Vacuum Transistor Oscillation Sensor for Extreme Environment Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensors fail in extreme environments due to material degradation and radiation susceptibility, leading to unreliable readings and device failure.
Innovation Solution
A sensor system utilizing field-emission-based vacuum transistors and capacitive transducers that operate in a vacuum, enabling reliable measurements through oscillation frequency changes based on temperature, pressure, and vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If semi-conductor transistors are used in typical sensors, then the sensors can operate at standard conditions, but they fail in extreme environments due to material degradation and radiation susceptibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces semi-conductor transistors with vacuum transistors, substituting a solid-state electronic system with a vacuum-based electronic system. This substitution eliminates the harmful interactions between radiation/rheat and the semiconductor materials, as the vacuum environment isolates the electron transport path from environmental degradation factors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a vacuum environment as an inert atmosphere for electron transport. The vacuum acts as a protective medium that is immune to radiation and extreme temperatures, preventing the harmful effects that would otherwise degrade the transistor materials and cause sensor failure in extreme environments.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If additional shielding and protection mechanisms are added to protect transducers and semi-conductor transistors, then radiation protection is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the vulnerable semi-conductor materials from the system by using vacuum transistors instead. This removes the need for additional shielding and protection mechanisms, as the vacuum-based electron transport is inherently resistant to radiation and extreme temperatures, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining protection.
3Ease of operation
If semi-conductor transistors are used, then the sensors can translate and transmit measurements, but electron transport is significantly altered due to heat and radiation
Solution Approach 1:
The vacuum environment serves as an inert atmosphere that is unaffected by temperature and radiation. This allows electron transport to proceed without the significant alterations that occur in semi-conductor materials under extreme thermal conditions, maintaining reliable measurement transmission capability.
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 system maintains functionality in extreme conditions (−80° C. to 800° C. and 1×106 rad radiation) without additional shielding, providing accurate measurements by translating environmental properties into oscillation frequencies.
Implementation Method 1
Field emission devices may work on the basis of modulation of field emitted current through the variation of the vacuum barrier width using an applied field acting in vacuum
Implementation Method 2
the capacitive transducer includes a thermal expansion material, and a variable capacitance of the capacitive transducer is based on a temperature of the thermal expansion material
Implementation Method 3
a distance between the first electrode and the second electrode is proportional to a pressure exerted on the first wall, the second wall, or both, and wherein a variable capacitance of the capacitive transducer is based on the pressure
Data Source
AI summary
A device may include a substrate and an oscillation circuit integrated with the substrate. The oscillation circuit may include a field-emission-based vacuum transistor. The oscillation circuit may also include a capacitive transducer. An oscillation frequency of the oscillation circuit may be indicative of a magnitude of a temperature, a pressure, or a vibration at the capacitive transducer.