Abstract: The effect of residual stress on the structural design ofhigh temperature MEMS shear stress sensor is analyzed both theoreticallyand numerically. It is found that under the condition of constant electrodewidth and electrode gap, the increase of electrode number and the decreaseof electrode length will effectively reduce the electrostatic-force inducedstress and deformation. The residual stress originated from MEMSfabrication, however, shows much stronger influence on the stress anddeformation than that of electrostatic force. Therefore, the residual stressmust be seriously considered for the reliability of the structure. The analyticalresults can be a reference for the structural design of this innovative hightemperature MEMS shear stress sensor.