A thermal network model for piezoresistive pressure sensors

Excitation of resistive sensors with dynamic signals for low power consumption requires focusing on thermal and electrical behavior. Knowledge of both settling times is beneficial for sensor error correction. Therefore, a thermal model for piezoresistive pressure sensors is presented in this paper. It yields analytical equations for temperature distribution from basic physics laws. This lumped element equivalent circuit model (EQC) offers a quick way to simulate vast parameter numbers. It incorporates self-heating as well as ambient temperature influence. Our model uses 13 thermal resistors and seven thermal capacitances. Comparing the resistance change due to thermal behavior of a sample sensor with the model shows deviations smaller than the measurement uncertainty of 42 ppm.