A novel full range vacuum pressure sensing technique using free damping decay of micro-paddle cantilever beam deflected by electrostatic force

We report here a novel full range vacuum pressure sensing technique. The technique, using the free damping decay of micro-cantilever beam, gives us a full range pressure sensing capacity ranging from 0.2 to 1 × 10^-8 torr. The method demonstrated in this study allows researchers and engineers to observe the vacuum pressure according to the free decay of the deflected MEMS structure responding to electrostatic loads. The sensing results show the free decay of the deflected beam is linear proportion to the vacuum pressure. This can be performed at various vacuum pressures and the measurements can be achieved at frequency rates of up to 500 Hz.