Design and fabrication of a flow sensor detecting flow direction and velocity

Author

Seunghyun Kim ; Sunghyun Kim ; Yongduk Kim ; Sieyoung Choi ; Sekwang Park

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. Eng., Kyungpook Nat. Univ., Taegu, South Korea

Volume

2

fYear

2003

Firstpage

1927

Abstract

A thermal flow sensor detecting flow direction and velocity at the same time is designed and fabricated using MEMS technology. Pt was used as resistive material because of its very stable physical properties. Only one heater at the center and four detectors surrounding it is necessary to work the flow sensor. Therefore, a flow sensor detecting flow direction and velocity was accomplished in a small dimension. An interface circuit was designed with popular instrumentation amplifiers, Wheatstone-bridge circuit and OP amps, and they are integrated into ASIC chips using CMOS technology. The maximum angle difference was 5/spl deg/ and velocity error was no more than 0.5 m/s. Power consumption was 50 mW and response time was a few seconds.

Keywords

CMOS integrated circuits; application specific integrated circuits; flow measurement; microsensors; operational amplifiers; platinum; power consumption; velocity measurement; 50 mW; ASIC chips; CMOS technology; MEMS technology; Pt; Wheatstone bridge circuit; flow direction; flow velocity; instrumentation amplifier; interface circuit; operational amplifer; physical properties; power consumption; thermal flow sensor; velocity error; Application specific integrated circuits; CMOS technology; Detectors; Energy consumption; Fabrication; Instruments; Integrated circuit technology; Micromechanical devices; Operational amplifiers; Thermal sensors;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

TRANSDUCERS, Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, 12th International Conference on, 2003

Conference_Location

Boston, MA, USA

Print_ISBN

0-7803-7731-1

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/SENSOR.2003.1217169

Filename

1217169