Thin-film ac-dc converter with thermoresistive sensing

New thermal converter designs for accurate alternating ac-dc transfer are realized in thin-film design of heaters and aluminum thermoresistive temperature sensors deposited on a thin dielectric membrane. Low mass heater/sensor configuration assures minimal thermal inertia, so as to reduce settling time and speed up ac-dc transfer. An optional silicon obelisk serves as a thermal integrator to avoid low-frequency ac-dc transfer differences. This design is enhanced by isothermal operation and transfers only slightly more slowly than the standard configuration without the obelisk. The thermoresistive design has an Improved signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to thermal converters using thermocouples and lowers the manufacturing cost of thermal converters.