According to an aspect there is provided an apparatus comprising at least one electrode and a movable sensor membrane, wherein the apparatus comprises means for: measuring a voltage or a current; determining an amount of external pressure based on the measured voltage or current; based on the determined amount of external pressure, providing electrostatic feedback force such that the movable sensor membrane is undeflected; and determining a correlation between the electrostatic force feedback and the external pressure.

Improvements in thin film sensors are disclosed. These can be used for aircraft applications. Dielectric isolation washers can be provided between a pressure sensor and an exterior metal housing of a sensor assembly. In this manner, high voltage inputs from a lightning strike or other source that reach the sensor housing are not transmitted to the sensor. Dielectric washers, insulators, and potting compounds can thus isolate a metal thin film pressure sensor from adjacent metal components (e.g., using non-conducting insulating materials like Torlon, zirconia and nylon). Besides their high dielectric strength, these materials exhibit compressive strength and resistance to wear, creep and corrosion. Desirable thicknesses for these components are provided. The described thin film pressure sensor embodiments can attain a dielectric rating of 1500 VAC.

The present invention provides a MEMS pressure sensor and a manufacturing method. The pressure is formed by a top cap wafer, a MEMS wafer and a bottom cap wafer. The MEMS wafer comprises a frame and a membrane, the frame defining a cavity. The membrane is suspended by the frame over the cavity. The bottom cap wafer closes the cavity. The top cap wafer has a recess defining with the membrane a capacitance gap. The top cap wafer comprises a top cap electrode located over the membrane and forming, together with the membrane, a capacitor to detect a deflection of the membrane. Electrical contacts on the top cap wafer are connected to the top cap electrode. A vent extends from outside of the sensor into the cavity or the capacitance gap. The pressure sensor can include two cavities and two capacitance gaps to form a differential pressure sensor.

A pressure sensor includes a diaphragm having a first principal surface and a second principal surface, a semiconductor chip in which resistors constituting a strain gauge are formed, a first structural body having one end coupled to a center of a second principal surface of the diaphragm and the other end coupled to the other surface of the semiconductor chip, and at least two second structural bodies disposed in two straight lines, orthogonal to each other, that pass through the center of the diaphragm in plan view so as to be disposed separately from the first structural body, and having one ends coupled to the second principal surface and the other ends coupled to the other surface of the semiconductor chip, in which the resistors are formed in regions between the first structural body and the second structural bodies in plan view in the semiconductor chip.

To suppress variations in the shift amount of the zero point of a sensor output when a pipe is connected to a pressure sensor via a clamp. A pressure sensor includes two semiconductor chips in two straight lines, orthogonal to each other, that pass through a center of a diaphragm in plan view, two resistors in the region between two supporting members supporting one semiconductor chip, and two other resistors in the region between two other supporting members supporting the other semiconductor chip.

A pressure sensor system with at least two absolute pressure sensors can have an external sensor with a pressure sensitive surface in contact with atmospheric pressure (proximal) and internal sensors each with a pressure sensitive surface in contact with one or more regions at an unknown pressure (distal). The unknown pressure is determined by a means to calculate the difference between the first sensor and the internal sensors.

In micromechanical pressure sensor device and a corresponding production method, the micromechanical pressure sensor device is provided with a first diaphragm; an adjacent first cavity; a first deformation detection device situated in and/or on the first diaphragm for detecting a deformation of the first diaphragm as a consequence of an applied external pressure change and as a consequence of an internal mechanical deformation of the pressure sensor device; a second diaphragm; an adjacent second cavity; and a second deformation detection device situated in and/or on the second diaphragm for detecting a deformation of the second diaphragm as a consequence of the internal mechanical deformation of the pressure sensor device, where the second diaphragm is developed in such a way that it is not deformable as a consequence of the external pressure change.

A relative-pressure sensor determines the pressure of a medium in relation to an atmospheric pressure. The sensor includes a housing having a measuring element located in the housing, wherein the pressure to be measured acts upon an outer surface of the measuring element. The surface is in contact with the medium. The sensor also includes a reference-pressure supply, which supplies an inner surface of the measuring element with atmospheric pressure in the form of ambient air, and an evaluation unit, which determines the pressure of the medium from a variable determined using the measuring element. A drying chamber takes-up atmospheric humidity from the ambient air that is supplied via the reference-pressure supply. The drying chamber has a drying module comprising a container and a humidity-adsorbing material that is completely surrounded by the container.

A differential MEMS pressure sensor includes a topping wafer with a top side and a bottom side, a diaphragm wafer having a top side connected to the bottom side of the topping wafer and a bottom side, and a backing wafer having a top side connected to the bottom side of the diaphragm wafer and a bottom side. The topping wafer includes a first cavity formed in the bottom side of the topping wafer. The diaphragm wafer includes a diaphragm, a second cavity formed in the bottom side of the diaphragm wafer underneath the diaphragm, an outer portion surrounding the diaphragm, and a trench formed in the top side of the diaphragm wafer and positioned in the outer portion surrounding the diaphragm.

An oil-fill pressure transducer including a flexible member configured to protect an isolation diaphragm and sensing element. The pressure transducer includes a sensing element mounted to the header, an isolation diaphragm mounted on the front side of the header, and adjacent to the sensing element such that an oil-fill cavity is defined between the sensing element and the isolation diaphragm. The flexible member is disposed adjacent to the isolation diaphragm and a retention member is disposed adjacent to the flexible member. A cavity in communication with the retention member is configured to transmit pressure media to the isolation diaphragm via the flexible member. The flexible member can include thru-holes. The flexible member may compress under an applied positive pressure change. The flexible member may temporarily separate from at least a portion of the isolation diaphragm under an applied negative pressure change.