The aim of this paper is the development of a PZT-driven apparatus for testing the force-deflection behavior of thin 0.1/0.5-㎜-thick plates. Thin plates are widely used as the diaphragm of pressure sensors, as they are much stronger than the thin films with thicknesses of up to several tens of ? that are used in MEMS applications. Therefore, a proper PZT actuator should be selected to acquire the static- and dynamic-material properties of these thin plates to perform testing in terms of the force and frequency responses. Based on the investigation of the PZT characteristics, a test apparatus is developed. It is verified for the Hastelloy C-276 that the static-force deflection, acquired through sample testing, is compatible with the theoretical one; moreover, the dynamic test is available up to approximately 20 ㎐.

Pressure sensors are widely used in industries, including cars and coolers. Highly accurate pressure sensors are capable of corresponding to changes in the surrounding temperature. Additionally, the manufacturing process of pressure sensors greatly impacts the cost and degree of precision. This study undertook to examine the manufacturing process of pressure sensors, especially those using ceramic diaphragm. Ruthenium oxide (RuO2) was used instead of strain gauge for piezoresistance. TC thermistor (temperature coefficient) resistance compensated for changes in outdoor air temperature. Furthermore, thick-film resistors were precisely adjusted with laser trimming technology. These processes resulted in the production of a high accuracy diaphragm pressure sensor having an ability to correspond to changes in outdoor temperatures.

Recent use of mobile phones as a multimedia device has increased the development of micro-speaker modules having high quality and a compact size. Micro-speakers use polymer diaphragms fabricated by the thermoforming process. To improve the sound quality, micro-speaker diaphragms are usually designed to contain a number of micro-corrugations. This study investigated the effects of the corrugation depth on the acoustic characteristics of the diaphragm, using finite element (FE) analysis. Structural FE analysis was performed to investigate the stiffness change according to the corrugation depth. Modal FE analysis was used to compare the change in natural frequencies for each case. Harmonic response analysis further investigated the resulting variation in acoustic power. The effects of the corrugation depth on the acoustic characteristics of the diaphragm were discussed by reviewing all the FE analysis results synthetically.