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US 2021/0278385 A1Published application
Compact Humidity and Pressure Sensor with Temperature Control
AssigneepSemi Corporation
InventorsVivek Saraf, Vishnu Srinivasan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Novel integrated circuit environmental and temperature sensors in combination with measurement circuitry fully integrated as part of an ASIC die, which may be co-packaged with a pressure sensor integrated circuit to create a compact yet sensitive environment monitoring product. Embodiments may include one or more integrated local heating elements and control circuitry that are power supply independent, make efficient use of battery power, include an accurate in-built temperature detection capability, and provide digital close-loop control of the heating elements.
Claims25
An integrated circuit die including:
- (a) a surface layer;
- (b) at least one sensor structure formed as part of the surface layer, each sensor structure including:
- (1) a first terminal;
- (2) a second terminal in spaced relationship with respect to the first terminal;
- and
- (3) an environmentally sensitive material formed between, and optionally around, the first and second terminals, the environmentally sensitive material being responsive to a selected environmental characteristic so as to cause a measurable change in electrical capacitance and/or charge and/or dielectric constant and/or conductance across the sensor structure;
- and
- (c) processing circuitry, coupled to the at least one sensor structure, for measuring the measurable change across the sensor structure and outputting a signal indicative of such measurement.
5 more elements
An integrated circuit die including:
- (a) at least one capacitor structure formed as part of a surface layer of the integrated circuit die, each capacitor structure including an environmentally sensitive material as a dielectric, the environmentally sensitive material being responsive to a selected environmental characteristic so as to cause a measurable change in electrical capacitance and/or charge across the capacitor structure;
- and
- (b) at least one heating element positioned sufficiently close to an associated one capacitor structure of the at least one capacitor structure to enable localized heating near the associated one capacitor structure.
An integrated circuit die including:
- (a) a surface layer;
- (b) at least one capacitor structure formed as part of the surface layer, each capacitor structure including:
- (1) a first capacitor terminal;
- (2) a second capacitor terminal in spaced relationship with respect to the first capacitor terminal;
- and
- (3) an environmentally sensitive dielectric material formed between, and optionally around, the first and second capacitor terminals as a dielectric, the environmentally sensitive dielectric material being responsive to a selected environmental characteristic so as to cause a measurable change in electrical capacitance and/or charge across the capacitor structure;
- (c) a capacitance analog-to-digital converter configured to receive an analog signal from at least one capacitor structure indicative of a change in capacitance, ΔC, in the at least one capacitor structure and convert the received analog signal to a corresponding ΔC digital signal;
- and
- (d) a digital signal processor, coupled to the capacitance analog-to-digital converter and configured to generate and output a response based on one or more received ΔC digital signals.
6 more elements
An integrated circuit heating element and control circuit including:
- (a) a switch device having a control input, a first terminal, and a second terminal configured to be coupled to a supply voltage;
- (b) a voltage scaling circuit having a scaled voltage output, a first terminal, and a second terminal configured to be coupled to circuit ground;
- (c) a heating element coupled to the first terminal of the switch device and the first terminal of the voltage scaling circuit;
- (d) a gain control having a voltage input configured to be coupled to a reference voltage, a digital input configured to be coupled to a source of gain control bits, and an output configured to provide a scaled reference voltage;
- and
- (e) an amplifier having a first input coupled to the scaled voltage output of the voltage scaling circuit, a second input the output of the gain control, and an output coupled to the control input of the switch device.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.