Infineon Technologies Ag

Stiftung Caesar Center of Advanced European Studies and Research

Stifting Caesar

Markus Löhndorf

Joachim Wecker

Manfred Rührig

Alfred Ludwig

Horst Theuss

Terje Kvisteroey

Eckhardt Quandt

Bjoern Blixhavn

Eckhard Quandt

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a variable capacitor that operates without moving mechanical parts. In this capacitor electrically conductive electrodes are separated by an enclosed chamber filled with an electrically conductive material. The electrically conductive material can freely vary its position within the chamber. The capacitance of the device will vary as position of the conductive material changes due to external mechanical motion (ex: rotation vibration, etc.) of the device. Other embodiments of this device are also disclosed.

Fluidic based variable capacitor for use in a fluidic electrostatic energy harvester

A sensor for measuring mechanical changes in length, in particular a compressive and/or tensile stress sensor, includes a sandwich system with two flat and superposed electrodes separated from each other by a tunnel element (tunnel barrier), in particular an oxide barrier, a current being set up between the electrodes and through the tunnel barrier, one electrode consisting of a magnetostrictive layerwhich responds to elongation, and wherein the contributions of the anisotropies caused by mechanical tension are larger than those from the intrinsic anisotropies, relative changes in system resistance &#x394;R/R larger than 10% at room temperature being attained during elongation.

TMR sensor

A sensor device having a magnetostrictive force sensor is provided. To detect a force, the sensor device contains a TMR force sensor element having a magnetic detection layer of material having a magnetostriction coefficient &#x3bb;&#x2267;|5&#xb7;10|, a magnetically harder reference layer, and a tunnel barrier disposed between these layers. Established in the detection layer is a starting magnetization that relative to the magnetization of the reference layer, which is directed in the direction of force, forms an angle of other than 0&#xb0; and thus is rotated out of its starting position under the effect of the force.

Sensor device having a magnetostrictive force sensor

Growing community of inventors

Bonn, Germany

Markus Löhndorf