We are reporting on the first use of the piezo-avalanche effect in a micromachined sensor for the measurement of inertial forces. The device integrates a pn junction at the base of a beam that is used as the spring for the microstructure. Movements of a proof-mass at the opposite end of the beam produce stress at the location of the junction. To measure this stress, the junction is forced into its reverse breakdown region while monitoring its current-voltage relationship. The mechanical stress modifies the bandgap of the material, eventually leading to a change in its breakdown voltage. It is shown that this simple structure provides a high sensitivity of ~3 nA/g when the device is biased with a fixed voltage in its breakdown region. The device operation is modeled analytically, and results are found to be in good agreement with the experiments. The piezo-avalanche effect scales favorably and can be utilized for stress measurements at arbitrary locations on a structure as well as at nanoscales. [2019-0247]

中文翻译：

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压电雪崩加速度计

我们正在报告首次在微机械传感器中使用压电雪崩效应来测量惯性力。该器件在梁的底部集成了一个 pn 结，用作微结构的弹簧。梁另一端的质量块的运动在连接处产生应力。为了测量这种应力，结被迫进入其反向击穿区域，同时监测其电流-电压关系。机械应力会改变材料的带隙，最终导致其击穿电压发生变化。结果表明，当器件在其击穿区以固定电压偏置时，这种简单的结构可提供约 3 nA/g 的高灵敏度。对设备操作进行了分析建模，发现结果与实验非常吻合。压电雪崩效应可以很好地扩展，可用于结构上任意位置以及纳米级的应力测量。[2019-0247]