JP7327695B2 - vibrating pressure sensor - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a vibrating pressure sensor.

For example, a vibrating pressure sensor conventionally receives the pressure of a fluid or the like to be measured by a diaphragm, and detects changes in the resonance frequency of the vibrator caused by the strain generated in the vibrator placed on the surface of the sensor. Therefore, a configuration for measuring pressure is employed (see Patent Document 1 and Non-Patent Document 1, for example).

In addition, when measuring the absolute pressure of a fluid, etc., a pressure reference chamber defined to a predetermined pressure value is placed on one side of the diaphragm, and the pressure of the fluid, etc. to be measured is applied to the other side of the diaphragm. There is a need to.

Japanese Patent No. 5158160

Sensors and Actuators, "Three-dimensional Micromachining of Silicon Pressure Sensor Integrates Resonant Strain Gauge on Diaphragm", Physical Volume 21, Issues 1-3 , pp 146-150 (February 1990)

In the conventional technique described in Non-Patent Document 1, when a high static pressure is applied to the diaphragm, the peripheral portion deforms, thereby relieving the stress generated in the diaphragm itself. That is, the vibrating pressure sensor has a so-called balloon effect, in which the sensitivity when the static pressure is high appears to be smaller than the sensitivity when the static pressure is low, so that the linearity of the input/output characteristics as a pressure sensor However, there is a problem that the properties are significantly deteriorated. Therefore, for example, in applications where high static pressure is applied, there is a problem that it is difficult to obtain high measurement accuracy.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vibrating pressure sensor that provides high linearity and excellent measurement accuracy regardless of whether the static pressure applied by the fluid or the like to be measured is high or low. intended to provide

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention includes the following aspects.
A vibrating pressure sensor according to one aspect of the present invention is a vibrating pressure sensor including a pressure detection unit capable of detecting static pressure based on a change in resonance frequency, wherein the pressure detection unit is fixed to a housing. at least one substrate fixing portion fixed to the housing fixing portion; and a substrate separating portion extending from the substrate fixing portion and separated from the housing fixing portion. a substrate portion, a pressure-receiving fluid interposed in a gap between the housing fixing portion and the substrate portion and enveloping the substrate portion; a first vibrator that detects a change in resonance frequency based on distortion occurring in the substrate.

Further, in the vibration type pressure sensor according to an aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, the substrate portion has a cantilever structure with the substrate fixing portion serving as a fulcrum.

Further, in the vibrating pressure sensor according to one aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, the substrate portion has a strain relief hole that is provided so as to penetrate the substrate portion.

Further, in the vibration type pressure sensor according to one aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, the first oscillator is made of a semiconductor material containing an impurity, and the concentration of the impurity is 1×10 ²⁰ (cm ⁻³ ) or more. In addition, the atomic radius of the impurity is smaller than the atomic radius of the semiconductor material that is the base material.

Further, in the vibrating pressure sensor according to one aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, the pressure detection section is arranged in the substrate separation section of the substrate section, and the substrate is detected in response to the static pressure applied by the pressure-receiving fluid. a second oscillator for detecting a change in resonance frequency based on the strain occurring in the part, wherein the second oscillator has a pressure sensitivity at a resonance frequency different from the pressure sensitivity at the resonance frequency of the first oscillator; characterized by

Further, in the vibration type pressure sensor according to an aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, the pressure detection section has at least two or more of the substrate separation sections provided on one or a plurality of the substrate sections, and the first The vibrator and the second vibrator are arranged in different substrate separation portions.

Further, in the vibration type pressure sensor according to one aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, both the first oscillator and the second oscillator are made of a single crystal silicon material containing impurities, and the first oscillator and the second oscillator, the concentration of the impurity in each is a value different by at least one order of magnitude when the unit is (cm ⁻³ ), and the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency of the second oscillator is It is characterized by being larger than the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency of the first vibrator.

Further, in the vibrating pressure sensor according to an aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, the thickness dimension of the second oscillator along the thickness direction of the substrate portion is larger than the thickness dimension of the first oscillator. It is characterized by

Further, in the vibrating pressure sensor according to one aspect of the present invention, in the configuration described above, the substrate portion includes a base substrate having the substrate fixing portion and fixed to the housing fixing portion, and a base substrate connected to the base substrate. The support substrate has a fixed portion that is fixed to the base substrate, and a separation portion that is separated from the base substrate and extends from the fixed portion, and the pressure-receiving fluid is It is characterized by being interposed in a gap between the base substrate and the supporting substrate and wrapping the separation portion.

According to the vibrating pressure sensor according to one aspect of the present invention, a substrate portion having at least one substrate fixing portion and a substrate separating portion fixed to a housing fixing portion and at least one substrate separating portion; A configuration including a first vibrator that detects a change in resonance frequency based on strain generated in response to the static pressure applied to the substrate by the pressure-receiving fluid is employed. As a result, high linearity can be obtained regardless of the magnitude of the static pressure applied by the fluid or the like to be measured, and excellent measurement accuracy can be achieved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically explaining a vibrating pressure sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall configuration of a vibrating pressure sensor when air (atmosphere) is used; FIG. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram for schematically explaining a vibrating pressure sensor according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of a pressure detection section shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b); FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically explaining the vibrating pressure sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 2; FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically explaining the vibrating pressure sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2; BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram for schematically explaining the vibrating pressure sensor according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and is a block diagram showing signal processing operations in the vibrating pressure sensor; FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a vibrating pressure sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing a pressure detection section; FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a vibrating pressure sensor according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing a pressure detection section; FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating a vibrating pressure sensor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view showing a pressure detection section; FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically explaining a vibrating pressure sensor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 8; FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically explaining a vibrating pressure sensor according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 8; FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically explaining a vibrating pressure sensor according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and is a cross-sectional view showing a pressure detection section provided on a base; FIG. 12 is a diagram for schematically explaining a vibrating pressure sensor according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and is a plan view of the pressure detection section shown in FIG. 11;

A vibrating pressure sensor, which is an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, will be described below with appropriate reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. FIG.
In the following description, first, an outline of the vibrating pressure sensor according to the present invention will be described, and then the vibrating pressure sensors according to the first to fifth embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail. do. Here, the vibrating pressure sensor of this embodiment can obtain high measurement accuracy, for example, in applications where a particularly high static pressure is applied.
Further, in the following description, the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system (the position of the origin is changed as appropriate) shown in each drawing as necessary.

In addition, in the drawings used in the following description, in order to make it easier to understand the features of the present invention, there are cases where the feature parts are enlarged for the sake of convenience, and it is assumed that the dimensional ratio of each component is the same as the actual one. is not limited. Furthermore, the materials and the like exemplified in the following description are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to them, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope of not changing the gist of the invention.

<Overview of Vibrating Pressure Sensor According to the Present Invention>
In the vibrating pressure sensor according to the present invention, a substrate portion having at least one substrate fixing portion and a substrate separating portion fixed to a housing fixing portion, and a substrate portion disposed in the substrate separating portion of the substrate portion, the pressure-receiving fluid. and a first vibrator whose resonance frequency changes based on strain generated in response to static pressure applied to the substrate.

