Abstract
This paper reports the experimental investigation of gamma radiation induced degradation of a piezoresistive pressure sensor with total dose exposure up to ~ 40 Mrad. The output response of a piezoresistive pressure sensor and the magnitude of piezoresistors constituting the Wheatstone bridge were measured at various total doses after exposure to gamma radiation using a Cobalt-60 source. The bridge piezoresistor magnitudes did not show any change after irradiation up to a total dose of 40 Mrad. However, the pressure sensor exhibited a significant degradation in the performance in terms of reduced sensitivity and linearity after the exposure to 10 Mrad. The pressure sensor demonstrated a decrease of response by about 75% beyond the gamma dose of 30 Mrad. Additionally, a small increase in the offset voltage and increased hysteresis in the pressure response were also observed.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Dr. M. S. Kulkarni and Mr. Sachin G. Mhatre for their support in providing the Cobalt-60 gamma irradiation facility for the irradiation of the pressure sensor.
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Belwanshi, V., Philip, S. & Topkar, A. Experimental study of gamma radiation induced degradation of a piezoresistive pressure sensor. Microsyst Technol 24, 3299–3305 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-018-3806-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00542-018-3806-5