Improvements in the performance of a microthermal flow sensor using asymmetrically located temperature sensors

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• 作者：Janghyeon Lee ; Tak Gen Kim ; Dongho Kim…
• 关键词：Microthermal flow sensor ; Microfabrication ; Asymmetrical location ; Microheater ; Temperature sensor
• 刊名：International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
• 出版年：2017
• 出版时间：February 2017
• 年：2017
• 卷：18
• 期：2
• 页码：227-231
• 全文大小：
• 刊物类别：Engineering
• 刊物主题：Industrial and Production Engineering; Materials Science, general;
• 出版者：Korean Society for Precision Engineering
• ISSN：2005-4602
• 卷排序：18

文摘

A microthermal flow sensor was developed using microfabrication techniques. The flow sensor comprised a microheater and three pairs of resistive temperature detector (RTD) sensors. The heater and the sensors were made of platinum thin films, and they were located in the middle of a thin oxide/nitride-layered membrane, which was used for thermal isolation. The operating characteristics of the developed microthermal flow sensor were investigated for various gap distances between the central heater and the upstream/downstream RTD sensors. When the upstream/downstream RTD sensors were placed at asymmetric distances away from the central heater, the performance of the sensor improved for an air flow rate of 0-10 slpm. Our results indicate that an asymmetrical gap distance between the central heater and the upstream/downstream RTD sensors can be a key factor in improving the sensitivity and dynamic range of a microthermal flow sensor. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, these results are the first to experimentally demonstrate that an asymmetrical placement of RTD temperature sensors can improve the sensitivity and dynamic range of a microthermal flow sensor.