

• US 6,584,854 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2002
• Issued: 07/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Original Assignee: Omron Corporation
• Inventors: Oba, Masatoshi, Kimura, Isamu, Itakura, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): OEN, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US10/175,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20030056598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 377 Days
• Field of Search: 737/54, 737/15--56, 338/2, 338/4, 338/42, 361/283--28
• US Class Current: 73/754
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/022 by applying pressure to close blood vessels, e.g. against the skin; Ophthalmodynamometers
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0042 Constructional details associated with semiconductive diaphragm sensors, e.g. etching, or constructional details of non-semiconductive diaphragms details about the integration or bonding of piezoresistor in or on the diaphragm G01L9/0052 and G01L9/0057 respectively
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0073 using a semiconductive diaphragm

Abstract

A pressure-detecting chamber 23, a pressure-directing path 25 and a buffer space 24 are formed on the upper face of a main-body-side substrate 22 as recessed portions, and the upper face of the pressure-detecting chamber 23 is covered with a thin-type diaphragm 31, and upper faces of the pressure-directing path 25 and the buffer space 24 are covered with a cover substrate 30. A pressure-introducing unit 26 formed on the lower face of the main-body-side substrate 22 is connected to the lower face of the buffer space 24. The cross-section of the buffer space 24 is greater than the cross-section of the pressure-introducing unit 26, and the capacity of the buffer space 24 is greater than the capacity of the pressure-directing path 25. With this arrangement, it is possible to provide a pressure sensor which can control the response characteristic of the pressure sensor to a pressure change with high precision without causing serious adverse effects on the other characteristics of the pressure sensor, without preventing the miniaturization of the sensor.

Claims

1. A pressure sensor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having a pressure introduction passage therethrough;

a thin-film diaphragm covering the semiconductor substrate with a predetermined distance therefrom forming a pressure directing path and a pressure detecting chamber therebetween, the thin-film diaphragm covering the pressure detecting chamber being distorted in response to pressure transmitted into the pressure detecting chamber through the pressure introduction passage via the pressure directing path to enable the pressure sensor to detect a pressure based upon a change of the predetermined distance between the semiconductor substrate and the thin-film diaphragm covering the pressure detecting chamber; and

a buffer concavity formed in the semiconductor substrate at the pressure directing path,

wherein pressure transmitted into the pressure detecting chamber through the pressure introduction passage is buffered in the buffer concavity so that distortion of the thin-film diaphragm covering the pressure detecting chamber due to an instantaneous pressure is prevented.

2. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the buffer concavity is formed such that sensor response frequency of the pressure sensor becomes higher than frequencies in a pressure detection range of the pressure sensor and lower than frequencies of pressure noise.

3. The pressure sensor according to claim 2, wherein sensor response frequency of the pressure sensor is not less than one and a half times a maximum frequency in the pressure detection range.

4. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the thin-film diaphragm is partially reinforced by a reinforcement member attached thereon such that a portion of the diaphragm thin-film that is not reinforced by the reinforcement member forms the pressure detecting chamber.

5. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor substrate is provided with a pressure directing path concavity and a pressure detection portion concavity thereon and both of the cavities are covered by the thin-film diaphragm.

6. The pressure sensor according to claim 5, wherein the buffer concavity is formed deeper than the pressure directing path concavity.

7. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the pressure introduction passage is formed through the semiconductor substrate in a manner that the passage becomes wider as it goes to a surface of the semiconductor substrate that is not covered by the thin-film diaphragm.

8. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the buffer concavity is formed adjacent to the pressure introduction passage.

9. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the buffer concavity is formed on the pressure directing path at a position separated from the pressure introduction passage.

10. The pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor substrate is provided with a plurality of pressure detecting chamber concavities spaced to each other, and the plurality of pressure detecting chamber concavities are connected each other via the pressure directing path concavity, and the pressure directing path concavities are connected the same buffer concavity in common.

11. A pressure measuring apparatus having a pressure sensor, the pressure sensor comprising:

a semiconductor substrate having a pressure introduction passage therethrough;

a thin-film diaphragm covering the semiconductor substrate with a predetermined distance therefrom forming a pressure directing path and a pressure detecting chamber therebetween, the thin-film diaphragm covering the pressure detecting chamber being distorted in response to pressure transmitted into the pressure detecting chamber through the pressure introduction passage via the pressure directing path to enable the pressure sensor to detect a pressure based upon a change of the predetermined distance between the semiconductor substrate and the thin-film diaphragm covering the pressure detecting chamber; and

a buffer concavity formed in the semiconductor substrate at the pressure directing path,

wherein pressure transmitted into the pressure detecting chamber through the pressure introduction passage is buffered in the buffer concavity so that distortion of the thin-film diaphragm covering the pressure detecting chamber due to an instantaneous pressure is prevented.