Patent attributes
A piezoresistive pressure and/or strain sensor micro-machined primarily from plastic and/or glass. In one illustrative embodiment, the piezoresistive pressure sensor is formed on a polymer substrate. A first selectively implanted region is provided in the polymer substrate to create a piezoresistive region in the polymer substrate. A second selectively implanted region is then provided in at least part of the first selectively implanted region to modulate the electrical conductivity of the first selectively implanted region. The illustrative sensor may be selectively implanted with, for example, nitrogen to create the piezoresistive region, and boron to modulate the electrical conductivity of the piezoresistive region. Phosphorus or any other suitable material may also be used to modulate the electrical conductivity of the piezoresistive region, as desired. The piezoresistive pressure/strain sensor may be formed from a single substrate, or two or more substrates, and the resulting pressure/strain sensor may be mounted in a plastic package, if desired.
