Robert G. Johnson

A broad range absolute pressure microsensor

A microminiature absolute pressure sensor for gaseous media based on thermal effects and with feature size of 10 mu m wide and 90 mu m long was fabricated in silicon using anisotropic etching techniques. Operation was demonstrated using dry air over a pressure range of 0.015 to 150 psia. The power function output curve represents the change in power required to keep the thermally isolated microstructure at constant temperature. The device is most useful for applications demanding low cost but not requiring high precision.<<ETX>>