In the basic configuration of the present invention as described above, the pressure (static pressure) of the surrounding environment (fluid) of the vibrating pressure sensor to be measured is propagated to the pressure-receiving fluid by the pressure-transmitting partition member. is applied to the substrate portion, the substrate portion is isotropically compressed. As a result, an isotropic compressive stress is applied to the substrate separation portion, while a longitudinal compressive stress is applied to the first vibrator. As a result, the resonance frequency of the first oscillator changes.
The vibrating pressure sensor according to the present invention measures the static pressure applied to the vibrating pressure sensor by measuring its resonance frequency.

In the case of measuring the atmospheric pressure, there are cases where the above-described pressure-transmitting partition member is not used, but in such a case, the pressure-receiving fluid is the "atmosphere" itself.
When the pressure transmission partition member is used as a diaphragm with the atmosphere, for example, a material that is not easily affected by humidity or a material that is not easily affected by wind is used.

On the other hand, in the conventional vibrating pressure sensor, as described above, the input/output characteristics of the pressure sensor when a high static pressure is applied differ from those of the pressure sensor when a low static pressure is applied. Since the linearity is deteriorated by the balloon effect compared with the output characteristic, there is a problem that high measurement accuracy cannot be obtained.

In contrast, in the vibrating pressure sensor according to the present invention, even when measuring a high static pressure, the support substrate is compressed isotropically through the pressure receiving fluid as described above. In principle, the balloon effect that significantly degrades the linearity of the input/output characteristics can be avoided. As a result, high linearity of input/output characteristics as a pressure sensor can be obtained under a wide range of static pressure regardless of the level of static pressure applied by the fluid to be measured, and excellent measurement accuracy can be achieved. .

<First embodiment>
A vibrating pressure sensor according to a first embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG.
1A and 1B are cross-sectional views showing vibrating pressure sensors 1A and 1B according to the present embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 1(b) is a diagram showing a case where an object to be measured (for example, liquid or gas) is used as the pressure-receiving fluid K. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the pressure detection portion of the vibration type pressure sensors 1A and 1B shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line BB in FIG. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing signal processing operations in the vibration type pressure sensors 1A and 1B.

[Configuration of vibration type pressure sensor]
A vibration type pressure sensor 1A of this embodiment includes a pressure detection unit 1 capable of detecting static pressure based on a change in resonance frequency. and a pressure-receiving fluid F that surrounds the support substrate 3 in the gap S between the base substrate 2 and the support substrate 3 . The support substrate 3 has at least one fixing portion (substrate fixing portion) 31 fixed to the base substrate 2 and a direction (for example, the X direction) that is separated from the base substrate 2 and intersects the Z direction from the fixing portion 31 . and a spacing portion (substrate spacing portion) 32 extending toward the substrate.
The vibrating pressure sensor 1A of the present embodiment is arranged in the spaced portion 32 of the support substrate 3, and based on the strain generated according to the static pressure applied to the support substrate 3 (separated portion 32) by the pressure receiving fluid F, It has a first vibrator 4 whose resonance frequency changes. That is, the static pressure applied to the support substrate 3 (separation portion 32) by the pressure-receiving fluid F causes strain in the first oscillator 4 (via the separation portion 32), and the first oscillator 4 is deformed based on the strain. 4 changes its resonance frequency.
Further, the vibrating pressure sensor 1A of the present embodiment is arranged in the spaced portion 32 of the support substrate 3, and has a resonance frequency that changes based on strain generated according to the static pressure applied to the support substrate 3 by the pressure-receiving fluid F. A second vibrator 5 having a change amount (pressure sensitivity) smaller than the change amount (pressure sensitivity) of the resonance frequency of the first vibrator 4 is provided.
In this embodiment, the first oscillator 4 has the function of detecting pressure, and the second oscillator 5 has the function of detecting temperature.

More specifically, the first vibrator 4 is excited by electrostatic attraction force, for example, by inputting an AC voltage (excitation signal) from one electrode. Furthermore, by applying a DC voltage between the other electrode and the first oscillator 4, the capacitance time between the other electrode and the first oscillator 4 when the first oscillator 4 is excited With the change, a current is output to the other electrode. By current-voltage conversion of the current output to the other electrode at this time, the output voltage of the vibration type pressure sensor 1A can be obtained. A stable self-excited state can be obtained at the resonance frequency of the first vibrator 4 by applying an appropriate feedback to the excitation signal input from one electrode based on this output voltage. Such operations are implemented inside the analog circuit 81 shown in the block diagram of FIG. The analog circuit 81 then outputs the output voltage to the frequency counter 82 .

As with the first oscillator 4 , the second oscillator 5 is excited by electrostatic attraction force when an AC voltage (excitation signal) is input from one electrode. Furthermore, by applying a DC voltage between the other electrode and the second oscillator 5, the capacitance time between the other electrode and the second oscillator 5 when the second oscillator 5 is excited With the change, a current is output to the other electrode. By current-voltage conversion of the current output to the other electrode, the output voltage of the vibrating pressure sensor 1A is obtained. A stable self-excited state can be obtained at the resonance frequency of the second oscillator 5 by applying .
Such an operation is implemented inside an analog circuit 84 shown in the block diagram of FIG.

Next, the frequency counter 82 shown in FIG. 5 measures the frequency of the output voltage input from the analog circuit 81 . Then, the frequency counter 82 outputs a digital signal, which is a frequency count value based on the detection signal of the first oscillator 4 , to the calculation unit 83 .
Along with this, frequency counter 85 shown in FIG. It outputs a digital signal that is a frequency count value based on the detection signal of the second oscillator 5 .
After that, in the calculation unit 83, the pressure value corresponding to the digital signal input from the frequency counter 82 is calculated, and the pressure value corresponding to the digital signal input from the frequency counter 85 is calculated. print the value. At this time, the calculation unit 83 uses the digital signal input from the frequency counter 85, that is, the digital signal having a frequency corresponding to the internal temperature of the pressure detection unit 1 generated by the second oscillator 5, as a temperature correction signal. The detection result of the pressure detection unit 1 is temperature-corrected based on the internal temperature of the pressure detection unit 1 obtained from the signal.
By the operation described above, a pressure value reflecting the correction due to the internal temperature of the pressure detection unit 1 is obtained based on the change in the resonance frequency generated in the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 in the vibration type pressure sensor 1A. be done.

In the above description, an example of measuring pressure using the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 is described, but in the present embodiment, only the first oscillator 4 is used to measure the pressure. It is also possible to measure

In the illustrated example, the support substrate 3 has a fixed portion 31 as a fixed end and a spaced portion 32 as a free end. .

In the illustrated example, a shell 6 is provided on the surface 30 of the laminated structure formed on the support substrate 3 so as to cover the surface 30 .

