Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company

Gary A Hallock

Mark A Meier

Devices for sensing gradients are constructed from material whose properties change in response to gradients. One embodiment of the device is a transducer () for sensing gradients that includes the material () and two or more electrodes () coupled to the material. In one embodiment, gradients in a surrounding medium () modify the energy gap of the material in the transducer () producing a diffusion current density (). The material is configured to connect to a current or voltage measurement device () where a measurement is used to determine the gradient in the medium (). The devices can be used to measure pressure, temperature, and/or other properties. The transducer can be built on the same substrate as complementary circuitry. A transducer made of Indium. Antimonide is used in marine seismology to measure pressure gradients.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Gary A Hallock