Micromachined hot-wire shear stress sensor
US5883310A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 25, 1995 |
| Grant date | Mar 16, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 25, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01F1/6845
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A micromachined hot-wire anemometer having fast response times and higher sensitivities than conventional hot-wire anemometers is provided by micromachining doped polysilicon wires carried on silicon supports cantilevered from a substrate including one or more insulating layers disposed between said substrate and supports. The micromachined polysilicon hot-wire anemometer is fabricated using surface micromachining techniques. A shear stress sensor is micromachined to define a thin diaphragm over a cavity defined in a substrate underlying the diaphragm. The cavity is evacuated, sealed, and a thermistor disposed over the diaphragm. The thermistor is thus thermally insulated from the substrate and provides a low profile shear stress sensor for measuring flow rates in boundary layers above a flow surface.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.