The base substrate 2 is a base of the pressure detection unit 1, and is made of a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon single crystal wafer, for example. A fixing portion 31 of the support substrate 3 is fixed to the front surface 20 side of the base substrate 2 . Further, on the surface 20 of the base substrate 2, a concave portion 20a is provided in a region (region facing the separation portion 32) excluding the peripheral portion when the base substrate 2 is viewed from above. Thus, in the present embodiment, a gap S into which the pressure-receiving fluid F(K) enters is secured between the base substrate 2 and the spaced portion 32 of the support substrate 3, as will be described later in detail. Note that the vibration type pressure sensor according to the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which a gap is secured between the base substrate and the separation portion so that the pressure-receiving fluid enters between the base substrate and the separation portion by providing a recess in the base substrate. A configuration may be adopted in which a gap into which the pressure-receiving fluid enters is secured between the base substrate and the separation section by forming the separation section with a thickness thinner than the thickness of the section.

The base substrate 2 is preferably made of, for example, a material having a thermal expansion coefficient, an elastic constant, etc. similar to those of the support substrate 3, which will be detailed later, and more preferably made of a material having the same characteristics (same material). As described above, since the support substrate 3 is directly bonded to the base substrate 2, by using materials with similar properties for each of these substrates, deformation of the material due to applied pressure, environmental temperature, etc. Since the deformation amounts of the base substrate 2 and the support substrate 3 are approximately the same, the stress and the like generated on the bonding surfaces due to the difference in the deformation amounts of the base substrate 2 and the support substrate 3 can be reduced. Therefore, the effect of improving the temperature characteristics, hysteresis, long-term stability, etc. of the vibration type pressure sensor 1 can be obtained.

The support substrate 3 is a substrate that supports the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5, which will be described later in detail. It has a separation portion 32 that is separated from 20a in the Z direction by a gap S and extends from the fixed portion 31 in a direction that intersects the Z direction (for example, the X direction). As described above, the support substrate 3 has a cantilever structure with the fixed portion 31 joined to the base substrate 2 and the separation portion 32 separated from the base substrate 2 .

The support substrate 3 is bonded to the surface 20 of the base substrate 2 at the fixing portion 31 . Further, the support substrate 3 has a side wall portion 33 which is formed so as to extend in a substantially U-shape from the fixed portion 31 when the support substrate 3 is viewed from above, and which is provided so as to surround the separation portion 32 . I have. The side wall portion 33 is also a side wall of the pressure sensing portion 1 and is joined to the surface 20 of the base substrate 2 like the fixed portion 31 . Further, the supporting substrate 3 has a separation portion 32 which is surrounded by the side wall portion 33 and is separated from the side wall portion 33 and is formed in a substantially tongue-like shape, and has a function as a cantilever (X direction and Y direction in the drawing). direction). The spacing portion 32 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view, and extends (substantially uniformly) from the fixing portion 31 in the X direction in the figure with substantially the same cross-sectional shape.
In addition, the thickness of the separating portion 32 in the Z direction in the drawing, that is, the thickness in the stacking direction of the supporting substrate 3 is constant throughout the X and Y directions in the drawing.

A first vibrator 4 and a second vibrator 5, which will be described in detail later, are positioned near the front end (the end opposite to the fixed portion 31) of the spaced portion 32 of the support substrate 3 in the extending direction of the spaced portion 32. are arranged in parallel along the In the illustrated example, the first vibrator 4 and the second vibrator 5 are arranged at the position of the active layer 3c provided on the support layer 3a forming the support substrate 3, and the first vibrator 4 and the second vibrator 5 are arranged respectively. The two vibrators 5 are arranged with a predetermined clearance C maintained around them.

In addition, the surface 30 of the support substrate 3 on the side of the fixing portion 31 is electrically connected to the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5, and the detection signals of these oscillators are sent to an external control device. Pads 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d, 35e, and 35f are arranged for this purpose. Although the material of these pads 35a to 35f is not particularly limited, for example, conventionally known aluminum pads or the like can be employed without any limitation.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, pads 35a and 35c are connected to electrodes 36a and 36c, respectively, and pad 35b is connected to first vibrator 4 via electrode 36b. . Pads 35d and 35f are connected to electrodes 36d and 36f, respectively, and pad 35e is connected to second vibrator 5 via electrode 36e. Here, in this embodiment, as shown in the connection structure between the pad 35b and the electrode 36b in FIG. , each pad and each electrode are electrically connected.
As the material of each of the electrodes 36a to 36f described above, any conductive material conventionally used in this field can be employed without any limitation.

In the present embodiment, the pads 35a, 35b, 35c and the electrodes 36a, 36b, 36c are used to externally supply an excitation signal for exciting the first oscillator 4, and to generate a signal in the first oscillator 4. A first detection signal (a signal having a frequency corresponding to pressure and temperature) is output to the outside. In addition, the pads 35d, 35e, and 35f and the electrodes 36d, 36e, and 36f are used to externally supply an excitation signal for exciting the second oscillator 5, and the second detection signal generated by the second oscillator 5 is applied. A signal (temperature only or a signal having a frequency depending on pressure and temperature) is output to the outside.

The material of the support substrate 3 is not particularly limited, but as described above, it is preferably made of a material having properties similar to those of the base substrate 2 to which the fixing portion 31 of the support substrate 3 is directly bonded, and is made of the same material. is more preferable. As the support substrate 3, for example, a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon single crystal wafer can be employed, although the details will be described later.

In addition, on the support layer 3a forming the support substrate 3 of the present embodiment, a buried oxide film 3b, an active layer 3c, an impurity diffusion layer 3d, and TEOS (tetragonal A so-called SOI (Silicon on Insulator) structure is formed by successively stacking ethoxysilane) oxide films 3e. In the example shown in FIG. 3 and the like, the first vibrator 4 and the second vibrator 5 are formed at the position of the active layer 3c in the layer structure formed on the support layer 3a.

The support layer 3a forming the support substrate 3 is a silicon single crystal doped with an impurity and has a uniform boron concentration of about 1×10 ¹⁸ to 1×10 ¹⁹ (cm ^-3 ). Further, the support layer 3a functions as a base in the above SOI structure.
The embedded oxide film 3b is formed on the supporting layer 3a of the supporting substrate 3, is an insulating film obtained by subjecting the silicon single crystal forming the supporting layer 3a to an oxidation treatment, and is formed between the electrodes (electrode 36a and It has a function of electrically insulating between the electrodes 36c and between the electrodes 36d and 36f).
The active layer 3c is a layer of doped silicon single crystal having a uniform boron concentration of, for example, about 1×10 ¹⁷ to 1×10 ¹⁸ (cm ^-3 ).
The impurity diffusion layer 3d is a layer in which boron (B) is diffused at a high concentration as an impurity with respect to the active layer 3c.
The TEOS oxide film 3e is a silicon oxide film formed of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS gas) on the active layer 3c having the impurity diffusion layer 3d formed thereon. It functions as an insulating film that electrically insulates between the electrodes (between the electrodes 36a and 36c and between the electrodes 36d and 36f).

The first vibrator 4 is a pressure detection vibrator in the vibrating pressure sensor 1 of this embodiment, and is provided in the spaced portion 32 of the support substrate 3 .
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the first vibrator 4 is formed linearly by processing a silicon single crystal forming an active layer 3c provided on a supporting layer 3a forming a supporting substrate 3. , at the position of the active layer 3c in the Z direction.

