Silicon carbide piezoresistive pressure transducer and method of fabrication

摘要

A high temperature pressure transducer is fabricated from silicon carbide. A wafer of silicon carbide has reduced or active areas which act as deflecting diaphragms. Positioned on the reduced or active area is a silicon carbide sensor. The sensor is secured to the silicon carbide wafer by a glass bond. The pressure transducer is fabricated by first epitaxially growing a layer of highly N-doped 3C silicon carbide on a first silicon wafer or substrate. A second wafer of silicon carbide is selected to be a carrier wafer. The carrier wafer is etched preferentially to produce the deflecting members or reduced areas which serve as diaphragms. The 3C material on the silicon slice is patterned appropriately to provide a series of individual piezoresistors which then may be interconnected to form a Wheatstone bridge. The two wafers are joined together using a high temperature glass frit, such as a pyroceram, with the various resistor elements appropriately placed over the deflecting members of the silicon carbide wafer. The silicon on the silicon wafer is removed and various metallic contacts and interconnects are formed on the 3C silicon carbide resistor network.