CMOS technology platform for ubiquitous microsensors

In this paper we review a range of microsensors based on a common CMOS platform technology. The technology features a CMOS core which includes high temperature tungsten metallization and a post-CMOS deep reactive ion etching step of the substrate to release membranes, where the sensing elements are embedded. In one single process we were able to accommodate a variety of sensors such as gas, humidity, pressure, flow, temperature and infra-red detectors and emitters. The benefits of this platform are: (i) ultra-low power consumption, (ii) small form factor, (iii) high reliability and yield (iv) possibility of on-chip electronics and last but not least (v) low unit price.