access icon free CMOS BEOL-embedded z-axis accelerometer

A first reported complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS)-integrated acceleration sensor obtained through isotropic inter-metal dielectric (IMD) etching of a back-end-of-line (BEOL) integrated circuit interconnection stack, without any additional substrate etching steps, is presented. The mechanical device composed of a CMOS-process 8 μm-thick metal-via-metal stack of 135 μm diameter and suspended 2.5 μm over a bottom fixed electrode, has a resonance frequency of 20 kHz, a sensing capacitance of 50 fF with sensitivity 14 aF/G and it is integrated on the same substrate with a simple low-noise amplifier reaching 25 mG of RMS noise measured from 0.25 to 100 Hz bandwidth.

Inspec keywords: CMOS integrated circuits; microsensors; accelerometers; integrated circuit interconnections

Other keywords: frequency 20 kHz; capacitance 50 fF; integrated circuit interconnection stack; intermetal dielectric; bandwidth 0.25 Hz to 100 Hz; metal-via-metal stack; CMOS integrated acceleration sensor; back-end-of-line; size 8 mum; complementary metal oxide semiconductor; CMOS BEOL embedded z-axis accelerometer; size 135 mum; isotropic IMD etching

Subjects: CMOS integrated circuits; Microsensors and nanosensors; Velocity, acceleration and rotation measurement; Sensing and detecting devices; Metallisation and interconnection technology; Micromechanical and nanomechanical devices and systems; Velocity, acceleration and rotation measurement

References

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      • 6. Kaynak, M., et al: ‘MEMS module integration into SiGe BiCMOS technology for embedded system applications’. Semiconductor Conf., Dresden, Germany, September2011.
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http://iet.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1049/el.2015.0140
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