A low-power, high-sensitivity CMOS-MEMS flow sensor for respiration health evaluation

TY - JOUR

T1 - A low-power, high-sensitivity CMOS-MEMS flow sensor for respiration health evaluation

AU - Yue, Daishan

AU - Cai, Shiqian

AU - Yang, Gai

AU - Wu, Yekai

AU - Tang, Yue

AU - Zhou, Wenbiao

AU - Xu, Wei

AU - Xie, Huikai

AU - Gao, Feng

AU - Wang, Xiaoyi

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This is an open access article under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PY - 2026/6

Y1 - 2026/6

N2 - In this paper, we present a fast-response thermal flow sensor with low power consumption and high sensitivity, which was fabricated using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor micro-electromechanical systems technology. To enhance sensitivity and reduce power consumption, we propose a lithography-free, self-aligned post-complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor fabrication process. Characterization results demonstrate that the fabricated flow sensor could achieve high thermal efficiency, realizing an overheat temperature rise (ΔTh) of 58.76 K while maintaining the power consumption below 1 mW. The sensor also exhibits a high normalized sensitivity of 2131 mV m−1 s W−1, a low minimum detection limit of 0.88 mm s−1, and a rapid response time of 1.7 ms @ 1.67 m s−1. The sensor was subsequently incorporated into a portable pulmonary function monitoring system, which includes a by-pass channel to enable a broad measurement flow range (±1000 SLM) suitable for medical applications. Leveraging the high-performance sensor and an optimized flow channel design, the portable pulmonary function monitoring setup achieves an enhanced resolution of 28.5 mL s−1 and a significantly improved volume error of 1.6%. Experimental results validate the efficacy of the proposed thermal flow sensor and portable pulmonary function monitoring system, demonstrating its potential as a promising sensing technology for pulmonary disease diagnostics and medical applications, particularly in remote or resource-limited settings.

AB - In this paper, we present a fast-response thermal flow sensor with low power consumption and high sensitivity, which was fabricated using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor micro-electromechanical systems technology. To enhance sensitivity and reduce power consumption, we propose a lithography-free, self-aligned post-complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor fabrication process. Characterization results demonstrate that the fabricated flow sensor could achieve high thermal efficiency, realizing an overheat temperature rise (ΔTh) of 58.76 K while maintaining the power consumption below 1 mW. The sensor also exhibits a high normalized sensitivity of 2131 mV m−1 s W−1, a low minimum detection limit of 0.88 mm s−1, and a rapid response time of 1.7 ms @ 1.67 m s−1. The sensor was subsequently incorporated into a portable pulmonary function monitoring system, which includes a by-pass channel to enable a broad measurement flow range (±1000 SLM) suitable for medical applications. Leveraging the high-performance sensor and an optimized flow channel design, the portable pulmonary function monitoring setup achieves an enhanced resolution of 28.5 mL s−1 and a significantly improved volume error of 1.6%. Experimental results validate the efficacy of the proposed thermal flow sensor and portable pulmonary function monitoring system, demonstrating its potential as a promising sensing technology for pulmonary disease diagnostics and medical applications, particularly in remote or resource-limited settings.

KW - CMOS-MEMS

KW - High sensitivity

KW - Portable pulmonary function monitoring

KW - Thermal flow sensor

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105036866295

U2 - 10.1016/j.chip.2025.100172

DO - 10.1016/j.chip.2025.100172

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105036866295

SN - 2709-4723

VL - 5

JO - Chip

JF - Chip

IS - 2

M1 - 100172

ER -