United Technologies Corporation

Robert A Wagner

Peter K Cheo

Donald E Cullen

James L Swindal

Meyer Gilden

Gary K Montress

Arthur G Foyt

Paul L Provenzano

A silicon capacitive pressure sensor is disclosed having a silicon diaphragm and a silicon substrate arranged in parallel and separated by a glass dielectric spacer. The glass is deposited onto a surface of the substrate using an ion milling machine. The sensor further includes a transition piece attached to a second layer of glass insulator disposed between the silicon diaphragm and the transition piece. The transition piece has a throughbore formed therein for applying a fluid to a surface of the silicon diaphragm, the fluid having a pressure desired to be measured by the sensor. The glass disposed between the diaphragm and the transition piece is deposited onto the transition piece using the ion milling process.

Silicon capacitive pressure sensor having a glass dielectric deposited

A broadband infrared microwave modulator is fabricated with a thin film electro-optic waveguide mounted to a metal base substrate having a dielectric wafer buried therein to allow high power operation of the modulator.

Buried microstrip network processing

An array of optical fibers is precisely positioned in channels in a head when liquid metal, such as tin-lead solder, is used. This is compared to irregular locating which is obtained with organic resins. A glass fiber is first ion plated with about 1.times.10.sup.-6 m of a metal such as nickel which is wetted by the solder. The fiber is placed loosely in a channel in a metal holder and solder is infiltrated. In an embodiment, strain on the glass fiber where it exits its holder channel is alleviated when the polymer jacket is also ion plated with metal and soldered to the holder.

Optical fiber position sensor

A strain isolation technique for a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device having a piezoelectric SAW substrate is disclosed. A cut in the surface of the piezoelectric SAW substrate forms an isolated surface region where active SAW signal propagation occurs. The cut prevents undesirable surface strains from affecting SAW signal propagation in the isolated region.

Strain relief technique for surface acoustic wave devices

An improved SAW pressure sensor structure includes a dual substrate sensor having a SAW substrate with a SAW delay line disposed in an active signal region on a first one of two parallel major surfaces thereof, and having a centrally apertured base substrate of the same material bonded at a mating surface thereof to the second one of the SAW substrate major surfaces with a glass seal, the dual substrates being bonded in crystallographic orientation, the central aperture having segmented portions to provide a major diameter opening at the mating surface coextensive with the active signal region to form a diaphragm and having a minor diameter opening at a second surface of the base substrate at a value less than one half that of the major diameter, the base substrate further including an O-ring groove adapted to receive one end of a cylindrical metal sleeve in a vacuum sealing relationship, the metal sleeve having a diameter equal to one half that of the aperture major diameter, the sleeve being bonded at another end to an orifice formed in one wall of a vacuum sealing enclosure adapted to receive the SAW sensor to provide a fluid conduit for external pressure signals between the orifice and the diaphragm formed in the SAW sensor.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) pressure sensor structure

A surface acoustic wave (SAW) device having a substrate of desired material is vacuum encapsulated in a structure fabricated from the same material as that comprising the substrate.

Vacuum encapsulation for surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices

A plurality of different monolithic, three-dimensional thin-film infared waveguide structures having high optical power handling capability, low optical propagating loss, long propagation and interaction length and distortion-free characteristics are fabricated through high precision mechanical, chemo-mechanical, and ion-beam thinning of a bulk crystal wafer.

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Manchester, CT, United States of America

Robert A Wagner