Yamatake Corporation

Azbil Corporation

Masayuki Yoneda

Tomohisa Tokuda

Hirofumi Tojo

Nozomi Kida

Ayumi Tsushima

Takeshi Fukiura

Yuki Seto

Yoshiyuki Ishikura

Youichi Azuma

Yasuhiro Goshoo

Nobuaki Honda

Rina Ogasawara

Yasuhiro Kajio

Masaya Ishikawa

Shoji Nagasaki

Hirofumi Toujou

Jun Mizoguchi

Naohisa Tsuchiya

A sensor element includes a sensor chip and a diaphragm base joined to a surface of the sensor chip. The sensor chip includes a first diaphragm for measuring differential pressure between a first pressure and a second pressure and a second diaphragm for measuring absolute pressure or gage pressure of the second pressure. The diaphragm base includes a third diaphragm to directly receive a fluid that is a measurement target and has the first pressure, and a fourth diaphragm to directly receive a fluid that is a measurement target and having the second pressure. The sensor element has a liquid amount adjustment chamber to make an amount of a first pressure transmission medium filled in a first pressure introduction path and an amount of a second pressure transmission medium filled in a second pressure introduction path to be equal to each other.

Sensor device with multiple simultaneous pressure measurements

A sensor chip of a sensor element includes a diaphragm for measuring a differential pressure between a first pressure and a second pressure, a diaphragm for measuring an absolute pressure or a gauge pressure of the second pressure, a first pressure introduction path that transmits the first pressure to the diaphragm for measuring a differential pressure, and a second pressure introduction path that transmits the second pressure to the diaphragms. When the transmission of the first pressure or the second pressure to the diaphragms is indicated by an equivalent circuit, a path for transmitting the first pressure and a path for transmitting the second pressure are symmetrically formed.

Pressure sensor element for measuring differential pressure and a diaphragm base having a set of diaphragms displaced by receiving pressures where a set of pressure inlet passages respectively transmit different pressures to the set of diaphragms

A piezoresistive sensor includes a piezoresistive region to which first conductivity type impurity has been introduced, the piezoresistive region being formed in a semiconductor layer; a protection region to which second conductivity type impurity has been introduced, the protection region covering a top of a region in which the piezoresistive region is formed, the protection region being formed in the semiconductor layer; and contact regions to which the first conductivity type impurities have been introduced, the contact regions being connected to the piezoresistive region, the contact regions being formed so as to reach a surface of the semiconductor layer except a region in which the protection region is formed, in which the following inequality holds: impurity concentration of the piezoresistive region&#x3c;impurity concentration of the protection region&#x3c;impurity concentrations of the contact regions.

Piezoresistive sensor

A pressure sensor according to the present invention includes a diaphragm () including a first principal surface (A) and a second principal surface (B) that is opposite thereto, the first principal surface receiving a pressure of a fluid; a semiconductor chip () provided with resistors that constitute a strain gauge; and at least three support members () made of an insulating material, each support member being fixed to the second principal surface at one end thereof and to the semiconductor chip at the other end thereof and extending perpendicularly to the second principal surface so as to support the semiconductor chip. One of the support members () is provided at a center () of the diaphragm in plan view. At least two of the other support members () are provided at positions point-symmetrical about the center of the diaphragm in plan view in a region in which the diaphragm is deformed when a pressure greater than a pressure applied to the second principal surface is applied to the first principal surface.

Pressure sensor

A pressure sensor according to the present invention comprises: a differential pressure diaphragm; a static pressure diaphragm, which is provided to an outer perimeter part of the differential pressure diaphragm; a first static pressure gauge pair that is formed in the end part of the static pressure diaphragm and comprises two static pressure gauges, which are disposed such that they sandwich the differential pressure diaphragm; and a second static pressure gauge pair that is formed in the center part of the static pressure diaphragm and comprises two static pressure gauges which are disposed such that they sandwich the differential pressure diaphragm.

