Title :
Epoxy-protected thermopile as high sensitivity heat flux sensor
Author :
Meyer, Vital M. ; Schneeberger, Niklaus ; Keller, Bruno
Author_Institution :
Eidgenossische Tech. Hochschule, Zurich, Switzerland
Abstract :
This paper presents the first heat flux sensor based on an integrated thermopile produced in a low-cost industrial CMOS process. The thermopile is placed on a membrane and protected by an epoxy-layer. The epoxy-layer enhances the mechanical robustness of the membrane substantially, which is crucial for our purpose. A top aluminum layer shields the internal thermal field distortion from any interaction with the vicinity. The responsivity of the presented heat flux sensor is more than 100 times higher than the responsivity of comparable conventional heat flux sensors
Keywords :
CMOS analogue integrated circuits; integrated circuit packaging; microsensors; plastic packaging; temperature sensors; thermocouples; thermopiles; epoxy-protected thermopile; high sensitivity heat flux sensor; industrial CMOS process; internal thermal field distortion; mechanical robustness; Biomembranes; CMOS process; Heat transfer; Mechanical sensors; Protection; Resistance heating; Solar heating; Temperature sensors; Thermal conductivity; Thermal sensors;
Conference_Titel :
Solid State Sensors and Actuators, 1997. TRANSDUCERS '97 Chicago., 1997 International Conference on
Conference_Location :
Chicago, IL
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-3829-4
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.1997.635466
