New MEMS barometric sensor can improve everyday micro devices

[ Instrument Network Instrument R & D ] According to foreign media reports, a team of mechanical engineers at Binghamton University and the State University of New York is studying a revolutionary miniature switch, and the study of this technology has found another application. After finding a new type of MEMS (microelectromechanical system) that could be better controlled, researchers used this knowledge to build pressure sensors that could improve many everyday devices.

Tofigian

Shahzad Sheri Tofijian, Associate Professor and Chief Researcher, Mechanical Engineering, Thomas Watson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Binghamton University: "This has the same mechanism as the device we designed in the past, but its application It's different. The core of the sensor still consists of four electrodes, while traditional sensors have two electrodes, which allows us to better adjust the properties of the system. "

The research was funded by a National Science Foundation grant of $ 480,958. Mark Pallay, a doctoral student at Binghamton University, conducted under the guidance of Tofigion and her co-chief researcher, Ronald N. Miles, a well-known professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering A lot of research. After graduating, Pale began working at Seagate Technology as a R & D engineer.

The advantage of this MEMS is its independent design. This MEMS is a miniature device with movable parts, which is manufactured in the same way as electronic products. Analyze readings without a computer, making response times faster and more reliable.

"It not only senses pressure, but also triggers the switch. Usually, sensors need to sense the pressure, process it through software to determine if the right conditions are met, and then trigger the switch. It's a compact Pressure sensors and switches, so by sending a voltage to one of the electrodes, you can make it work at different pressures. "

Like all MEMS switches that the Binghamton team has designed so far, this new product can be used for a variety of purposes, such as measuring atmospheric pressure, monitoring oxygen in premature babies in hospitals, or detecting tire pressure in vehicles.

"Sometimes it's important to detect pressure thresholds, for example, when you're on an airplane, and if the air pressure drops below a certain amount, you want the gas mask to fall off. It's easy to set the bias to trigger automatically," says Tofigean.

She added that a four-electrode approach to building a switch also means longer life: "Current devices often have a problem with two electrodes, which have a limited life, but having two other electrodes makes We can make it more durable and extend the life of our equipment. "