Integrated Circuits as Key Enabler for today's Smart MEMS Sensors

The requirements and capabilities of smart MEMS sensors are constantly increasing. Consequently, the challenges in development of the ASICs driving this progress increased significantly over the years. Many fields have to come together to enable this: ranging from high-precision analog mixed signal circuitry to support the ultimate goal of an “ideal” sensor transfer function with no deviation by environmental changes up to power-optimized digital logic with customized microcontrollers. Embedded software is classifying signals, correcting errors and data fusion from different domains while new process technologies are introduced, package sizes are reduced, and 3D integration is established. To gain some comprehensive overview of these new challenges on ASIC development, in the first chapter the product portfolio of Bosch Sensortec is briefly introduced, reflecting the transition from sensors delivering calibrated raw data up to smart sensor modules with embedded algorithms, and in the second chapter, a focus on new smart MEMS sensor modules and their market requirements will be given. In the third chapter an insight about continuing optimization of performance for signal conditioning of physical and chemical sensors with respect to high signal to noise ratio, offset stability and linearity while still continuously lowering power consumption will be given. In the fourth chapter, the sequence of the concurrent increase of digital capability from edge-AI supporting structures to reduce overall power consumption of meshed sensors up to new security features for trusted domains of IoT connected devices will be discussed.