Physical Principles Of Thermal Sensors英文电子书.pdf

Sensors and Materials, Vol. 8, No. 6 (1996) 373-387 MYU Tokyo S M0252 Physical Principles of Thermal Sensors Sander van Herwaarden Xensor Integration P. O. Box 3233, 2601 DE Delft, the Netherlands (Received March 29, 1995; accepted March 25, 1996) Key words: thermal transduction, transduction physics We give an introduction to the physical principles onwhich silicon themlal sensors are based. We briefly describe the transductions and conversions involved in these sensors, and different themlal sensors and the physics on which they are based. 1. The Functioilal Principle of Thermal Sensors In this paper, we describe themlal sensors based on silicon and related technologies, with an electrical output signal. The input signal can be any of the six signal types defined by Middelhoek and Audet,(l) i.e., mechanical, magnetic, chemical, radiant, themlal and electrical signals. In themlal sensors, the transduction of the input signal to the output signal is carried out in two steps. First the input signal is transduced into a themlal signal, and then the themlal signal is transduced into the eleetrical output signal. 1.1 Thermal power sensors An important distinction among themlal sensors is that between power sensors and conductance sensors. In power sensors the input signal which is measured by the sensor is themlal power, which is used to generate the electrical power of the sensor output signal. Therefore, there is no output signal ifthe input signal is zero. These self-generating sensors have no offset, and need no biasing. They operate in three steps. 1) A nonthemlal signal Cis transduced into a themlal heat signal P, by the sensor-specific action Q.