A cantilevered microbeam temperature sensor is free from the residual or induced stress characteristic of standard bridge-type strain gauges. The microbeam is supported at one end, and the other is free to oscillate relative to the substrate and is isolated from changes in strain caused from flexure of a diaphragm. The beam's natural resonant frequency varies in response totemperature changes. This occurs due to changes in the density and modulus of
elasticity of the polysilicon microbeam in the same manner as the resonant beam of a typical strain gauge. The sensor can be placed adjacent to a strain gauge to ensure accurate temperature compensation.
Pyroelectric infrared detector arrays integrated on micromachined silicon substrates use technology based on sputtered self-polarized lead-zirconate-titanate thin-films. The feasibility of sensor arrays up to 16 x 16 pixels has been proven. Applied for passive infrared presence detectors, these sensor arrays enable detector systems with high spatial resolution. The process technology covers complete fabrication of pyroelectric layer stacks on 6 in. silicon substrates. It can produce integrated sensor arrays with at least 50 x 50 pixels at moderate cost for low-resolution IR-camera systems.
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