Title :
Analysis of piezoresistance in p-type silicon for mechanical sensors
Author :
Toriyama, Toshiyuki ; Sugiyama, Susumu
Author_Institution :
New Energy & Ind. Technol. Dev. Organ., Tokyo, Japan
fDate :
10/1/2002 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
Typical p-type silicon mechanical sensors are designed to operate under temperature range from ∼173 K to ∼373 K and subjected to stress less than ∼100 MPa. The operation range is mainly restricted by the electrical and mechanical properties of silicon. The authors derived an approximate piezoresistance equation valid for typical operation range of the p-type silicon mechanical sensors, from valence band model of Bir and Pikus taking into account the spin-orbit interaction. The piezoresistance in p-type silicon was analyzed based on hole transfer and conduction mass shift due to stress. These mechanisms were introduced by Suzuki et al. [1984] to interpret piezoresistance in p-type silicon, based on the valence band equation in the vicinity of k=0. Under the typical operation range for p-type silicon mechanical sensors, holes are located where the value of k is relatively large, i.e., off k=0 and degenerate band split due to stress is incomplete. The hole behavior in the valence band was compatible with the typical operation range for p-type silicon mechanical sensors.
Keywords :
band structure; elemental semiconductors; microsensors; piezoelectric semiconductors; piezoresistance; semiconductor device models; silicon; spin-orbit interactions; 173 to 373 K; Si; conduction mass shift; degenerate band split; hole behavior; hole transfer; mechanical sensors; p-Si; p-type semiconductors; piezoresistance; shear piezoresistance coefficient; spin-orbit interaction; valence band model; Equations; Fabrication; Impurities; Mechanical factors; Mechanical sensors; Piezoresistance; Silicon; Stress; Temperature distribution; Temperature sensors;
Journal_Title :
Microelectromechanical Systems, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JMEMS.2002.802904