Design and Experimental Validation of A SU-8 Based Micro-Psychrometer

In this paper, a new approach to design micro-psychrometers devoted to measuring relative humidity is presented. Such devices are based on a planar thermopile fitted with an appropriate set of microchannels arranged for monitoring the evaporation process as a Seebeck voltage. They are fabricated out of a glass substrate, sputtered metals, and near vertical side walls made of SU-8, according to standard micro technology processes for MEMs. Considering classical psychrometers, the new design is aimed at reducing both size and response time. Indeed, besides being far less invasive than a standard unit, fast measurements (tau=5 s) are enabled. A straightforward modeling, aimed at deriving the relative humidity, is given with a view to integrating the signal conditioner. A prototype is calibrated and compared to a reference probe, and a brief discussion on its enhancement is also presented