Micro Temperature Sensors and Their Applications to MEMS Thermal Sensors

Abstract

New type thermistor-like absolute temperature sensors as a diode-thermistor and a transistor-thermistor, and a temperature sensor proportional to the absolute temperature, which are proposed by the author, are presented. Novel temperature-difference sensor based on the short circuit Seebeck-current measurement of a single thermocouple using the imaginary short circuit of the OP amplifier is also proposed, and a method to evaluate the performance of the thermal sensor by use of the generated power due to the IR absorption is presented. This temperature difference sensor is usually used combined with a absolute temperature sensor. This new temperature difference sensor is first realized as an IR sensor combined with the diode-thermistor. This short circuit Seebeck-current measurement type single thermocouple is also applied to the vacuum sensor. We have extended measurable pressure range of the thin film Pirani vacuum sensor that is still sensitive above 1 atm. In our thin film Pirani vacuum sensor, the proposed temperature difference sensor is used in order to get extremely high sensitivity, especially in high vacuum range. We have achieved much wider measurable pressure range over 8 digits by use of our new thin film Pirani vacuum sensor than that of the traditional one. We could expand the pressure sensitivity beyond 1 atm. by adoption of the vibration of the sensing cantilever due to the sudden heating.KeywordsTemperature SensorSeebeck CoefficientThermoelectric PowerInternal ResistanceThermal SensorThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.