Design and Analytical Studies of a DLC Thin-Film Piezoresistive Pressure Microsensor

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) thin films have been investigated for a wide range of applications due to their excellent electrical and mechanical properties. In the last decade, several researches and development activities have been conducted on the use of these thin films as piezoresistors in MEMS pressure sensors. This paper provides an overview on the design of a piezoresistive pressure sensor constituted of a silicon circular diaphragm with four DLC thin-film piezoresistors arranged in the Wheatstone bridge configuration. The sensor was designed from analytical formulas found in the literature.