Studying the Effect of Deposition Conditions on the Performance and Reliability of MEMS Gas Sensors 英文参考文献.docVIP

Sensors 2007, 7, 319-340 sensors ISSN 1424-8220 ? 2007 by MDPI /sensors Full Research Paper Studying the Effect of Deposition Conditions on the Performance and Reliability of MEMS Gas Sensors Khaled Sadek and Walied Moussa* 4-9, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2G8 * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Walied.Moussa@ualberta.ca Tel: 1-(780) 492 6027; Fax: 1-(780) 492 2200 Received: 8 October 2006 / Accepted: 16 February 2007 / Published: 14 March 2007 Abstract: In this paper, the reliability of a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS)-based gas sensor has been investigated using Three Dimensional (3D) coupled multiphysics Finite Element (FE) analysis. The coupled field analysis involved a two-way sequential electro- thermal fields coupling and a one-way sequential thermal-structural fields coupling. An automated substructuring code was developed to reduce the computational cost involved in simulating this complicated coupled multiphysics FE analysis by up to 76 percent. The substructured multiphysics model was then used to conduct a parametric study of the MEMS-based gas sensor performance in response to the variations expected in the thermal and mechanical characteristics of thin films layers composing the sensing MEMS device generated at various stages of the microfabrication process. Whenever possible, the appropriate deposition variables were correlated in the current work to the design parameters, with good accuracy, for optimum operation conditions of the gas sensor. This is used to establish a set of design rules, using linear and nonlinear empirical relations, which can be utilized in real-time at the design and development decision-making stages of similar gas sensors to enable the microfabrication of these sensors with reliable operation. Keywords: MEMS gas sensors; Microfabricat