Thermally-based transducer microsystems can be made by using CMOS IC technology, post-CMOS micromachining or deposition, and flip-chip packaging. Technology steps, materials, and physical effects pertinent to thermal microtransducers are summarized together with microheater, thermistor, thermopile, thermal isolation, and heat sink structures. An infrared intrusion detector, a thermal air flow sensor, and thermally excited microresonators for acoustic and chemical sensing serve as demonstrators. We discuss the characterization of process-dependent properties of CMOS materials crucial for thermal microtransducer CAD.
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