Multi-Physical Sensor Chip with Ultra-Thin Metal Films
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current sensor technologies for measuring temperature, humidity, and pressure are bulky, consume high power, and have low sensitivity due to thick metal thin films, limiting their integration and application in micro-systems.
Innovation Solution
A sensor chip with integrated temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors using ultra-thin metal thin films, where resistive elements form a Wheatstone bridge, interdigitated structure, and capacitive sensors, fabricated using a simplified thin film process to reduce impurities and defects, with a microcavity for pressure measurement and hygroscopic material for humidity sensing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thick metal thin films are used for resistive sensors, then defects due to thin film process limits are reduced, but resistance change rate and sensitivity are lowered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the metal thin film from conventional thick films (>1 μm) to ultra-thin films (50-500 nm), fundamentally altering the film thickness parameter to achieve both high sensitivity and adequate reliability through improved deposition processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs ultra-thin metal films as flexible, highly responsive sensing elements that can detect minute physical quantity changes, utilizing the thin film's inherent flexibility and surface area-to-volume ratio to enhance sensitivity while managing defect risks through process improvement
2Measurement precision
If separated sensors are used for temperature, humidity and pressure measurement, then each sensor can be optimized independently, but volume and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensor functions (temperature, humidity, pressure) into a single integrated sensor chip, combining separate sensing elements on one substrate to reduce overall volume and enable coordinated measurement while maintaining individual sensor optimization
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor chip is designed with multi-functionality, capable of measuring multiple physical quantities simultaneously through different sensing elements on the same chip, making a single device serve multiple measurement purposes and reducing system volume
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional thin film processes are used, then manufacturing is simpler, but impurities and defects in deposited metal film increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent improves the deposition process by changing parameters such as deposition rate, temperature, and vacuum level to produce ultra-thin metal films with fewer impurities and defects, achieving high film quality while maintaining process feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs vacuum deposition techniques, using vacuum pressure control to improve film quality during the deposition process, creating denser, more uniform ultra-thin metal films with fewer defects while maintaining manufacturing practicality
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables a compact, low-power, highly sensitive multi-physical quantity sensor chip with improved resistance characteristics, suitable for various applications and customizable, offering greater resistance, lower power consumption, and reduced costs.
Implementation Method 1
an application of an ultra-thin sensitive metal thin film in a sensor, and having advantages such as high resistance
Implementation Method 2
a layer of polymer is manufactured on the parallel polar plates and the resistors, to serve as a capacitive humidity sensitive dielectric and an elastic film for sensing the pressure, respectively
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor chip is used for multi-physical quantity measurement. This sensor chip comprises a substrate and at least two of the following sensors: a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or a pressure sensor, which are integrated onto the same substrate, wherein the pressure sensor consists of electrically interconnected resistive elements. The humidity sensor is an interdigitated structure. Thermistor elements are placed around the pressure sensor and the humidity sensor to form a temperature sensor. The temperature sensor has a resistance adjusting circuit. A microcavity is etched on the back of the substrate in a place on the opposite side pressure sensor's location. Also disclosed is a preparation method for a sensor chip used for multi-physical quantity measurement. This multi-physical quantity measurement single chip sensor chip has the advantages of low cost, low power consumption, easy fabrication, and wide applicability.