Abstract:
In modern vacuum technology applications ranging from semiconductor manufacturing to aerospace systems, precise pressure monitoring in the range of 0.1~
1000 Pa remains challenging for MEMS type vacuum gauges. Typically, MEMS vacuum gauges are fabricated using monocrystalline silicon processing, which makes the sensors difficult to apply to application scenarios containing fluoride ions. Fused silica is more resistant to fluoride ion etching than monocrystalline silicon and is compatible with the MEMS process, which is expected to be used in a new generation of high-performance sensors. In this paper, a ring resonant sensor is fabricated using fused silica material to address the problem of silicon-based MEMS vacuum sensors susceptible to fluoride ion etching. The difference in the damping loss of the ring sensor at different vacuum pressures makes it possible to determine the vacuum pressure through quality factor measurements. The structure of the ring resonator is described in detail, and the gas damping loss model of the sensor is established. Its vacuum gas damping characteristics are analyzed, and the effects of quality factor loss sources and structural size differences on gas damping and measurement range are thoroughly discussed. A resonant sensor based on fused silica material is designed and fabricated, and the feasibility of vacuum pressure measurement is demonstrated. Measurement results show that the linear measurement range of the ring resonant sensor is 0.1~130 Pa with a resolution better than 0.01 Pa.