Experimental study of gamma radiation induced degradation of a piezoresistive pressure sensor

• DOI: 10.1007/s00542-018-3806-5
• Publication Date: 2018-02-23T07:17:22Z
• Authors: Vinod Belwanshi; Sebin Philip; Anita Topkar
• Keywords: Degradation; Piezoresistive effect; Gamma Irradiation

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.