Acuity Ships 10 mbar Full-Scale MEMS Pressure Sensor Die

Acuity, Incorporated, a fabless provider of stable high-performance MEMS pressure sensors, is now shipping the AC3050-010 very stable low pressure sensor die with a 10mbar full-scale rating.

Expanding the low-pressure end of Acuity’s piezoresistive pressure sensor product offerings to 10 mbar full-scale, the AC3050-010 complements the existing AC3030 series 20 to 100 mbar full-scale MEMS pressure sensor family. The AC3050-010 is targeted at low-pressure instrumentation in industrial measurement, medical and HVAC applications.

“Our die customers have been particularly pleased with the very low zero-drift and tight parameter distribution of our earlier AC3030 silicon pressure sensor series," commented Henry Allen, vice president of Acuity, Inc. "We developed our new chip in direct response to customer demand for the same stability and cost advantages that we provide with our AC3030 parts—at even lower pressures. Our AC3050 chips leverage the structural and process improvements of our AC3030 family to deliver enhanced stability over traditional low-pressure piezoresistive pressure sensor parts."

Key attributes of the device include:

• Very low-mass diaphragm which overcomes g-force and vibration errors, improving accuracy and reducing the costs associated with correction schemes; and
• Very small footprint (1.9 mm square) which both reduces the effects of package stress and lowers chip costs.

"The real strength of this design is clearly shown by the accuracy and stability we are able to achieve when using a single sensor chip to build amplified parts down to 2.5 mbar full-scale," said Jim Knutti, president of Acuity, Inc. "Our OEM sensor customers find the AC3050 attractive both to replace existing piezoresistive pressure sensor die and to open new applications requiring very accurate low-pressure measurements."

The AC3050 structure relies on several key process steps, and the wafers are fabricated under a manufacturing agreement with MEMS foundry Semefab. At just 1.9 mm square, the AC3050’s sensitivity and stability exceed that of much larger traditional low pressure sensor die.

Source: http://www.acuitymicro.com/