Auxetic MEMS sensor

In this paper, an auxetic design is proposed for the flexible membrane of a piezoelectric pulse sensor and computationally analyzed for a high-sensitivity vibration sensing in micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS). Auxetics are metamaterial structures with negative Poisson’s ratio which enables sensor’s flexible diaphragm to be expanded in both longitudinal and transverse directions easily. The sensitivity of a pulse sensor with an auxetic membrane was studied and compared to an equivalent plain membrane when the substrate was under harmonic bending. The sensing response was determined for the both models using detailed Finite Element Model (FEM) simulations. The sensor with the auxetic membrane demonstrated excellent sensitivity output over a harmonic pressure input which shows its strong potential for high-sensitive MEMS sensing applications. A detailed fabrication process is also discussed.