A three-electrode capacitive pressure sensor for touch-mode operation with
sensitivity of 0.030 pF/kPa (or 10.4 mV/kPa using CP-10 C/V converter circu
it) in the pressure range of 170-280 kPa is presented with theoretical expl
anation of experimental results. A special ring structure is designed to in
tegrate a sensing capacitor and a reference capacitor into the same cavity
to partially cancel out the temperature effect. A third electrode is includ
ed to eliminate two-level connections without reducing its pressure sensiti
vity. The sensor offers the advantages of simple fabrication processes, pla
nar connections, as well as high sensitivity, near-linear output, and large
over-range pressure.