A high-performance strain sensing microsystem with remote RF power capability

Author

Young, Darrin J. ; Ko, Wen H.

Author_Institution

EECS Dept., Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH, USA

Volume

3

fYear

2004

fDate

18-21 Oct. 2004

Firstpage

1677

Abstract

This paper describes a high-performance strain sensing microsystem with a remote RF powering capability. A MEMS capacitive strain sensor converts an input strain to a capacitance change with a sensitivity of 26.5 aF per 0.1 με. Low-noise integrated sensing electronics, employing a continuous time synchronous detection architecture, convert the capacitive signal to an output voltage for further signal processing. An RF to DC converter, based on inductive coupled coils, converts a 50 MHz AC signal to a stable DC supply of 2.8 V with a current driving capability of 2 mA, sufficient to power the interface sensing electronics. The prototype microsystem achieves a minimum detectable strain of 0.09 με over a 10 kHz bandwidth with a dynamic range of 81 dB. The sensing electronics consume 1.5 mA from a 2.8 V supply.

Keywords

AC-DC power convertors; CMOS integrated circuits; capacitive sensors; coupled circuits; microsensors; strain sensors; 1.5 mA; 10 kHz; 2 mA; 2.8 V; 50 MHz; CMOS integrated sensing electronics; MEMS capacitive strain sensor; RF/DC converter; continuous time synchronous detection architecture; inductive coupled coils; interface electronics; low-noise sensing electronics; minimum detectable strain; remote RF power capability; strain sensing microsystem; Capacitance; Capacitive sensors; Coils; DC-DC power converters; Micromechanical devices; Prototypes; RF signals; Radio frequency; Signal processing; Voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Solid-State and Integrated Circuits Technology, 2004. Proceedings. 7th International Conference on

Print_ISBN

0-7803-8511-X

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/ICSICT.2004.1435154

Filename

1435154