The first oscillator 4 is arranged so as to be sandwiched in the Y direction between the electrodes 36a and 36c.
The first vibrator 4 is formed in a doubly supported beam structure in which a predetermined clearance C is secured around it in the Y and Z directions, and both ends in the X direction are supported.
Further, the first vibrator 4 is vacuum-sealed between the support substrate 3 and the shell 6 by maintaining a surrounding clearance C in a vacuum state by the shell 6, which will be described later in detail.

The first vibrator 4 is excited by an excitation signal input from the electrode 36a, and outputs a signal having a frequency corresponding to the applied pressure from the electrode 36c.
That is, the first oscillator 4 is distorted according to the static pressure applied to the support substrate 3 by the pressure-receiving fluid F(K). The value is output as a frequency signal to the frequency counter 82 via the analog circuit 81 shown in the block diagram of FIG. 5, as described above. The frequency counter 82 measures the frequency of the output voltage input from the analog circuit 81 and outputs a digital signal, which is the frequency count value, to the calculation unit 83 . Then, the calculation unit 83 calculates a pressure value corresponding to the digital signal input from the frequency counter 82 .
In the pressure detection section 1, the first oscillator 4 is provided so as to detect the static pressure (isotropic pressure) acting on the pressure detection section 1 with the above configuration.

In this embodiment, the first vibrator 4 is made of a semiconductor material containing impurities, the concentration of the impurities is 1×10 ²⁰ (cm ⁻³ ) or more, and the atomic radius of the impurities is the base material. It is more preferably smaller than the atomic radius of silicon.
More specifically, impurities contained in the first vibrator 4 include, for example, boron (B) and phosphorus (P). In this case, an impurity having an atomic radius smaller than that of the silicon constituting the first oscillator 4 replaces the silicon, so that the first oscillator 4 is contracted. However, since the fixed ends 4a and 4b of the first vibrator 4 are fixed, the first vibrator 4 is preliminarily applied with tensile stress. As a result, normally, under high static pressure, when no tensile stress is applied, the first oscillator 4 is buckled by the compressive stress generated at the fixed ends 4a and 4b of the first oscillator 4, and the pressure measurement function is performed. is lost, whereas the pressure detection unit 1 of the present embodiment is pre-applied with a tensile stress, and the tensile stress can offset the compressive stress acting on the pressure detection unit 1. Therefore, the first It is possible to prevent the vibrator 4 from buckling and maintain the pressure measurement function.

Here, with respect to the H-shaped vibrator in plan view (H-shaped vibrator: see fig. A case where a semiconductor material containing impurities at a concentration of 1×10 ²⁰ (cm ⁻³ ) or more and having an atomic radius of impurities smaller than that of silicon as a base material is applied will be described.
For example, in a vibrating pressure sensor or the like having an H-shaped oscillator as disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, it is necessary to introduce boron at a concentration of 1×10 ²⁰ (cm ⁻³ ) or more in the selective epitaxial process for forming the oscillator. Therefore, it is possible to realize a pressure sensor that can measure high static pressure while preventing buckling of the vibrator.

In the pressure detection unit 1 provided in the vibration type pressure sensor 1A of the present embodiment, the arrangement position of the first transducer 4 in the separation portion 32 is different from the fixed portion 31 and the separation portion in the X direction shown in FIG. From the viewpoint of enhancing the sensitivity and measurement accuracy of the pressure sensor, it is more preferable that the position is 1/2 or more and 2/3 or less of the length of the spaced portion 32 with respect to the point of connection with 32 as a base point.

The second oscillator 5 is a temperature-detecting oscillator in the vibrating pressure sensor 1A of the present embodiment, and is provided in the spaced portion 32 of the support substrate 3, like the first oscillator 4 for pressure detection. In the example shown in FIG. 2 and the like, the second oscillator 5 is provided parallel to the first oscillator 4 (extending in the X direction) while being separated from the first oscillator 4 in the Y direction. It is provided at a position symmetrical to the first transducer 4 in the Y direction in the portion 32 .
That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the second vibrator 5 is extended in the X direction by processing a silicon single crystal forming the active layer 3c provided on the supporting layer 3a forming the supporting substrate 3. It is formed in a linear shape and is formed at the position of the active layer 3c in the Z direction.

The second vibrator 5 is arranged so as to be sandwiched in the Y direction between the electrodes 36d and 36f.
As with the first oscillator 4, the second oscillator 5 is also formed in a double-supported beam structure in which a predetermined clearance C is secured around it in the Y and Z directions, and both ends in the X direction are supported. It is
Similarly to the first oscillator 4, the second oscillator 5 is also vacuum-sealed between the support substrate 3 and the shell 6 by keeping the surrounding clearance C in a vacuum state by the shell 6, which will be described later in detail. is stopped.

The second oscillator 5 is excited by an excitation signal input from the electrode 36d, and generates a signal having a pressure sensitivity different from that of the first oscillator 4 and a frequency corresponding to the pressure for temperature correction during pressure measurement. It is output from the electrode 36f as a signal.

The resonance frequencies of the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 change according to the pressure, and the internal temperature of the pressure detection unit 1 (approximately the temperature of the first oscillator 4 and the temperature of the second oscillator 5 The resonance frequency also changes due to the change in Young's modulus according to the same temperature and the difference in the coefficient of linear expansion between materials. In addition, in the present embodiment, since the pressure sensitivity of the resonance frequency of the second oscillator 5 is smaller than the pressure sensitivity of the resonance frequency of the first oscillator 4, the change in the resonance frequency of the second oscillator 5 The internal temperature (temperature detection signal) of the pressure detection unit 1 can be obtained from the difference between the value and the change value of the resonance frequency of the first oscillator 4 . Then, a more accurate pressure value applied to the pressure detection unit 1 can be obtained from the obtained internal temperature and the variation value (pressure detection signal) of the resonance frequency of the first oscillator 4 .

Here, the aforementioned "pressure sensitivity of resonance frequency" is the amount of change in resonance frequency per unit pressure, and its unit is, for example, "Hz/Pa". Also, when the pressure sensitivity of the resonance frequency is represented by a rate of change, the unit is, for example, "ppm/Pa".

In addition, in the pressure detection unit 1 provided in the vibration type pressure sensor 1A of the present embodiment, the placement position of the second oscillator 5 in the spaced part 32 is also shown in FIG. In the X direction shown, temperature detection accuracy is enhanced and pressure It is more preferable from the viewpoint of contributing to improvement of sensitivity and measurement accuracy as a sensor.

Shell 6 is arranged on support substrate 3, and in the example shown in FIG. 3 and the like, shell 6 is provided so as to cover surface 30 of TEOS oxide film 3e arranged as the uppermost layer in the laminated structure on support layer 3a. Further, as described above, the shell 6 is for vacuum-sealing the first vibrator 4 and the second vibrator 5 . That is, the shell 6 is bonded to the surface 30 while sealing the clearance C provided around the first vibrator 4 and the second vibrator 5 .
Although the material of the shell 6 is not particularly limited, for example, polysilicon or the like can be used.

