1 3 Microsyst Technol DOI 10.1007/s00542-014-2215-7 REVIEW PAPER Design principles and considerations for the ‘ideal’ silicon piezoresistive pressure sensor: a focused review S. Santosh Kumar · B. D. Pant Received: 29 April 2014 / Accepted: 2 May 2014 © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014 and future trends have also been discussed. This paper will serve as a quick and comprehensive guide for pressure sen- sor developers. 1 Introduction The advancements in silicon substrate manufacturing technology (Fisher et al. 2012) along with device process- ing have contributed to a significant growth in the field of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Microsen- sors and microactuators fabricated using MEMS technol- ogy convert one form of energy to other using different transduction mechanisms (Judy 2001). Initially, MEMS borrowed the processes from the integrated circuit (IC) industry, but there has been a major evolution in processes specifically used in MEMS, like surface micromachining (Bustillo et al. 1998) and bulk micromachining (Kovacs et al. 1998). Micromachined mechanical sensors like pres- sure sensors, accelerometers, and gyroscopes have a wide range of applications leading to highest amount of sales volumes in the sensor arena (Yazdi et al. 1998). Pressure sensors constitute a large share in the MEMS mechanical sensor market. They were one of the first commercial- ized MEMS-based sensors. A pressure sensor is generally the first item in a chain of instruments that provide data related to pressure of fluids (liquids and gases) for cor- rect operation of systems and machines (Ripka and Tipek 2007). MEMS based pressure sensors help in replac- ing the bulkier version of their traditional electrical and mechanical counterparts. Traditional pressure sensors such as manometers, bourdon tubes, diaphragms, and bellows (Tandeske 1991) operate by converting the mechanical motion caused by the pressure into the motion of a dial which indicates the applied pressure. On the other hand, in Abstract Over the past four decades, the field of silicon piezoresistive pressure sensors has undergone a major revo- lution in terms of design methodology and fabrication pro- cesses. Cutting edge fabrication technologies have resulted in improved precision in key factors like dimensions of dia- phragm and placement of piezoresistors. Considering the unique nature of each sensor and the trade-offs in design, it is not feasible to follow a standard design approach. Thus, it is useful to derive the specific design from a num- ber of important factors to arrive at the ‘ideal’ design. In this paper, we critically review and analyze the various design considerations and principles for silicon piezore- sistive pressure sensor. We also report the effect of these considerations on the sensor output taking help of various CAD tools. Keeping in view the accuracy of state-of-the- art fabrication tools and the stringent demands of the pre- sent day market, it has become important to include many of these design aspects. Modelling using analytical expres- sions for thin plates has also been looked into as it gives a quick guideline and estimation of critical parameters before detailed finite element method analysis. Wherever possi- ble, fabrication imperfections and their effects have been discussed. Dependency of piezoresistive coefficients on temperature and doping concentration, the effect of clamp- ing condition of diaphragms and fabrication using wet bulk micromachining is also analyzed. Silicon-on-insula- tor based sensors along with innovative design strategies, S. S. Kumar (*) · B. D. Pant CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CEERI), Pilani 333031, Rajasthan, India e-mail: santoshkumar.ceeri@gmail.com S. S. Kumar · B. D. Pant Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), New Delhi, India