Electro-Thermal-Mechanical Modeling of Gas Sensor Hotplates

Abstract

Before fabrication, sensors are often designed, simulated, and optimized using the Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) tools to reduce the manufacturing costs and the prototype development cycle. In this chapter, the electro-thermo-mechanical behavior of gas sensor hotplates is simulated by means of the finite element method (FEM). In particular, FEM is primarily used to study the mechanical stability of the membrane, the temperature uniformity over the active area, and the power consumption of the sensor. Furthermore, the chapter deals with the appropriate choice of the initial and boundary conditions of the problem, which are necessary to obtain accurate numerical solutions.