Technology and manufacture / Pressure sensors manufacture

Pressure sensors manufacture

Fig. 1 – Pressure sensors — **Fig. 1** – Pressure sensors

Microtensor is a designer and manufacturer of microelectronic pressure and force sensors and microelectronic pressure transmitters on the base of “Silicon-on-Sapphire” structures. Production was founded in 1980.

Pressure sensors are intended for continuous proportional conversion of pressure or force into electric signal. The main accuracy parameters are nonlinearity, variation and repeatability of the output signal.

>Fig. 2 – Pressure sensors elements — **Fig. 2** – Pressure sensors elements

Pressure sensors are designed to be applied in pressure transmitters and pressure and force systems in oil and gas industry, mining industry, atomic power engineering, heat metering, industrial automation, hydraulic/pneumatic, pumping stations, compressor, satellite on-board equipment.

Pressure sensor consists of body, collector, сap, strain-element and diaphragm.

Strain-sensitive elements are manufactured in groups by solid-state microelectronic methods and provide high quality and good repeatability of the output parameters.

Fig. 3 - Strain-elements

Microtensor manufactures double-diaphragm, single diaphragm welded pressure sensors and one-piece sensors with single diaphragm (Fig.4).

Double-diaphragm pressure sensorsSpecific feature of this design is using two diaphragms of different diameters to increase sensitivity of pressure sensors.
Double-diaphragm body is applied for pressure sensors with pressure range from 0-0.06 to 0-1 MPa.

Single diaphragm welded pressure sensors Specific feature of this design is laser-beam welding of diaphragm with fitting.
Single diaphragm welded body is used for pressure sensors with pressure range from 0-1.6 to 0-10 MPa.

One-piece pressure sensors with single diaphragm
Specific feature of this design is manufacturing of diaphragm with fitting. One-piece body design allows to produce pressure sensors with pressure range up to 500 MPa.
Body’s material is a titanium alloy with 87 % of titanium.

**1. Double-diaphragm pressure sensors**

**2. Single diaphragm welded pressure sensors**

**3. One-piece pressure sensors with single diaphragm**

Fig. 4 - Body types of pressure sensors

Fig. 5 - Manufacture of bodies and diaphragms

Manufacture of double layer sapphire–titanium diaphragm

Double layer sapphire–titanium diaphragm consists of strain-element with strain gauge Wheatstone bridge and aluminum bonding pads and titanium diaphragm (Fig. 6.1 and 6.2).
Two diaphragms are connected in vacuum at high temperature (Fig.7).