A semiconductor pressure sensor includes a fixed electrode placed at a principal surface of a semiconductor substrate, and a diaphragm movable through an air gap in a thickness direction of the semiconductor substrate at least in an area where the diaphragm is opposed to the fixed electrode. The diaphragm includes: a movable electrode; a first insulation film placed closer to the air gap with respect to the movable electrode; a second insulation film placed opposite to the air gap with respect to the movable electrode, the second insulation film being of a same film type as the first insulation film; and a shield film that sandwiches the second insulation film with the movable electrode.

An improved microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensing device has an extended shallow polygon cavity on a top side of a silicon supporting substrate. A buried silicon dioxide layer is formed between the top side of the supporting substrate and a bottom side of a device layer. Piezoresistors and bond pads are formed and located on a top side of the device layer and produce measureable voltage changes responsive to a fluid pressure applied to the device layer. The purpose of the extend shallow polygon cavity is to improve the sensitivity or increase the span while keep a low pressure nonlinearity during shrinking the die size of the MEMS pressure sensing device die with corner metal bond pads having a keep-out distance to prevent a wire bonder from breaking the thin diaphragm.

According to one embodiment, a pressure sensor includes a base, and a first sensor unit. The first sensor unit includes a first transducer thin film, a first strain sensing device and a second strain sensing device. The first strain sensing device includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a first intermediate layer provided between the first and the second magnetic layers. The second strain sensing device is provided apart from the first strain sensing device on the first membrane surface and provided at a location different from a location of the barycenter, the second strain sensing device including a third magnetic layer, a fourth magnetic layer, and a second intermediate layer provided between the third and the fourth magnetic layers, the first and the second intermediate layers being nonmagnetic. The first and the second strain sensing devices, and the barycenter are in a straight line.

An inner housing part has through-holes for connecting first lead pins (power supply terminal, output terminal, ground terminal) with the connector pins. The inner housing part has grooves that house second lead pins for adjusting output signals of a sensor chip. Three of the grooves each has a shape in which a distance between opposing sides of the groove is less than a diameter of the second lead pin that corresponds to the groove. The inner housing part is fixed to a case by a thermoset adhesive so as to house lead pins arranged in the case included in a sensor element. The second lead pins are fitted in the grooves, suppressing lifting of the inner housing part during curing of the adhesive.

An improved microelectromechanical system (MEMS) pressure sensing device has an extended shallow polygon cavity on a top side of a silicon supporting substrate. A buried silicon dioxide layer is formed between the top side of the supporting substrate and a bottom side of a device layer. Piezoresistors and bond pads are formed and located on a top side of the device layer and produce measureable voltage changes responsive to a fluid pressure applied to the device layer. The purpose of the extend shallow polygon cavity is to improve the sensitivity or increase the span while keep a low pressure nonlinearity during shrinking the die size of the MEMS pressure sensing device die with corner metal bond pads having a keep-out distance to prevent a wire bonder from breaking the thin diaphragm.

A micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) chip for measuring a pressure in a pressure space includes a MEMS substrate having a measuring region, a contact-making region connected to the measuring region via lines and having contacts, and a bushing region disposed between the measuring region and the contact-making region. The MEMS substrate defines a cavity formed as a blind hole that defines an opening through one side of the MEMS substrate, the bottom of the blind hole forming a membrane. A measuring bridge includes piezoresistive elements disposed on that side of the membrane which faces away from the cavity's opening. A carrier substrate is disposed over the cavity's opening and bonded to the MEMS substrate in a two-dimensional manner to form a rod, with the result that the carrier substrate forms a bottom wall of the cavity spaced apart from the membrane.

According to one embodiment, a pressure sensor includes a base, and a first sensor unit. The first sensor unit includes a first transducer thin film, a first strain sensing device and a second strain sensing device. The first strain sensing device includes a first magnetic layer, a second magnetic layer, and a first intermediate layer provided between the first and the second magnetic layers. The second strain sensing device is provided apart from the first strain sensing device on the first membrane surface and provided at a location different from a location of the barycenter, the second strain sensing device including a third magnetic layer, a fourth magnetic layer, and a second intermediate layer provided between the third and the fourth magnetic layers, the first and the second intermediate layers being nonmagnetic. The first and the second strain sensing devices, and the barycenter are in a straight line.

A semiconductor device having a capacitive pressure sensor structure includes a substrate, an interlayer dielectric layer on the substrate, a bottom electrode of a pressure sensor within the interlayer dielectric layer, a pressure sensing cavity above the bottom electrode, a sensing film above the pressure sensing cavity and covering a portion of the interlayer dielectric layer, a cover layer on the interlayer dielectric layer and on the sensing film, the cover layer having an opening exposing a portion of the sensing film, and a high thermal expansion coefficient material layer disposed on cover layer and sidewalls of the opening. Through the use of the high thermal expansion coefficient material layer, the capacitive pressure sensor structure is not susceptible to changes in ambient temperature to enhance the sensitivity of the capacitive pressure sensor structure.

An object of the present invention is to suppress an error in the value detected by a pressure sensor, which may be caused when environmental temperature varies. A semiconductor substrate has a first conductivity type. A semiconductor layer is formed over a first surface of the semiconductor substrate. Each of resistance parts has a second conductivity type, and is formed in the semiconductor layer. The resistance parts are spaced apart from each other. A separation region is a region of the first conductivity type formed in the semiconductor layer, and electrically separates the resistance parts from each other. A depressed portion is formed in a second surface of the semiconductor substrate, and overlaps the resistance parts, when viewed planarly. The semiconductor layer is an epitaxial layer.