Capacitance-type pressure sensor

• US 6,640,642 B1
• Filed: 09/01/2000
• Issued: 11/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Car Engineering Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.), Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Satou, Shinya, Onose, Yasuo, Horie, Junichi, Watanabe, Atsuo, Shimada, Satoshi, Kuryu, Seiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): JENKINS, JERMAINE L
• Application Number:
  US09/653,808
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 737/18, 737/24, 361/283--28, 181/157, 181/163, 181/164, 181/174, 381/186
• US Class Current: 73/718
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/146 for measuring force distributions, e.g. using force arrays G01L1/148 takes precedence
• 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 sensor of electric capacitance type which includes a plurality of pressure sensor units connected in parallel with one another and each formed on a substrate by an electrode, a cavity region and a diaphragm having an electrically conductive film which is disposed in opposition to the electrode with the cavity region intervening between the electrode and the diaphragm, wherein diaphragm fixing portions are disposed internally of the cavity region so that a single sheet of the diaphragm is partitionarily and regionally allotted to regions of the plural pressure sensor units, respectively. With this structure of the capacitance-type pressure sensor, ineffective region for capacitance detection is minimized and hence the parasitic capacitance can be reduced with the detection accuracy of the sensor being improved.

Claims

1. A capacitance-type pressure sensor comprising:

a plurality of pressure sensor units connected in parallel with one another, each such sensor unit being formed by a fixed electrode contained on a semiconductor substrate;

a cavity region;

a diaphragm in the form of a sheet having an electrically conductive film which is disposed in opposition to said electrode, with said cavity region intervening between said electrode and said diaphragm; and

diaphragm fixing portions disposed within said cavity region whereby the single sheet of the diaphragm is divided into a plurality of substantially separately deformable regions corresponding to said plurality of pressure sensor units, respectively;

wherein

said fixed electrode is formed on an insulation film on said substrate, and is covered on its surface by an insulation film;

a movable electrode is exposed opposite the fixed electrode; and

the cavity region is sealed.

2. A capacitance-type pressure sensor according to claim 1,

wherein etching holes are formed in said diaphragm for thereby forming said cavity region.

3. A capacitance-type pressure sensor according to claim 2,

wherein etching holes are formed at positions on lines interconnecting said diaphragm fixing portion.

4. A capacitance-type pressure sensor according to claim 1,

wherein a conductive film is deposited over a surface of a topmost film constituting said diaphragm so as to cover said diaphragm wholly.

5. A capacitance-type sensor including a plurality of pressure sensor units connected in parallel with one another, each of said pressure sensors comprising:

a fixed electrode formed on a common substrate;

a cavity region; and

a diaphragm formed by an electrically conductive film which is disposed in opposition to said electrode with said cavity region intervening between said electrode and said diaphragm;

wherein

diaphragms of said plurality of pressure sensors are formed by a single sheet of material that is common to all of said plurality of pressure sensors; and

diaphragm fixing portions are disposed within said cavity region so that said single sheet of the diaphragm is divided into a plurality of substantially separately deformable regions corresponding to said plurality of pressure sensor units, respectively;

said fixed electrode is formed on an insulation film on said substrate, and is covered on its surface by an insulation film;

a movable electrode is exposed opposite the fixed electrode; and

the cavity region is sealed.

6. The capacitance-type pressure sensor according to claim 5,

wherein etching holes are formed in said diaphragm for thereby forming said cavity region.

7. The capacitance-type pressure sensor according to claim 6,

wherein etching holes are formed at positions on lines interconnecting said diaphragm fixing portions.

8. The capacitance-type pressure sensor according to claim 5,

wherein a conductive film is deposited over a surface of a topmost film constituting said diaphragm so as to cover said diaphragm wholly.

9. A capacitance-type pressure sensor, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of fixed electrodes formed on said substrate and connected to one another in parallel;

a movable electrode in the form of a diaphragm comprising a single sheet of flexible material disposed in opposition to said electrodes, and separated therefrom by a cavity region; and

diaphragm fixing elements disposed at discrete locations within said cavity region, which diaphragm fixing elements partition said single sheet of flexible material into a plurality of separate flexure regions corresponding to said plurality of fixed electrodes, which flexure regions are deformable substantially separately from each other;

wherein

said fixed electrode is formed on an insulation film on said substrate, and is covered on its surface by an insulation film;

the movable electrode is exposed opposite the fixed electrode; and

the cavity region is sealed.