Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor, Shell

Application ID: 12629


Piezoresistive pressure sensors were some of the first MEMS devices to be commercialized. Compared to capacitive pressure sensors, they are simpler to integrate with electronics, their response is more linear and they are inherently shielded from RF noise. They do, however, usually require more power during operation and the fundamental noise limits of the sensor are higher than their capacitive counterparts. Historically, piezoresistive devices have been dominant in the pressure sensor market.

This example considers the design of the MPX100 series pressure sensors originally manufactured by Motorola Inc. (now Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.). Although the sensor is no longer in production, a detailed analysis of its design is given and an archived data sheet is available from Freescale Semiconductor Inc.

This model example illustrates applications of this type that would nominally be built using the following products: