A 600 Degrees C Wireless Multimorph-Based Capacitive MEMS Temperature Sensor for Component Health Monitoring
Date of this Version
1-29-2012Citation
IEEE 25th International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS): 29 Jan.-2 Feb. 2012. S. Scott, M. Scuderi, D. Peroulis
Abstract
This paper presents the design and fabrication of a new packaged MEMS capacitive temperature sensor for engine component health-monitoring applications and measurement results above 500-600 degrees C. The multimorphs employed are thermal-SiO2/LPCVD-Si3N4/sputtered-Au beams designed for deflection at these temperatures. The mean initial capacitance of the sensors is 6.441 pF; with a standard deviation of 0.197 pF. The robust fabrication process and packaging yield consistent capacitance-temperature profiles from device-to-device. Similarly, the devices exhibit a consistently-high measured average quality factor of 1,727 with a standard deviation of 54 for 5 packaged devices. Also presented are laser confocal microscope profiles from the thermal-annealing process, detailing the break-in period, after which no additional creep is observed, even after over 24 hours at 650 degrees C. This is a first-of-its-kind MEMS sensor with unparalleled performance for harsh-environment wireless temperature sensing.
Discipline(s)
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
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