Patent · US Expired

Process for manufacturing a capacitive vacuum measuring cell

US7140085B2 · kind B2 · utility

12Cited by
11References
14Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 11, 2003
Grant dateNov 28, 2006
Priority date
Expiry dateSep 23, 2023

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10T29/49224
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A capacitive vacuum measuring cell includes first and second ceramic housing bodies (1, 4) joined by an edge seal (3). A thin ceramic membrane (2) is supported between first and second housing bodies (1, 4) by the edge seal (3) at a small distance from the first housing body (1) creating a reference vacuum chamber (25) therebetween. An electrically conductive material (7) coats opposing surfaces of the first housing body (1) and the membrane (2) to form a capacitor. A measurement vacuum chamber (26) is provided between the membrane (2) and the second housing body (4). A port (5) communicates with the second housing body (4) to connect the measurement vacuum chamber (26) of the measuring cell to the medium to be measured. The membrane (2) is made from an Al2O3 slurry that is sintered in a first heating step, cooled, and then reheated to smooth the membrane.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.