Capacitive Pressure Sensor
A common way to detect membrane deformation is by measuring capacitance. The surface of the deforming membrane and the opposite side of one of the cavities are coated with metal. Thus they form a capacitor whose value depends on the distance of the plates and on the system’s geometry.The sensor in this example measures static pressures of a magnitude from zero to atmospheric pressure. The model first computes the initial stresses from device construction; then it accounts for the structure’s mechanical deformation resulting from an applied pressure. It finally calculates the sensor’s capacitance for the deformed shape from the electric field.
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Surface plot showing the vertical displacement. |
Engineering Fields
- Sensors
Application Areas
- MEMS