Silicon/Porous Silicon composite membrane for high sensitivity pressure sensor

Porous Silicon (PS) has many interesting and unique properties that make it a viable material in the field of MEMS. In this paper we investigate the application of PS in improving the sensitivity of bulk micromachined piezoresistive pressure sensors. A part of the silicon membrane thickness has been converted into PS by electrochemical etching in HF based electrolyte. The property of low Young's modulus of PS and its dependence on porosity have been exploited in obtaining higher sensitivity compared to pressure sensors with single crystalline silicon membranes. The sensitivity is found to increase with the porosity and thickness of PS layer and these can be easily controlled by varying the PS formation parameters.