Flow sensors
The determination of gas and liquid mass and volume flows is a common task in micro analytical systems as well as in micro chemical process technology. Here, IMM offers concepts based on thermal conductivity and piezo resistive drag force detection that can be adopted in a wide flow range to customer specific requirements.
- Thermal conductivity mass flow sensor
Example: thermal flow sensor
A customized thermal flow sensor developed at IMM detects the heat transfer of one heated bridge to the neighboring bridges. Using a set of 5 resistors allows for compensation of the applied pressure dependence of the measured value.
- Material: Silicon with Si3N4 bridges serving as support for the resistors
- Thermal resistors: Micro structured Platinum with 5 µm lead width
- Resistance: 150 Ω
- Operating temperature: up to 250°C
- Optimized design by FEM-simulation
- Applied manufacturing processes: Low-Stress LPCVD Si3N4, Pt-Sputtering, Lithography, Lift-off, KOH wet etching, ASE-dry etching
- Customer specific development for Symyx, USA
- Operating principle
- Flow response at two different working points
Contact: Dr. Peter Detemple, Head of Microstructuring and Sensors Department,
Phone: +49 6131/990 318