By housing the pressure detection unit 1 and the pressure-receiving fluid F or the pressure-receiving fluid K inside the casing 50, a vibration type pressure sensor with a casing as shown in FIGS. 1A or vibrating pressure sensor 1B is configured.

Inside the casing 50, each member constituting the pressure detection unit 1 such as the base substrate 2 and the support substrate 3 is protected, and the pressure-receiving fluids F and K are accommodated in the inside. is transmitted to the support substrate 3 .
The casing 50 also functions as a base for the vibrating pressure sensors 1A and 1B. In the illustrated example, a pedestal 53 is provided on the inner bottom, and the pressure detection section 1 is installed thereon.

As the casing 50, for example, a box-shaped member made of ceramics such as aluminum oxide or metal such as Kovar, SUS316L, or Inconel is used.
Although not shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b), the casing 50 includes pads 35a to 35f provided in the pressure detection unit 1 accommodated therein, and metal parts (not shown). A plurality of terminal portions are provided which are electrically connected by wires and used for connection with an external device.

The vibrating pressure sensor 1A of the example shown in FIG. 1(a) contains a pressure-receiving fluid F isolated from the object to be measured by a pressure-transmitting partition member 52 inside a casing 50. It is used for measuring the static pressure (pressure) in a state where is applied. The vibrating pressure sensor 1</b>A of the illustrated example is provided with a pressure transmission partition member 52 in a through hole 51 provided in a top plate portion of a casing 50 . Metal materials, resin materials, and the like, which have been conventionally used in this field, can be used as the pressure-transmitting partition member without any restrictions.

On the other hand, the vibrating pressure sensor 1B of the example shown in FIG. 1(b) accommodates the fluid to be measured as the pressure receiving fluid K inside the casing 50, and is used for measuring general atmospheric pressure, for example. It is used for Thus, the vibrating pressure sensor 1B shown in FIG. 1B is not provided with a pressure transmission partition member or the like, and the through hole 51 is open to the outside atmosphere.

[Operation of vibration type pressure sensor]
Next, the operation of the vibration type pressure sensor 1A described above will be briefly described.
First, when a static pressure acts on the pressure detection unit 1 via the pressure-receiving fluid F, this pressure is applied to the support substrate 3, and at least a portion of the support substrate 3 (a portion other than the fixed portion 31, which is the portion of the present embodiment) is applied. , the spacing portion 32) is compressed almost isotropically. At this time, the first oscillator 4 is strained according to the compression of the separation portion 32 (the pressure applied to the support substrate 3), and the resonance frequency of the first oscillator 4 changes based on this strain. Along with this, the second vibrator 5 is also distorted according to the compression of the separation portion 32 (the pressure applied to the support substrate 3), and the resonance frequency of the second vibrator 5 changes based on this distortion.

The first vibrator 4 is vibrated by the excitation signal input from the electrode 36a, and the change value of the resonance frequency caused by the above distortion is converted into the analog circuit shown in FIG. 81 to a frequency counter 82 . The frequency counter 82 measures the frequency of the output voltage input from the analog circuit 81 and outputs a digital signal, which is a frequency count value, to the calculation unit 83 .

Furthermore, at the same time as the pressure is measured by the first oscillator 4, the pressure detection unit 1 uses a signal having a frequency corresponding to the internal temperature from the second oscillator 5 as a temperature correction signal, and obtains the temperature from this signal. The detection result of the pressure detection unit 1 can be temperature-corrected based on the internal temperature of the pressure detection unit 1 . That is, the second vibrator 5 is vibrated by the excitation signal input from the electrode 36d, and the change value of the resonance frequency generated based on the strain caused by the compression of the separation portion 32 is, similarly to the above, as a frequency signal, It is made into a frequency counter 85 via an analog circuit 84 . The frequency counter 85 measures the frequency of the output voltage input from the analog circuit 84 and outputs a digital signal, which is a frequency count value, to the calculation unit 83 .

The calculation unit 83 calculates a pressure value corresponding to the digital signal input from the frequency counter 82 and a pressure value corresponding to the digital signal input from the frequency counter 85 . At this time, the calculation unit 83 uses a digital signal having a frequency corresponding to the internal temperature of the second oscillator 5, which is input from the frequency counter 85, as a temperature correction signal, and the pressure detection unit 1 calculated from this signal. The detection result of the pressure detection unit 1 is temperature-corrected based on the internal temperature of the pressure detection unit 1 .
Through the above operation, a pressure value that reflects temperature correction based on the internal temperature of the pressure detection unit 1 is obtained based on changes in the resonance frequencies occurring in the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 .

As described above, in this embodiment, it is also possible to measure pressure using only the first oscillator 4 without performing temperature correction using the second oscillator 5 .

[Effect]
As described above, according to the vibrating pressure sensor 1A of the present embodiment, at least the support substrate 3 having the fixed portion 31 and the separation portion 32 fixed to the base substrate 2 and the separation portion 32 of the support substrate 3 A first vibrator 4 is provided, and the resonance frequency changes based on the strain generated in response to the static pressure applied to the support substrate 3 by the pressure-receiving fluid F. As a result, high linearity and excellent measurement accuracy can be obtained regardless of the magnitude of the static pressure applied by the liquid or gas to be measured.

<Second embodiment>
A vibrating pressure sensor according to a second embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below mainly with reference to FIG.
In the description of the vibrating pressure sensor of the second embodiment, the components common to those of the vibrating pressure sensor 1A of the first embodiment described above are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and detailed description thereof will be given. may be omitted.
Further, FIG. 6 shows only the pressure detection unit 10 provided in the vibration type pressure sensor of the second embodiment, and omits the illustration of, for example, the casing and the pressure-receiving fluid.

FIG. 6 is a plan view for explaining the pressure detection section 10 provided in the vibrating pressure sensor of the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, in the vibrating pressure sensor of the present embodiment, a support substrate (substrate portion) 3A provided in the pressure detection portion 10 has a strain relief hole 37 provided so as to penetrate the support substrate 3A. This is different from the vibrating pressure sensor 1A of the first embodiment described above.

The strain relaxation hole 37 is provided so as to penetrate the spaced portion (substrate spaced portion) 32A in the support substrate 3A and the shell 6 in the Z direction. Further, the illustrated strain relaxation hole 37 is provided between the first vibrator 4 and the second vibrator 5 when the support substrate 3A is viewed from above.

According to the vibrating pressure sensor of the present embodiment, since the support substrate 3A is provided with the strain relaxation holes 37, the strain that can be propagated from the base substrate 2 to the separation portion 32A via the fixing portion 31 and the separation are reduced. Strains that may be propagated within portion 32 A are absorbed by strain relief holes 37 . This suppresses (reduces) both the strain that can be propagated from the base substrate 2 to the spaced portion 32A via the fixing portion 31 and the strain that can be propagated within the spaced portion 32A, which can cause measurement errors. The influence of these strain propagations can be reduced, and the resonance frequencies of the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 show changes in response to static pressure.
Therefore, the effect of obtaining high linearity and excellent measurement accuracy as described above can be obtained more remarkably.

