A micromachined pressure sensor based on an array of microswitches

A micromachined pressure sensor based on an array of microswitches is presented. The pressure sensor consists of a silicon substrate that has a thin metal-deposited diaphragm and indium tin oxide (ITO)-based switch arrays patterned on a Pyrex glass. When pressure is applied to the thin diaphragm through a small tube, the diaphragm starts to deform and contact the array of switches at a certain pressure level. The increase in the contact area due to the diaphragm deformation causes the change in electrical resistance between two terminals of the ITO resistor. The change in resistance that corresponds to electrical output in the pressure sensor is measured by the use of a simple circuit. We also describe the results of numerical simulations that are carried out to find a suitable range of the pressure. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.