Characteristics evaluation of MEMS atmospheric pressure sensors

In recent years, the performance of atmospheric pressure sensors using Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology has been improving. Due to their small size and affordability, MEMS sensors have become widely adopted for detecting minute atmospheric pressure fluctuations, facilitating applications such as analysing atmospheric phenomena or providing vertical positioning information. However, some MEMS sensors are affected by surrounding environment which may affect measurement accuracy when installed in outdoor environments. Since specifications for the sensors vary among manufacturers, making it difficult to compare their performance directly. Hence, this study uniformly evaluated the characteristics of various types of MEMS atmospheric pressure sensors, focusing on the dependency of temperature, humidity, and responsiveness. Experimental results showed that the temperature characteristics varied significantly among sensors, and that some sensors have sensitivity to humidity. The results also showed that some sensors can detect 1 Pa pressure fluctuations at a frequency of 1 Hz, while others were not suitable for accurately measuring small pressure fluctuations.