Kulite Semiconductor Products, Inc.

Other

Andrew V Bemis

Anthony D Kurtz

Timothy A Nunn

Alexander A Ned

Joseph R VanDeWeert

Sorin Stefanescu

Joseph Van De Weert

Scott J Goodman

The disclosed technology includes an oil-filled pressure transducer assembly and an oil-filled compensating sensing element disposed near one another and attached to a common housing. The oil-filled pressure transducer assembly may receive and measure pressure media via a first oil-filled cavity and a protective diagram in communication with the pressure media. The compensating sensing element may be isolated from the pressure media. In certain example implementations, the compensating sensing element is configured to measure certain common error phenomena that are also measured by the oil-filled pressure transducer assembly, for example, due to acceleration, temperature, and/or vibration. In certain implementations, the signal measured by the compensating sensing element may be subtracted from the signal measured by the oil-filled pressure transducer assembly to provide a compensated output signal.

Oil filled transducers with isolated compensating capsule

Systems and methods are disclosed for a pressure sensor device. The pressure sensor device includes a header that defines an interior cavity including one or more tether connecting regions. The header further defines an outer portion in communication with the interior cavity; the outer portion includes a plurality of through bores in communication with an exterior portion of the header for insertion of header pins through the header. The pressure sensor device includes a pressure sensor chip disposed within the interior cavity of the header. One or more anchoring tethers are attached to the corresponding one or more tether connecting regions. The pressure sensor chip is free to move within the interior cavity of the header, and the one or more anchoring tethers are in communication with the pressure sensor chip and are configured to limit movement of the pressure sensor chip within the header.

Low-stress floating-chip pressure sensors

Example embodiments of the disclosed technology methods, devices, and systems for compensating a sensor having thermal gradients. In one embodiment, a system is provided that includes a sensor, including a first half-bridge transducer configured to output a first pressure signal associated with a first received pressure; a first set of span resistors coupled to the first half-bridge transducer, and configured generate a first compensated pressure signal; a second half-bridge transducer, configured to output a second pressure signal associated with a second received pressure; and a second set of span resistors coupled to the second half-bridge transducer and configured to generate a second compensated pressure signal. The system includes an output port that is configured to output a signal associated with a difference between the first compensated pressure signal and the second compensated pressure signal.

Compensating a sensor having thermal gradients

A gage/differential pressure transducer assembly having enhanced output capabilities, comprising a first pressure port adapted to communicate a first pressure to a first sensor, the first sensor comprising a first Wheatstone bridge adapted to output a first signal indicative of the first pressure, wherein the first pressure is a main pressure; and a second pressure port adapted to communicate a second pressure to a second sensor, the second sensor comprising a second Wheatstone bridge adapted to output a second signal indicative of the second pressure, wherein the second pressure is a reference pressure; and an output port connected to the first Wheatstone bridge and the second Wheatstone bridge for outputting a third signal representative of the difference between the first and second pressures.

Linked bridge pressure transducer assemblies

A dielectrically isolated temperature compensated pressure transducer including: a wafer including a deflectable diaphragm formed therein, the diaphragm being capable of deflecting in response to an applied pressure, and the diaphragm defining an active region surrounded by an inactive region of the wafer; a plurality of dielectrically isolated piezoresistive elements formed on the active region of the wafer and coupled together to form a Wheatstone bridge configuration so as to cooperatively provide an output signal in response to and indicative of an amount of deflection of the diaphragm, the plurality of piezoresistive elements being undesirably operative to introduce an undesirable error into the output according to exposure of the wafer to an environmental condition; and, a dielectrically isolated resistor formed on the inactive region of the wafer and electrically coupled in series to the plurality of piezoresistive elements so as to at least partially compensate for the undesirable error.