<Third Embodiment>
A vibrating pressure sensor according to a third embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below mainly with reference to FIG.
In the description of the vibrating pressure sensor of the third embodiment as well, the same reference numerals are given in the drawing to the structures common to those of the vibrating pressure sensors of the first and second embodiments described above, and the details thereof are as follows. explanation may be omitted.
Also, in FIG. 7, as in the case of the vibrating pressure sensor of the second embodiment shown in FIG. Illustration of the pressure-receiving fluid and the like is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a plan view for explaining the pressure detection section 10A provided in the vibrating pressure sensor of the third embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the vibrating pressure sensor of the present embodiment has a support substrate (substrate portion) 3B provided in a pressure detection portion 10A. It is different from the vibrating pressure sensor 1A and the like of the above-described first and second embodiments in that it is arranged in the (substrate separation portion) 32B or the separation portion (substrate separation portion) 32C.
That is, the pressure detection part 10A provided in the vibration type pressure sensor of this embodiment has two separation parts 32B and 32C provided on the support substrate 3B, and the first oscillator 4 or the second oscillator 5 is arranged in each of them. It is

Specifically, in the pressure detection section 10A provided in the vibration type pressure sensor of the present embodiment, the separation section 32B and the separation section 32C are provided as substrate separation sections. The element 4 is arranged, and the second transducer 5 for temperature detection is installed in the spaced portion 32C.
The spacing portion 32B and the spacing portion 32C are arranged parallel to each other while being spaced apart in the Y direction. In addition, the spacing portion 32B and the spacing portion 32C are aligned so as to have substantially the same position and size in the extending direction (X direction).

According to the vibrating pressure sensor of the present embodiment, as described above, the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 are arranged in the independently provided separated portion 32B or the separated portion 32C. Therefore, it is difficult to give and receive vibration energy.
Therefore, it is possible to further suppress errors in pressure measurement.

Although the example shown in FIG. 7 shows a configuration in which two separation portions 32B and 32C are provided on one support substrate 3B, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, three or more separation portions (substrate separation portions) may be provided on one supporting substrate (substrate portion). In addition, for example, a configuration in which a plurality of supporting substrates (substrate portions) are provided and each supporting substrate is individually (independently) provided with a separation portion, that is, at least two or more provided on the plurality of supporting substrates. may be adopted.

<Fourth Embodiment>
A vibration type pressure sensor according to a fourth embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below mainly with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10. FIG.
In the description of the vibration type pressure sensor of the fourth embodiment as well, the same reference numerals are assigned to the components common to those of the vibration type pressure sensors of the first, second, and third embodiments described above. A detailed description thereof may be omitted.
8 to 10, similarly to the vibrating pressure sensors of the second and third embodiments shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. Only the portion 10B is shown, and illustration of the casing, the pressure-receiving fluid, and the like is omitted.

FIG. 8 is a plan view for explaining the pressure detection unit 10B provided in the vibration type pressure sensor of the fourth embodiment, FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view along line CC in FIG. 8, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 8;
In the pressure detection unit 10B provided in the vibration type pressure sensor of this embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 are made of single crystal silicon material. In addition, the impurity concentration in each of the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 in the pressure detection unit 10B differs by at least one order of magnitude when the unit is (cm ⁻³ ). The pressure detection unit 10B is configured such that the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency of the second oscillator 5 is larger than the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency of the first oscillator 4 . Here, the above-described temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency is the change rate of the resonance frequency per unit temperature, and its unit is, for example, (ppm/°C).

More specifically, the vibrating pressure sensor of this embodiment has, for example, the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 made of a single crystal silicon material, the impurity concentration of one of which is [a×10 ⁿ ( cm ⁻³ )], the concentration of the other impurity is not more than [a×10 ⁿ⁻¹ (cm ⁻³ )] or not less than [a×10 ⁿ⁺¹ (cm ⁻³ )].

In the vibration type pressure sensor of this embodiment, high-concentration impurities are diffused into the first oscillator 4 and impurities are not diffused into the second oscillator 5 according to a process flow (not shown). They are configured to have different frequency temperature coefficients. That is, in this embodiment, impurities are not diffused into the non-diffusion region R of the support substrate 3 shown in FIG.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, the pressure detection section 10B provided in the vibration type pressure sensor of this embodiment has an impurity diffusion layer 3d formed around the first vibrator 4 on the support substrate 3. However, the impurity diffusion layer 3d is not formed around the second vibrator 5. As shown in FIG. Accordingly, the pressure detection section 10B can be configured such that the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 have significantly different impurity concentrations.

In general, it is known that the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency varies depending on the concentration and type of impurities contained in the oscillator, the crystal axis direction of the material composing the oscillator, and the resonance mode of the oscillator used for pressure measurement. there is In the present embodiment, as described above, by setting the impurity concentration [cm ⁻³ ] between the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 to values different by at least one order of magnitude, the first The temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency of the second vibrator 5 is made larger than the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency of the vibrator 4 . That is, in the present embodiment, when the temperature of the vibrating pressure sensor changes, the amount of change in the resonance frequency of the second oscillator 5 is greater than the amount of change in the resonance frequency of the first oscillator 4. means That is, since the temperature sensitivity of the second oscillator 5 is higher than the temperature sensitivity of the first oscillator 4, the pressure measurement using the first oscillator 4 may be affected by the temperature measurement using the second oscillator 5. Temperature correction (using the internal temperatures calculated from the resonance frequencies of the two vibrators (the first vibrator 4 and the second vibrator 5)) can be performed with high accuracy. Therefore, the temperature correction accuracy of pressure measurement using the first oscillator 4 is improved.

As an example, boron (B) is used as an impurity, and in the support substrate 3 made of a single-crystal silicon material, the crystal axis direction of the region where the first oscillator 4 is arranged (the material forming the first oscillator 4) is <110> direction, the normal direction of the wafer surface is the <100> direction, and the fundamental vibration at the fixed ends 4a and 4b is in the plane of the wafer. Under the above conditions, when the impurity concentration of the first oscillator 4 is about 10 ²⁰ (cm ⁻³ ) and the impurity concentration of the second oscillator 5 is about 10 ¹⁸ (cm ⁻³ ), the temperature coefficient of the resonance frequency is is about −10 (ppm/° C.) for the first oscillator 4 and about −30 (ppm/° C.) for the second oscillator 5 . That is, since the temperature sensitivity of the second oscillator 5 is higher than the temperature sensitivity of the first oscillator 4, the pressure measurement using the first oscillator 4 can be compared with the temperature measurement using the second oscillator 5. Temperature correction can be performed with high precision. Therefore, the temperature correction accuracy of pressure measurement using the first oscillator 4 is improved.

In this embodiment, although detailed illustration is omitted, the thickness dimension of the second oscillator 5 along the thickness direction of the support substrate 3 is larger than the thickness dimension of the first oscillator 4. preferable.
That is, it is more preferable that the thickness dimension of the second oscillator 5 in the stacking direction of the support substrate 3 , that is, the Z direction is larger than the thickness dimension of the first oscillator 4 . By adopting such a configuration, the measurement accuracy of the internal temperature by the second oscillator 5 is further improved, and the temperature correction accuracy is also improved.

