Design, Fabrication and Characterization of a Novel Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor for Blast Waves Monitoring

International audienceIn several side-on configurations, the monitoring of blast wave requires sensor with very low response time (< 1 µs). The sensing area of commercial sensors are too high to fulfill this specification. New transducers are focused on miniature membrane (diameter < 100 µm), but with optical transduction which suffers from low integration capabilities for multiple transducers. In this communication, a miniature piezoresistive pressure transducer based on silicon membrane and silicon gauges is designed and fabricated. Shock tube characterizations of the sensor have shown promising dynamic behavior, with a rise time of 30 ns and a response time lower than 1 µs thanks to the membrane fundamental resonant frequency of 20 MHz. Undesirable mechanical effects leading to the response drift after 1 µs are discussed and interpreted as the result of the holder deformation