Inficon Gmbh

Inficon Ag

Unaxis-Balzers Aktiengesellschaft

Oc Oerlikon Balzers Ag

Felix Mullis

Martin Wüest

Jarkko Antila

Dietmar Bertsch

Peter Waegli

The invention relates to a method and to a measurement cell assembly for determining a pressure in a pressure cell () are given, wherein the method consists in that a measurement signal (x) is determined, which is at least proportional to a measured pressure in the pressure cell (), and in that the measurement signal (x) is filtered by means of a first filter unit () having a low-pass characteristic in order to produce an output signal (y), wherein the low-pass characteristics of the first filter unit () is defined by means of a first damping factor (α). The method is characterized in that an input difference (x_diff), which results from a difference between the output signal (y) and the measurement signal (x), is filtered by means of a second filter unit () having a low-pass characteristic to determine an output difference, wherein the low-pass characteristic of the second filter unit () is defined by means of a second damping factor (α), and in that the first damping factor (α) of the first filter unit () is determined on the basis of the output difference of the second filter unit ().

Method for determining a pressure in a pressure measurement cell and a measurement cell assembly

Method for determining a pressure in a pressure cell, the method consisting in determining a measuring signal (x) that is at least proportional to a measured pressure in the pressure cell, generating an output signal (y) from the measuring signal (x) using a filter unit () comprising a transfer function by at least reducing, preferably eliminating, a noise signal contained in the measuring signal determining a change over time of the measuring signal (x), and setting the transfer function as a function of the change over time of the measuring signal (x). A measuring cell arrangement is also specified.

Method for processing a measurement signal from a pressure measurement cell, and a measurement cell arrangement

Method for processing a measurement signal (x) from a pressure measurement cell in order to generate an output signal (y) with the aid of a filter unit (), wherein the method involves generating the output signal (y) with the aid of the filter unit () by at least reducing, preferably eliminating, a noise signal contained in the measurement signal (x), continuously determining a difference between the measurement signal (x) and the output signal (y), and changing a characteristic of the filter unit () as soon as the difference becomes greater than a threshold value, wherein the changed characteristic of the filter unit () remains as long as the difference becomes smaller than the threshold value, and wherein the changing of the filter characteristic involves decreasing the reduction in the noise signal present in the measurement signal (x).

Arrangement with capacitive pressure-measuring cell has a diaphragm for measuring vacuum pressure and a printed circuit board acting as a temperature sensor and another electronic component designed as a microchip that contains a digital signal processor with a temperature-to-digital converter and a capacitance-to-digital converter using a time measuring method. The converters determine temperature and capacitance of the cell in comparison to a reference resistor for temperature arranged on the printed circuit board and reference capacitor for capacitance for the pressure to be measured dependent on deformation of the diaphragm. A temperature-corrected pressure signal derived from the two measured signals uses correlation, the measured signals having been determined in advance from a calibration process, and the temperature-corrected pressure signal is provided as a pressure signal at the signal output for further processing. In this manner there is quick pressure measurement with high measuring accuracy.

Method and device for measuring a vacuum pressure using a measuring cell arrangement

For evaluation of a measured parameter with a measuring cell having a cavity which generates for light an optical path length difference changing corresponding to the variation of the measured parameter, the method includes: introducing light from a white light source with the aid of an optical waveguide via a coupler () disposed in the path of the optical waveguide into the cavity, coupling out at least a portion of the light reflected back into the optical waveguide from the cavity with the aid of the coupler and conducting this reflected light to an optical spectrometer, determining the optical spectrum of the reflected light in the spectrometer and generating a spectrometer signal, conducting the spectrometer signal to a computing unit, wherein the spectrometer signal is directly converted through the computing unit to an interferogram and from its intensity progression the location of the particular extremal amplitude value is determined and this particular location represents directly the particular value of the optical path length difference in the cavity, which comprises the measured parameter.

Method for evaluating a measured parameter

A pressure measuring cell has a first housing body and a membrane arranged proximate the housing body, both of ceramic. The membrane has a peripheral edge joined to the first housing body to create a reference pressure chamber. A second housing body made of ceramic material is opposite the membrane and is joined to the peripheral edge of the membrane, the second housing body together with the membrane forming a measurement pressure chamber. The second housing body has a port for connecting the pressure measuring cell to a medium to be measured. The first housing body, the second housing body and the membrane are tightly connected along the peripheral edge of the membrane in a central area of the first housing body a hole is formed, reaching through the first housing body and at least in the central region of the membrane and opposite the hole a surface of the membrane is formed as a first optically reflective area. An optical fiber is arranged and tightly fixed within the hole for feeding light onto the surface of the membrane. The end of the fiber reaches at least the surface of the first housing body and is formed as a second reflective optical area linking the surface so that between the fiber end and the reflection area an optical cavity is present which forms a measuring section for determining the level of deflection of the membrane and which is part of a Fabry-Perot Interferometer.

Optical interferometric pressure sensor

Method for manufacturing a workpiece by a vacuum treatment process includes providing a vacuum treatment system with first second parts in a vacuum chamber. Either a sensor or an adjusting element with first signal connection is mounted on the second part. An electronic unit in the chamber has a reference potential and a second electric signal connection. The first part is connected to a system reference potential. A workpiece goes into the chamber and the method includes operating the second part at a further electric potential different from the system reference potential by at least 12 V. The method includes connecting the first electric signal connection to the second electric signal connection and maintaining the reference connection during operation on the further electric potential by metallically connecting the reference connection to the second part.

Vacuum treatment system and method of manufacturing same

A vacuum treatment system in which a part ( ) is provided inside a vacuum treatment chamber ( ). A potential (&phgr; ) which deviates from the system reference potential (&phgr; ) by approximately at least &plusmn;12 V is applied to said part. A sensor and/or an actuator ( ) is/are arranged on said part. In addition, the invention comprises an electronic unit ( ) which is connected to the sensor and/or actuator. Processing signals on the unit ( ) is considerably simplified in that the electronic unit ( ) is operated as a reference potential on the potential (&phgr; ) of said part ( ).

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Flums, Switzerland

Felix Mullis