A pressure sensor according to the present invention comprises: a differential pressure diaphragm, which is provided to a center part of a sensor chip; a differential pressure gauge, which is provided to a perimeter edge part of the differential pressure diaphragm and is formed in radial directions; a differential pressure gauge, which is disposed at a position at which it opposes the differential pressure gauge and, together with the first differential pressure gauge, sandwiches the differential pressure diaphragm and is formed in perimeter directions, which are perpendicular to the radial directions; a differential pressure gauge, which is provided in the vicinity of the differential pressure gauge and is provided in the perimeter directions; a differential pressure gauge, which is disposed at a position at which it opposes the differential pressure gauge and, together with the differential pressure gauge, sandwiches the differential pressure diaphragm and is formed in the radial directions; a static pressure diaphragm, which is disposed at a position that lies in the perimeter directions between the differential pressure gauge and the differential pressure gauge; and a static pressure diaphragm, which is disposed at a position at which it opposes the static pressure diaphragm and, together with the static pressure diaphragm, sandwiches the differential pressure diaphragm.

A diaphragm is formed at a predetermined location of a sensor chip made of semiconductor material, and a sensor gauge for differential pressure or pressure sensing-use is provided on the sensor chip that includes at least the diaphragm. The sensor gauge has a plurality of sensor gauges synergistically forming a bridge circuit, and are connected to one another with semiconductor resistors, the semiconductor resistors and the sensor gauges are covered with an insulating film, and the number of contact holes, passing through a portion of the insulating film, for electrode line-out use for forming contacts electrically connected to the semiconductor resistors does not exceed the number of sensor gauges.

In a pressure sensor comprising a diaphragm formed on a portion of a chip made of semiconductor material and that senses pressure on the diaphragm by electrically converting the displacement corresponding to that pressure, the provision of the diaphragm with an aspect ratio of at least a size such that the derivative of the characteristic curve of the allowable pressure resistance of the pressure sensor, defined by setting the aspect ratio obtained by dividing the length of one side of the diaphragm by the thickness of the diaphragm as the horizontal axis and by setting the allowable pressure resistance of the pressure sensor as the vertical axis, becomes nearly zero, enables a pressure sensor having high sensitivity and high pressure resistance.

The pressure sensor device has a laminated diaphragm () in which a strain resistance gauge is formed in a surface and a stopper member () including a concave portion forming a curved surface parallel to a surface formed by displacement of the diaphragm, the concave portion being disposed to face the diaphragm. Specifically, the concave portion of the stopper member is formed into a curved surface in which depth y at a distance x from the center of the diaphragm is expressed by a quartic function [y=pr(1&#x2212;x/r)/64D] in relation to the operating pressure for protection against maximum pressure p when the diaphragm has a radius of r, a thickness of t, and a flexural rigidity of D.

Pressure sensor device including a diaphragm and a stopper member having a curved surface facing the diaphragm

A semiconductor pressure sensor is presented. The pressure sensor includes a silicon substrate with a diaphragm that produces a distortion depending on the pressure. Strain gauges are provided on the main surface side of the silicon substrate with the diaphragm and are formed by conductive diffusion resistors different from the substrate. A getter is provided on the main surface side of the silicon substrate including the periphery of the strain gauges adjacent to the strain gauges. The getter includes the PN-junction area to which reverse bias is impressed so that the metal impurities of at least an Fe atom that are contained in the silicon substrate may be captured.

Semiconductor pressure sensor with strain gauges formed on a silicon diaphragm

That portion of an n-type single-crystal Si layer which corresponds to a pressure-sensitive region is etched to an SiO layer by using the SiO layer as an etching stopper layer. The SiO layer exposed by this etching is removed. The pressure-sensitive region of the n-type single-crystal Si layer is etched by a predetermined amount to form a diaphragm . Thus, the SiO layer is removed from the diaphragm and a diaphragm edge portion

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Tokyo, Japan

Masayuki Yoneda