Micromachined Pressure Sensor Based on GaAs/AlAs/In_xGa_1−xAs Resonant Tunneling Effect

This paper reports a novel micromachined pressure sensor based on GaAs/AlAs/In_xGa_1−xAs resonant tunneling effect. The 20 μm×20 μm GaAs/AlAs/In_xGa_1−xAs resonant tunneling structure (RTS) is incorporated in a 7 μm-thick, 740 μm-diameter GaAs circular membrane and the fabrication technology of the membrane is based upon the micromachined control holes technology. The pressure sensor is packaged hermetically, and the experimental results show that the current-voltage characteristic of RTS is a function of the external pressure, and the resonance peak voltage is linearly dependent on the pressure, the linear sensitivity is up to 0.37mV/KPa.