Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Denso Corporation

Kazuhisa Ikeda

Hiroshi Okada

Tsuyoshi Fukada

Yasutoshi Suzuki

Minekazu Sakai

Hiroshi Tanaka

Yukihiko Tanizawa

Motoki Ito

Michitaka Hayashi

Yoshitsugu Abe

Koki Mizuno

Kazuhiko Koga

Mitsuhiro Saitou

Yukihiro Kato

Takahisa Koyasu

Hiroshi Nomura

Osamu Ina

Minoru Tokuhara

Makoto Hatanaka

Hirokazu Kasuya

Kouji Numazaki

Hironobu Baba

An integrated sensor device includes first and second housings combined together and is attached to a wall of a conduit via a joint portion thereof. Specifically, the first housing has the joint portion and a pressure conducting hole and holds a temperature measuring unit therein for detecting a temperature of a medium flowing in the conduit. The second housing holds a pressure measuring unit therein for measuring a pressure of the medium which has been conducted through the pressure conducting hole. Accordingly, several measuring units (sensors) can be attached to one portion of the conduit, so that the attachment process is simplified.

Integrated sensor device

An etching method for a silicon substrate, which can easily smooth the etching surface of the (110)-oriented silicon, is disclosed. A container is filled with KOH solution. In the KOH solution is immersed a (110)-oriented silicon wafer having a PN junction and is also disposed a platinum electrode plate to face the silicon wafer. To between a platinum electrode of the silicon wafer and the platinum electrode plate are connected a constant voltage power source, an ammeter and a contact in series. A controller starts etching from one surface on which the PN junction is formed, and terminates voltage application when the specified time lapses after the formation of an anodic oxide film is equilibrated with the etching of the anodic oxide film on the etching surface on the PN junction part. In this case, the controller detects flowing current through the ammeter, and the point of time when the equilibrium state is obtained is the point of inflection of the detected current to the constant current after the peak thereof.

Electrochemical etching method for silicon substrate having PN junction

Etching method for silicon substrates and semiconductor sensor

A sensor apparatus is capable of removing RF noise. The sensor apparatus is comprised of a first power supply line connected to a power supply terminal; a second power supply line separately branched from the first power supply line and connected thereto; an output line; and a sensor circuit unit connected to the first power supply line so as to receive power therefrom, and for detecting a condition of an article under measurement to output a detection signal to the output line. In this sensor apparatus, the sensor circuit unit includes an operational amplifier operated by accepting the power supplied from the second power supply line, which performs the detection operation; a first filter circuit is connected to the first power supply line defined from a branch point between the first power supply line and the second power supply line to the first power supply line; a second filter circuit is connected to the second power supply line; and a third filter circuit is connected to the output line.

Sensor apparatus capable of preventing high frequency noise

At least four electrodes are provided on the same surface of a discrete transistor. Among these electrodes, one electrode is set as a base electrode, an electrode neighboring the base electrode in the up-and-down direction is set as an emitter electrode and an electrode neighboring the base electrode in the right-and-left direction is set as a collector electrode. On the same surface, a base electrode is provided at a position which is neither in the up-and-down direction nor in the right-and-left direction with respect to the base electrode. When the discrete transistor having this type of electrode arrangement is mounted on a substrate, one of the base electrodes formed on the substrate is connected to a first wiring, the collector electrode is connected to a second wiring, and the emitter electrode is connected to a third wiring.

Constitution of an electrode arrangement in a semiconductor element

A pressure-adjusting device for adjusting an output of an integrated pressure sensor in which a silicon wafer is joined onto a seat that has pressure-adjusting passages formed therein, and which has formed in the silicon wafer a signal processing circuit with an adjusting resistor for each chip, a thin diaphragm for each chip and a piezo-resistance layer for each chip. The pressure-adjusting device includes a pressure-setting stage on which the seat is placed, the pressure setting stage having pressure-adjusting passages formed therein to adjust a pressure exerted on the respective thin diaphragm via the pressure-adjusting passages formed in the seat. A holding member is arranged on the pressure-setting stage as to surround at least an outer periphery of the seat. A first elastic air-tight member is arranged on the pressure-setting stage as to surround the outer periphery of the seat and be held compressed by the pressure-setting stage and by the holding member. A second elastic air-tight member is arranged to surround the outer periphery on an upper surface of said silicon wafer or to surround the outer periphery of either the seat or the silicon wafer, and be held compressed by the seat or by the silicon wafer and the holding member.

Pressure-adjusting device for adjusting output of integrated pressure

A method of fabricating an integrated pressure sensor, which is capable of decreasing adverse effects caused by the distortion occurring at the time when a silicon wafer and a seat are joined together. On a silicon wafer 1 are formed a thin diaphragm 2 for each of the chips, a piezo-resitance layer for each of the chips, and a signal processing circuit with an adjusting resistor for each of the chips. The silicon wafer 1 is joined onto a glass seat 6 that has pressure-adjusting passges 7 formed therein to adjust the pressure exerted on the diaphragms 2 of the silicon wafer 1. Half-dicing is effected that reaches a predetermined depth of the glass seat 6 penetrating through the silicon wafer 1 for each of the chips, and resistance of the adjusting resistor is adjusted for each of the chips while adjusting the pressure applied to the diaphragms 2 via pressure-adjusting passages 7 in the seat in a step of adjusting the pressure sensitivity by trimming the wafer and by applying a negative pressure. Finally, the silicon wafer 1 and the glass seat 6 are cut by full-dicing for each of the chips.

Method of fabricating an integrated pressure sensor

A pressure sensor has a housing (1). The housing accommodates a pressure sensing element (2) and a wiring board (3). The wiring board incorporates a lead irame (14). The lead frame connects output terminals (21) of the sensing element with ends of connector pins (12). A pressure guide (4) has a pressure path (41) and a flange (44). The flange is inserted in an opening of the housing with the pressure path being airtightly connected to a pressure intake (22) extending from the sensing element and with an end face (4a) of the flange being spaced apart from the wiring board. Potting material (5) coats the sensing element, the wiring board, and the flange of the pressure guide in the housing. If the potting material peels off the flange, water may penetrate the peeled part and reach the end face of the flange. The water, however, never reaches the wiring board because the end face of the flange is spaced apart from the wiring board. Accordingly, the lead frame in the wiring board is free from water and no migration is caused.

Pressure sensor having a sealed water-resistant construction

A semiconductor pressure sensor comprises a silicon substrate having a surface orientation of substantially (110), a diaphragm formed from the substrate, strain gauges disposed on the diaphragm, and a base joined with the substrate. The diaphragm has an octagonal shape whose sides are orthogonal to axis&lt;100&gt;, &lt;110&gt;, and&lt;111&gt;, respectively. This sensor causes substantially no output error and no fluctuation between output characteristics of the strain gauges irrespective of a change in temperature.

Semiconductor pressure sensor

The semiconductor pressure sensor embodying the present invention comprises a housing. A sensor board is located in this housing. A pressure-sensing chip, which is formed of a semiconductor and capable of measuring the pressure of a pressure medium, is mounted on the sensor board. Another semiconductor chip, which operates in cooperation with the pressure-sensing chip, is also mounted on the sensor board. A shielding member is located in the housing. This shielding member encloses the pressure-sensing chip in such a manner that the pressure-sensing chip is isolated from the semiconductor chip, and defines a storage chamber which is airtight from the other regions in the housing and adapted to store the pressure-sensing chip. The interior of the housing, except for the storage chamber, is filled with filler, so as to protect the semiconductor chip.

Growing community of inventors

Chiryu, Japan

Kazuhisa Ikeda