The configuration in which the thickness dimension of the second oscillator 5 is larger than the thickness dimension of the first oscillator 4 as described above depends on the conditions of the manufacturing process as described below.
For example, when introducing impurities into the first vibrator 4 at a high concentration as described above, first, in order to prevent impurities from being introduced into the region where the second vibrator 5 is formed, the region is heated. A mask made of an oxide film is formed.
Next, an impurity diffusion source is formed in the first vibrator 4 using a gas material or a coated glass material, and then impurities are introduced and diffused into the first vibrator 4 at a high temperature of 1000° C. or higher. . Since such a high-temperature step of introducing and diffusing an impurity into the first vibrator 4 is generally performed while supplying oxygen, silicon is oxidized on the exposed surface of the silicon. A silicon oxide film is formed.
As a result of the steps described above, the thickness dimension of the first oscillator 4 described above becomes smaller than the original thickness of the active layer. On the other hand, the thickness dimension of the second oscillator 5 becomes equal to the original thickness of the active layer. As a result, the thickness dimension of the second oscillator 5 becomes larger than the thickness dimension of the first oscillator 4 .

The "thickness dimension along the thickness direction of the support substrate (substrate portion) 3" described in the present embodiment means the thickness dimension in the Z direction in the figure, which is the stacking direction of the support substrate 3. .

<Fifth Embodiment>
A vibrating pressure sensor according to a fifth embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail below mainly with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG.
In the description of the vibrating pressure sensor of the fifth embodiment as well, the same reference numerals are given in the drawing to the structures common to those of the vibrating pressure sensors of the first to fourth embodiments, and the details thereof are as follows. explanation may be omitted.
Also in FIGS. 11 and 12, similarly to the vibrating pressure sensors of the second to fourth embodiments shown in FIGS. Only the portion 10C is shown, and illustration of the casing, the pressure-receiving fluid, and the like is omitted.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view schematically explaining a pressure detection section 10C provided in the vibrating pressure sensor of the fifth embodiment, and FIG. 12 is a plan view thereof. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line EE in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the vibrating pressure sensor of this embodiment includes a pressure sensing portion 10C having a base substrate (substrate portion) 2A and a support substrate (substrate portion) 3C, and a pedestal to which the base substrate 2A is fixed. (Fixed substrate (casing fixing part)) 53 is provided.
In addition, the pressure detection unit 10C provided in the vibration type pressure sensor of the present embodiment includes at least one fixing portion (substrate fixing portion) 21 fixed to the surface 53a of the pedestal 53 and the pedestal 53. and separation portions (substrate separation portions) 22 and 23 extending from the fixed portion 21 along the surface 53a (in a direction crossing the Z direction, for example, the X direction) at a distance S in the Z direction. In the illustrated example, the base substrate 2A has a cantilever structure in which the fixed portion 21 is used as a fulcrum and the spaced portions 22 and 23 are free ends.
In the vibrating pressure sensor of this embodiment, the pressure-receiving fluid (not shown in FIG. 11) intervenes in the gap S between the pedestal 53 and the base substrate 2A. ).
11 and 12, the vibrating pressure sensor according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. An impurity diffusion layer 3d is formed around the vibrator 4, while an impurity diffusion layer 3d is not formed around the second vibrator 5. As shown in FIG.

According to the vibrating pressure sensor of the present embodiment, the base substrate 2A adopts the configuration including the fixing portion 21 and the separating portions 22 and 23 as described above, thereby enabling the vibrations described in the first to fourth embodiments to occur. Similar to the type pressure sensor, the resonance frequency of the first vibrator 4 changes based on the strain generated according to the static pressure applied to the support substrate 3C by the pressure-receiving fluid. As a result, high linearity and excellent measurement accuracy can be obtained regardless of the magnitude of the static pressure applied by the liquid or gas to be measured.

On the other hand, in the vibrating pressure sensor of this embodiment, as described above, the base substrate 2A has the spaced portions 22 and 23 with respect to the pedestal 53. Therefore, the support substrate 3C has the same configuration as described in the first to fourth embodiments. Such a separation portion may be provided, or may not be provided. Note that FIG. 11 shows an example in which the support substrate 3C is also provided with a separation portion between it and the concave portion 20a of the base substrate 2A.

As the pedestal 53, a material such as a silicon single crystal wafer can be used without any limitation, like the base substrate and the support substrate.

In the vibrating pressure sensor of the present embodiment, as shown in the drawing, at least a part of the spaced portions 22 and 23 in the base substrate 2A is provided with a concave strain insulating groove 24 or a groove that penetrates the base substrate 2A. More preferably, at least one of the strain-insulating holes 25 is provided. In the illustrated example, a concave strain-insulating groove 24 is provided in one location of the spacing portion 22 so as to open toward the base 53 side, and a strain-insulating hole 25 is provided in one location of the spacing portion 23 . is provided.
In this embodiment, the strain-insulating grooves 24 and the strain-insulating holes 25 are provided in the base substrate 2A, so that the base substrate 2A is supported from the pedestal 53 through the base substrate 2A (separating portions 22 and 23). Strains that can be propagated to the substrate 3C and strains that can be propagated in the base substrate 2A are absorbed by the strain-insulating grooves 24 or the strain-insulating holes 25. FIG. This suppresses (reduces) the strain that is propagated from the pedestal 53 to the support substrate 3C via the base substrate 2A (separating portions 22 and 23) and the strain that can be propagated through the base substrate 2A. It is possible to reduce the influence of the propagation of these strains, which can cause measurement errors, and the resonance frequencies of the first oscillator 4 and the second oscillator 5 show changes in response to static pressure. Therefore, the effect of obtaining high linearity and excellent measurement accuracy as described above can be obtained more remarkably.

<Other configurations>
Although each embodiment of the present invention has been described above, each of these embodiments is shown as an example and does not limit the scope of the present invention. Each of these embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof, as well as being included in the scope and gist of the invention.

For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, an example of a so-called cantilever beam structure is shown in which the spaced portion of the support substrate or base substrate is supported by the base substrate or pedestal (fixed substrate) at a fixed portion at one point. It is not limited to this, and for example, it is possible to employ a configuration in which the separation portion is supported by two or more fixed portions.

