摘要:
Thermal sensing devices can include two subsets of thermal sensors connected in a bridge by circuitry on the same support layer or surface with the sensors. Each thermal sensor can be formed in a patterned layer of semiconductor material, and the bridge circuitry can include leads formed in a patterned layer of conductive material, over or under the semiconductor layer. In one implementation, the bridge circuitry includes conductive portions that extend across and electrically contact the lower surface of each sensor's semiconductor slab. The bridge circuitry can also include pads that can be electrically contacted, such as by pogo pins. The device's reaction surface can be spaced apart from or over the thermal sensors. The device's components can be shaped and positioned so that the bridge's offset voltage is below the sensitivity level required for an application, such as by left-right symmetry about an axis.
摘要:
Thermal sensors for calorimetry can include vanadium oxide, heavily p-doped amorphous silicon, or other materials with high temperature coefficients of resistivity. Such thermal sensors can have low noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD). For example, a thermal sensor with NETD no greater than 100 μK over a bandwidth range of approximately 3 Hz or more can include a thermistor including vanadium oxide sputtered at room temperature under conditions that yield primarily V2O5; more specifically, the NETD can be no greater than 35 μK, or even 10 μK over a bandwidth range of approximately 3 Hz or more. If a low noise thermal sensor has NETD no greater than 50 μK over such a bandwidth range, a low noise output circuitry connected to its thermistor can provide an electrical output signal that includes information about input thermal signal peaks with amplitude of approximately 100 μK.
摘要翻译:用于量热法的热传感器可以包括氧化钒,重掺杂非晶硅或具有高温电阻系数的其它材料。 这样的热传感器可以具有低噪声等效温差(NETD)。 例如,在大约3Hz以上的带宽范围内,NETD不大于100μKK的热传感器可以包括在主要产生V 2 O 5的条件下在室温下溅射的包含氧化钒的热敏电阻; 更具体地说,在大约3Hz以上的带宽范围内,NETD可以不大于35μK,甚至10μK。 如果低噪声热传感器在这样的带宽范围内的NETD不超过50μK,则连接到其热敏电阻的低噪声输出电路可以提供电输出信号,其包括关于具有大约100μKK的振幅的输入热信号峰值的信息。
摘要:
In thermal sensing devices, such as for calorimetry, a support layer or central layer can have a thermometer element or other thermal sensor on one side and a thermally conductive structure or component on the other. The thermally conductive structure can conduct temperature or other thermal input signals laterally across the support layer or central layer. The temperature or signals can then be provided to the thermometer element, such as by thermal contact through the support layer. An electrically conducting, thermally isolating anti-coupling layer, such as of gold or chromium, can reduce capacitive coupling between the thermally conductive structure and the thermometer element or other thermal sensor.
摘要:
A temperature probe includes a substrate, a cantilever body portion formed on the substrate, having an anchor portion held in contact to the substrate and a free end portion extending out of the surface of the substrate, and a sputter-deposited thermistor sensor portion located at the free end portion of the cantilever body portion.
摘要:
A temperature probe includes a substrate, a cantilever body portion formed on the substrate, having an anchor portion held in contact to the substrate and a free end portion extending out of the surface of the substrate, and a sputter-deposited thermistor sensor portion located at the free end portion of the cantilever body portion.
摘要:
A nanocalorimeter includes a merging layer having, a drop placement area for holding drops to be merged and a thermal equilibration area. A measurement layer includes a substrate, and a temperature probe on the substrate, wherein the temperature probe extends out of the surface of the substrate to come into operative contact with the thermal equilibration area when the measurement layer is placed in operative association with the merging layer. The nanocalorimeter is configured to have the merging layer and the measurement layer non-integrated, making the measurement layer reusable.
摘要:
A nanocalorimeter includes a merging layer having, a drop placement area for holding drops to be merged and a thermal equilibration area. A measurement layer includes a substrate, and a temperature probe on the substrate, wherein the temperature probe extends out of the surface of the substrate to come into operative contact with the thermal equilibration area when the measurement layer is placed in operative association with the merging layer. The nanocalorimeter is configured to have the merging layer and the measurement layer non-integrated, making the measurement layer reusable.
摘要:
A heat switch has a first contact, a plug of thermally conductive material, and a mechanical actuator attached to the plug of thermally conductive material, the mechanical actuator arranged to move the plug into contact with the first contact in a first position and to move the plug out of contact with the first contact in a second position responsive to an input signal.
摘要:
Improved electric field (steered-electron electric-field, or SEEF) sensors and methods of manufacturing the same are provided. The SEEF sensors described herein may have increased sensitivity to low-frequency electric fields while being smaller than previously known sensors, and may allow for low-power electric field detection. The invention described herein allows for sensitive, long-term electric field monitoring for applications ranging from personnel detection to underground facility monitoring, as well as extraordinarily small vector sensing (full Poynting vector) for compact direction-finding of emitters of interest. Exemplary electric field sensors may accurately sense, measure, characterize and/or transmit electric field data over a wide frequency range. Importantly, such sensing, measuring, and/or characterizing do not require any physical or resistive contact between the sensor and a source of an electric field.
摘要:
Fluidic conduits, which can be used in microarraying systems, dip pen nanolithography systems, fluidic circuits, and microfluidic systems, are disclosed that use channel spring probes that include at least one capillary channel. Formed from spring beams (e.g., stressy metal beams) that curve away from the substrate when released, channels can either be integrated into the spring beams or formed on the spring beams. Capillary forces produced by the narrow channels allow liquid to be gathered, held, and dispensed by the channel spring probes. Because the channel spring beams can be produced using conventional semiconductor processes, significant design flexibility and cost efficiencies can be achieved.