Rapid Response Sensor Housing With Thermal Adhesive
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Small temperature sensors used in applications like semiconductor processing face challenges in maintaining high accuracy and fast response time due to their small size and the need for protective covers, which often compromise their performance.
Innovation Solution
A sensor assembly with a one-piece housing featuring an internal cavity and passageways separated by an intermediate wall, where a thin film resistive device or micro-sensor is secured with a thermal adhesive having a matched coefficient of thermal expansion, allowing for improved heat transfer and positioning for enhanced accuracy and response time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If protective covers and materials are added to protect small temperature sensors, then the sensors are protected from damage, but the response time and accuracy of the sensors decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a thin film protective cover that is transparent to thermal energy, allowing heat to pass through while still providing mechanical protection. This thin film structure protects the sensor from damage without creating a significant thermal barrier, thus maintaining both reliability and measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the thermal properties of the protective structure by using materials with specific thermal conductivities and designing the cover thickness to minimize thermal resistance. This parameter optimization allows the protective cover to be as transparent as possible to thermal energy while still providing necessary protection.
2Volume of moving object
If small temperature sensors are made extremely small to reduce thermal impact, then the thermal impact is reduced, but the manufacturing difficulty increases and protective covers are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the protective cover features directly into the sensor housing structure, merging the protection function with the structural support function. This integration eliminates the need for separate protective components and simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining the small size of the sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor housing is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support, protects the sensor element, and facilitates mounting. This multi-functionality reduces the overall complexity of the device and simplifies manufacturing while maintaining the compact size required to minimize thermal impact.
3Reliability
If protective covers are added to small temperature sensors, then the sensors are protected from damage, but the response time of the sensors decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The thin film protective cover used in the patent is designed to be as transparent as possible to thermal energy, allowing heat to pass through with minimal resistance. This ensures that the protective function is provided without creating a significant thermal barrier that would delay the sensor's response time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a thermally conductive intermediary material or structure that facilitates heat transfer while still providing mechanical protection. This intermediary element allows thermal energy to pass through to the sensor element quickly while still offering the necessary protective function.
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 improved heat transfer, repeatability, and response time of small temperature sensors by geometrically matching internal cavity surfaces with the sensor surfaces, while maintaining manufacturing tolerances and reducing thermal impact.
Implementation Method 1
A thin film resistive device (RTD) is disposed within the internal cavity and exposed to the outside environment... the thin film RTD abuts the internal wall... secured in the internal cavity by a thermal adhesive
Implementation Method 2
the thermal adhesive, the housing, and a substrate of the thin film RTD have a matched coefficient of thermal expansion
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor assembly includes a housing having a body having a distal end portion defining an internal cavity and a proximal end portion defining a plurality of internal passageways. A micro-sensor is disposed within the internal cavity and exposed to the outside environment and an internal wall separates the internal cavity from the plurality of internal passageways. The micro-sensor abuts the internal wall.