Further, the configuration in which the support substrate has a gap between the support substrate and the base substrate and the vibrator is arranged in the separation portion, which is employed in the vibrating pressure sensor according to the present invention, is, for example, H It can also be applied to a vibrating pressure sensor or the like having a letter-shaped vibrator (H-shaped vibrator: see, for example, fig. 1 in Non-Patent Document 1 above). Specifically, instead of the H-shaped vibrators, for example, the vibrators described in the above-described embodiments, the separated portions 32, 32A, 32B, and 32C in the support substrates 3, 3A, 3B, and 3C By providing it in the space vacuum-sealed by the shell 6, it is possible to obtain the same effects as those of the above-described embodiments.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The vibrating pressure sensor of the present invention has high linearity and excellent measurement accuracy regardless of the level of the static pressure applied by the fluid or the like to be measured. Therefore, the vibrating pressure sensor of the present invention is particularly useful in applications where high static pressure is applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A, 1B... Vibration-type pressure sensor 1, 10, 10A, 10B, 10C... Pressure detection part 2... Base board (housing fixed part)
2A... Base substrate (substrate portion)
20... Surface 20a... Recessed portion 21... Fixing part (substrate fixing part)
22, 23 . . . Spaced portion (substrate spaced portion)
24... Strain insulating groove 25... Strain insulating hole 3, 3A, 3B, 3C... Support substrate (substrate portion)
3a... Support layer 3b... Buried oxide film 3c... Active layer 3d... Impurity diffusion layer 3e... TEOS oxide film 30... Surface 31... Fixing part (substrate fixing part)
32, 32A, 32B, 32C... Spacing portion (substrate spacing portion)
33 Side wall 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d, 35e, 35f Pad 36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, 36f Electrode 37 Strain relaxation hole R Non-diffusion region 4 First vibrator 4a, 4b Fixed end 5 Second vibrator 5a, 5b Fixed end 6 Shell 50 Casing 51 Through hole 52 Pressure propagation bulkhead member 53 Pedestal (fixed substrate (housing fixing portion))
53a... Surface S... Gap C... Clearance F, K... Pressure receiving fluid

Claims (19)

a housing;
a housing fixing portion fixed to the housing;
a substrate portion having a substrate fixing portion fixed to the housing fixing portion, and a substrate separation portion spaced apart from the housing fixing portion in a first direction and extending from the substrate fixing portion;
a first oscillator arranged in the substrate separation portion and detecting a change in resonance frequency based on strain generated in the substrate portion according to the static pressure applied by the pressure-receiving fluid;
a first electrode extending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and outputting an excitation signal for exciting the first oscillator to the first oscillator;
a second electrode extending along the second direction for outputting a signal having a resonance frequency of the first vibrator;
a calculation unit that measures static pressure based on the detected change in resonance frequency;
with
the first vibrator is arranged between the first electrode and the second electrode in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction;
the pressure-receiving fluid is interposed in a gap between the housing fixing portion and the substrate portion and wraps around the substrate portion;
The housing fixing portion is formed of a material having the same or similar thermal or mechanical properties as the substrate portion,
The board fixing portion is joined to the housing fixing portion,
A vibrating pressure sensor characterized by: 2. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion has a cantilever structure with the substrate fixing portion serving as a fulcrum. 3. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 1, wherein the substrate portion has a strain relief hole that penetrates through the substrate portion. The first vibrator is made of a semiconductor material containing an impurity, the concentration of the impurity is 1×10 ²⁰ (cm ⁻³ ) or more, and the atomic radius of the impurity is equal to that of the semiconductor material which is the base material. 4. The vibrating pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which is smaller than an atomic radius. a second vibrator arranged in the substrate separation portion of the substrate portion and configured to detect a change in resonance frequency based on strain generated in the substrate portion according to the static pressure applied by the pressure receiving fluid;
The vibration type pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second oscillator has pressure sensitivity at a resonance frequency different from pressure sensitivity at the resonance frequency of the first oscillator. sensor. the substrate portion has another substrate spacing portion,
6. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 5, wherein the second vibrator is arranged in the other substrate separation portion. Both the first oscillator and the second oscillator are made of a single crystal silicon material containing impurities, and the concentration of the impurity in each of the first oscillator and the second oscillator is the unit is a value that differs by at least one order of magnitude when is (cm ^-3 ),
7. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 5, wherein the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency of said second oscillator is larger than the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency of said first oscillator. The second vibrator according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the thickness dimension along the thickness direction of the substrate portion is larger than the thickness dimension of the first vibrator. A vibrating pressure sensor as described. the substrate section includes a base substrate having the substrate fixing portion and fixed to the housing fixing portion; and a support substrate connected to the base substrate;
The support substrate has a fixed portion fixed to the base substrate and a separation portion spaced apart from the base substrate and extending from the fixed portion,
The vibrating pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pressure-receiving fluid is interposed in a gap between the base substrate and the support substrate and wraps the spaced portion. The first oscillator is excited by an electrostatic attraction force caused by the excitation signal,
The vibration type pressure sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the direction of the electrostatic attraction force is along the third direction. a housing;
a housing fixing portion fixed to the housing;
a substrate fixing portion fixed to the housing fixing portion; and a substrate separating portion spaced apart from the housing fixing portion in a first direction and extending from the substrate fixing portion in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. a substrate portion having
a first oscillator arranged in the substrate separation portion and detecting a change in resonance frequency based on strain generated in the substrate portion according to the static pressure applied by the pressure-receiving fluid;
a calculation unit that measures static pressure based on the detected change in resonance frequency;
with
the pressure-receiving fluid is interposed in a gap between the housing fixing portion and the substrate portion and wraps around the substrate portion;
The first transducer has a first length along the first direction, a second length along the second direction, and a third length along a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. 3 having a length and
the first length is greater than the third length and less than the second length;
The housing fixing portion is formed of a material having the same or similar thermal or mechanical properties as the substrate portion,
The board fixing portion is joined to the housing fixing portion,
A vibrating pressure sensor characterized by: 12. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 11, wherein the substrate portion has a cantilever structure with the substrate fixing portion serving as a fulcrum. 13. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 11, wherein the substrate portion has a strain relief hole that penetrates through the substrate portion. The first vibrator is made of a semiconductor material containing an impurity, the concentration of the impurity is 1×10 ²⁰ (cm ⁻³ ) or more, and the atomic radius of the impurity is equal to that of the semiconductor material which is the base material. 14. The vibrating pressure sensor according to any one of claims 11 to 13, which is smaller than an atomic radius. a second vibrator arranged in the substrate separation portion of the substrate portion and configured to detect a change in resonance frequency based on strain generated in the substrate portion according to the static pressure applied by the pressure receiving fluid;
the second oscillator has a pressure sensitivity at a resonance frequency different from the pressure sensitivity at the resonance frequency of the first oscillator;
the second transducer has a fourth length along the first direction, a fifth length along the second direction, and a sixth length along the third direction;
the fourth length is greater than the sixth length and less than the fifth length;
The vibration type pressure sensor according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that: the substrate portion has another substrate spacing portion,
16. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 15, wherein the second vibrator is arranged in the other substrate separation portion. Both the first oscillator and the second oscillator are made of a single crystal silicon material containing impurities, and the concentration of the impurity in each of the first oscillator and the second oscillator is the unit is a value that differs by at least one order of magnitude when is (cm ^-3 ),
17. The vibrating pressure sensor according to claim 15, wherein the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency of said second oscillator is greater than the temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency of said first oscillator. The second vibrator according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that the thickness dimension along the thickness direction of the substrate portion is larger than the thickness dimension of the first vibrator. A vibrating pressure sensor as described. the substrate section includes a base substrate having the substrate fixing portion and fixed to the housing fixing portion; and a support substrate connected to the base substrate;
The support substrate has a fixed portion fixed to the base substrate and a separation portion spaced apart from the base substrate and extending from the fixed portion,
19. The vibrating pressure sensor according to any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the pressure-receiving fluid is interposed in a gap between the base substrate and the support substrate and surrounds the separation portion.

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