A wireless embedded resonant pressure sensor fabricated in the standard LTCC technology

Abstract

This paper proposes a fully embedded resonant pressure sensor operating in the MHz range and realized in the standard low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC) technology. Buried sensor design and usage of LTCC materials enable application of this sensor in high-temperature and chemically aggressive environments. Upgraded sensor and sensor-antenna models residing on an analytical concept are used for prediction of the system performance. Also, simulation results show that an increase of Young's modulus for the LTCC tape diminishes the sensor sensitivity. An experimental setup for wireless data retrieval is designed enabling precise measurement of the influence of pressure variation on the sensors resonant frequency. Experimentally attained results are compared with electrical characteristics determined by analytical calculations as well as those derived from electrical simulations. © 2009 IEEE.