Abstract: There is described herein a flow sensing device having offset compensation and an offset compensation method, the flow sensing device having two separate and independent thermal flow sensors, each containing a heater and at least one temperature-sensitive element. The components of the two thermal flow sensors are connected such that flow-dependent contributions of each sensor into a common output signal have opposite signs after passing through a subtracting node. Heating pulses are applied to the heaters of the two thermal flow sensors out of phase, and an output signal is measured for each heat pulse applied. A net output signal is then determined by calculating a difference between a last output reading and at least one previous output reading.

Abstract: A method for determining an unknown input measurand Punk of a sensor having a linear response at small input measurand levels and a non-linear response at large input measurand levels.

Abstract: There is described a method for creating a thermally-isolated microstructure on a slab of mono-crystalline silicon which uses a hybrid dry-then-wet etch technique that when controlled, can produce microstructures without any silicon adhering underneath, microstructures having small masses of silicon adhering underneath, and microstructures that are still attached to the slab of mono-crystalline silicon via a waisted silicon body. When creating the microstructures with a waisted silicon body, the thermal isolation of the microstructure can be designed by controlling the depth of the etching and the size of the waist.

Abstract: There is described a passive heater-and-diode multiplexing network for selective addressing of thermally-coupled and electrically-disconnected fuses within a passive device network (resistor/capacitor/inductor) or within an application circuit.

Abstract: There is described a method for stabilizing a post-trimming resistance of a thermally isolated electrical component made from a thermally mutable material, the method comprising: generating at least one heating pulse, the at least one heating pulse having an initial amplitude corresponding to a trimming temperature, a slope corresponding to a given cooling rate and a duration corresponding to a given cooling time; and applying the at least one heating pulse to one of the thermally isolated electrical component and a heating device in heat transfer communication with the thermally isolated electrical component, after a trimming process, in order to cause the electrical component to cool in accordance with the given cooling rate, the given cooling rate being slower than a passive cooling rate determined by the thermal isolation of the electrical component.

Abstract: There is described a flow sensing device having a semiconductor chip with a flow channel integrated therein and a sensing element positioned in the flow channel, and a package base attached to the semiconductor chip and allowing access to the two passage-openings of the flow channel from opposite sides of the package base.

Abstract: There is described herein a flow sensing device having offset compensation and an offset compensation method, the flow sensing device having two separate and independent thermal flow sensors, each containing a heater and at least one temperature-sensitive element. The components of the two thermal flow sensors are connected such that flow-dependent contributions of each sensor into a common output signal have opposite signs after passing through a subtracting node. Heating pulses are applied to the heaters of the two thermal flow sensors out of phase, and an output signal is measured for each heat pulse applied. A net output signal is then determined by calculating a difference between a last output reading and at least one previous output reading.

Abstract: A method for post-thermal-trimming annealing a thermally-trimmable resistor thermally-isolated on a substrate, the method comprising: trimming said thermally-trimmable resistor by applying a first power-measured signal to a heating resistor; and applying a second power-measured signal corresponding to a desired average annealing temperature to said heating resistor, wherein said second power-measured signal has a lower power level than said first power-measured signal.

Abstract: A method for arranging a plurality of thermally isolated microstructures over at least one cavity, each of the microstructures housing at least part of a thermally-trimmable resistor, the thermally-trimmable resistor having at least a functional resistor, the method comprising: providing pairs of facing microstructures; grouping together sets of pairs of facing microstructures, each of the sets having at least one pair of facing microstructures; and arranging microstructures within a given set to have each microstructure exposed to heat from a same number of facing, side, and diagonal neighbors of microstructures from a same resistor.

Abstract: There is described a method to change the value of a thermally-trimmable resistor in a non-permanent way by raising the temperature of the thermally-trimmable resistor to a level that is somewhere between room temperature and trimming temperature. By doing this, the trimming range that is available via true thermal trimming may be explored without actually trimming the value of the resistor. This is possible when the thermally-trimmable resistor, or a portion thereof, has an essentially non-zero temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR).