Patent ID: 6700473
Filing Date: 2004-03-02
Classification: G01L

Abstract:
A dielectrically isolated temperature compensated pressure transducer comprising:a wafer including a deflectable diaphragm formed therein, said diaphragm being capable of deflecting in response to n applied pressure, and said diaphragm defining an active region surrounded by an inactive region of said wafer; a plurality of dielectrically isolated piezoresistive elements formed on said active region of said wafer and coupled together to form a Wheatstone bridge configuration so as to cooperatively provide an output signal in response to and indicative of an amount of deflection of said diaphragm, said output signal including an error caused by exposure of said wafer to an environmental condition; and a dielectrically isolated resistor formed on said inactive region of said wafer and a second resistor coupled in parallel across said resistor to shunt said resistor, said resistor having a temperature coefficient of resistance characterized by a resistance that changes with unit changes in temperature, said second resistor having a temperature coefficient of resistance of substantially zero within an operating temperature range of said transducer, said shunted resistor electrically coupled in series with said Wheatstone bridge configuration of piezoresistive elements to selectively compensate for said error.