Thermal fluid flow sensor and method of forming same technical field
AssigneeHoneywell International Inc.
InventorsRichard A. Davis, Aravind Padmanabhan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A thermal fluid flow sensor and method of forming same. The flow sensor has an integrated circuit substrate, such as a silicon substrate, and a region of low thermal conductivity material carried on the top surface of the integrated circuit substrate. One or more pairs of temperature sensing elements are disposed on the low thermal conductivity region together with a heating element so that a robust flow sensor can be provided at low cost. Signal conditioning circuitry is disposed on the same surface as the temperature sensing elements and connected to the sensing elements thereby further reducing costs and improving the flow sensor sensitivity.
Claims13
A sensor for sensing fluid flow, said sensor comprising
- a semiconductor integrated circuit substrate having a surface thereof;
- a region of low thermal conductivity material carried on said semiconductor integrated circuit substrate at said surface;
- at least one sensing element disposed on said region of low conductivity material for sensing a property of a fluid;
- said region of low conductivity interposing said at least one sensing element and said semiconductor integrated circuit substrate;
- and
- signal conditioning circuitry disposed on said surface, adjacent said sensing element(s), said sensing element(s) and said signal conditioning circuitry being electrically interconnected.
A thermal fluid flow sensor comprising
- a silicon integrated circuit substrate having a top surface thereof;
- a trench having a sidewall extending downwardly from said top surface towards a bottom of said trench;
- a region of low thermal conductivity material deposited in said trench;
- at least one a pair of temperature sensing elements disposed on at least said low thermal conductivity region on a top surface thereof;
- a heating element disposed between said temperature sensing elements on at least said low thermal conductivity region on said top surface thereof;
- and
- signal conditioning circuitry disposed on said top surface of said silicon integrated circuit substrate adjacent said temperature sensing/heating elements, said signal conditioning circuitry and said temperature sensing elements being electrically interconnected.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.