Pressure transducer employing on-chip resistor compensation

A pressure transducer including: a silicon substrate including: a first surface adapted for receiving a pressure applied thereto, an oppositely disposed second surface, and a flexing portion adapted to deflect when pressure is applied to the first surface; at least a first sensor formed on the second surface and adjacent to a center of the flexing portion, and adapted to measure the pressure applied to the first surface; at least a second gauge sensor formed on the second surface and adjacent to a periphery of the flexing portion, and adapted to measure the pressure applied to the first surface; a glass substrate secured to the second surface of the silicon wafer.

High pressure piezoresistive transducer suitable for use in hostile environments and method for making the same

High pressure piezoresistive transducer suitable for use in hostile environments

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device comprising fabricating a sacrificial wafer having a substrate wafer which includes a diffused layer and one or two epi layers. The sacrificial wafer is fusion bonded to a separately fabricated carrier/handle wafer having a layer of oxide on its surface, to form a composite wafer. Selective regions of the composite wafer are anodized and oxidized to form a plurality of wells separated from each other by a dielectric insulating layer. Next, N- epi regions above P+ epi regions are removed or alternatively, P+ diffused layers are removed from above an N- epi layer in selected regions. Finally, P- or N- single crystal silicon is grown back to the removed regions, depending on how the regions were removed. If N- single crystal is grown back to the removed regions, a high temperature drive-in is employed to finish the processing. The final structure contains N and P regions which are dielectrically isolated from each other and from the substrate. The isolated well structure can now be used to house circuit elements such as resistors, diodes, transistors, scrs, etc., individually or multiply as desired.

Dielectrically isolated well structures

A method of fabricating a high pressure piezoresistive pressure transducer having a substantially linear pressure versus stress output over its full range of operation. The method involves bonding a carrier wafer having a dielectric isolating layer on one surface and a supporting member on the opposite surface, to a pattern wafer containing at least two single crystalline longitudinal piezoresistive sensing elements of a second conductivity. Both the pattern wafer and sections of the carrier wafer are etched leaving the piezoresistive sensing elements bonded directly to the dielectric isolating layer, and a diaphragm member having a deflecting portion and a non-deflecting portion. The diaphragm member is constructed to have an aspect ratio which is of the order of magnitude of one. The piezoresistive sensing elements have a large transverse piezoresistive coefficient normal to the plane of the diaphragm and both a large longitudinal piezoresistive coefficient and a small transverse piezoresistive coefficient in the plane of the diaphragm. One of the at least two piezoresistive sensing elements is positioned above the non-deflection portion of the diaphragm in an area of minimal longitudinal stress and the other is positioned above the deflecting portion of the diaphragm in an area of high compressive stress. The positioning of the second sensor over the deflecting portion of the diaphragm is selected so that there will be equal and opposite resistance changes registered from the sensors. The method results in an improved transducer design when compared to prior art devices.

Method for fabricating a high pressure piezoresistive transducer

High pressure piezoresistive transducer

A metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) device comprising a carrier wafer and a silicon gate region disposed on the carrier wafer. A source region and a drain region made from 3C-silicon carbide are disposed on the carrier wafer above the gate region. A gate oxide, derived from silicon, separates the source and drain regions from the gate region. Laterally oriented oxide trenches separate and dielectrically isolate the MOSFET device from other devices on the carrier wafer. Further, the MOSFET device described above is manufactured in a method comprising the steps of providing a carrier wafer having an oxide layer formed on a surface thereof. A layer of silicon having a given level of conductivity is bonded to the oxide layer of the carrier wafer. Selected portions of the layer of silicon are oxidized to create a plurality of dielectrically isolated silicon islands, one of which forms a gate region. A layer of silicon dioxide is then formed over the dielectrically isolated islands of silicon. Two layers of silicon carbide are then bonded to the layer of silicon dioxide. A source region and a drain region are each formed from the layers of silicon carbide. Selected portions of one of the two layers of silicon carbide are oxidized to dielectrically isolate the source region and the drain region from other semiconductor devices located on the carrier wafer.

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Chestnut Ridge, NY, United States of America

Andrew V Bemis