Simulation and experiment of miniaturized housing structure for MEMS thermal wind sensors.

• Finite element simulation of miniaturized housing structure for 3D packaged MEMS thermal wind sensor model. • Experiments are also done firstly, an agreement between simulation and experiment is obtained. • Provide a reference for the design and manufacture of MEMS thermal wind sensor miniaturization package. [Display omitted] This paper, for the first time, investigates the effects of miniaturized housing structure with various parameters on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) thermal wind sensors by simulation and experiments. Pillar diameter, number, height and curve-shaped top cover with different radian are considered to find out their influence on sensors performance. In the simulation, finite element method (FEM) software COMSOL is applied to simulate the 3D packaged sensor model. Then sensors with different housing parameters are tested in the wind tunnel based on thermal calorimetric principle, which uses flow-induced temperature gradient between symmetrically distributed thermistors to represent wind speed. An agreement between simulation and experiment is obtained, and the results demonstrate that the device's performance can be improved with smaller pillar diameter, more pillar number, and smaller pillar height. Moreover, the curved roof is designed, which provides a possibility for high wind speed measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]