Date: 12/10/2011

MEMS based piezoresistive pressure sensor realized on CMOS

Imec has announced it has realized an integrated poly-SiGe-based piezoresistive pressure sensor directly fabricated above 0.13 µm copper (Cu) -backend CMOS technology. Imec says it is first time that a poly-SiGe MEMS device is processed on top of Cu-backend CMOS.

Polycrystalline SiGe offers desired mechanical properties at lower temperatures compared to poly-Si, allowing the post-processing on top of CMOS. Imec's integrated sensor (fully fabricated in imec) includes a surface-micromachined piezoresistive pressure sensor, with a poly-SiGe membrane and four poly-SiGe piezoresistors, and an instrumentation amplifier fabricated using imec's 0.13 µm standard CMOS technology, with Cu- interconnects (two metal layers), oxide dielectric and tungsten-filled vias.