Abstract: The present invention provides a dual-probe thermally compensated fluorescence decay rate temperature sensor capable of measuring the true temperature of a sample surface and its associated method of use.

Abstract: A method for optimizing direct wafer bond line width for reduction of parasitic capacitance in a MEMS device by reducing the width of a bond line between a first and a second wafer, exposing the MEMS device to a water vapor for a predetermined time period and at a first temperature capable of evaporating water, cooling the MEMS device at a second temperature capable of freezing the water, and operating the MEMS device at a third temperature capable of freezing the water to determine if there is discontinuity during operation.

Abstract: A single chip wireless sensor (1) comprises a microcontroller (2) connected to a transmit/receive interface (3), which is coupled to a wireless antenna (4) by an L-C matching circuit. The sensor (1) senses gas or humidity and temperature. The device (1) is an integrated chip manufactured in a single process in which both the electronics and sensor components are manufactured using standard CMOS processing techniques, applied to achieve both electronic and sensing components in an integrated process. A Low-K material (57) with an organic polymer component is spun onto the wafer to form a top layer incorporating also sensing electrodes (60). This material is cured at 300° C., which is much lower than CVD temperatures. The polyimide when cured becomes thermoset, and the lower mass-to-volume ratio resulting in K, its dielectric constant, reducing to 2.9. The thermoset dielectric, while not regarded as porous in the conventional sense, has sufficient free space volume to admit enough gas or humidity for sensing.

Abstract: The publication discloses a method for determining a temperature of a substrate, comprising: providing a gas channel that is confined by at least one wall having a certain wall temperature; providing a substrate in said gas channel, proximate to the at least one wall, such that a gap exists between a surface of the substrate and the at least one wall; providing a gas flow with a certain mass flow rate through said gas channel, which gas flow extends at least partially through said gap; determining a pressure drop in the gas flow along the gas channel; and deriving from said pressure drop the temperature of said substrate using a pre-determined relation between the pressure drop along the gas channel, the wall temperature and the temperature of the substrate, at said mass flow rate. Also disclosed is a device for implementing the disclosed method.

Abstract: A thermometric apparatus for determining a patient's temperature having a elongated sensing probe that is connected to a base housing. The insertion tip of the probe contains a outer shell and a spaced apart inner shell. The outer surface of the inner shell has a heater that is fabricated of a resistive thick film material and a heat sensor mounted thereon. The heater and the heat sensor are connected to a pair of thick film conductive traces which in turn are electrically attached by a flexible circuit board to leads running back to the base housing. The space between the two shells is filled by a thermally conductive epoxy.

Abstract: A temperature sensor circuit whose output voltage has high precision is provided. The temperature sensor circuit includes a Darlington circuit having bipolar transistors, a constant current circuit, and a current control circuit. Emitter currents of the bipolar transistors are made equal to one another by the constant current circuit. Base currents corresponding to the emitter currents of the respective bipolar transistors are sunk by the current control circuit.

Abstract: Temperature sensors and methods of manufacturing thereof, having an intermediate stop disposed along a set of wires, the intermediate stop is secured to the set of wires such that an insulator can be properly positioned around proximal end portions of the set of wires during assembly of the temperature sensor.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device (31) which comprises at least one piezoacoustic resonator element (2) having a piezoelectric layer (32) and two electrodes that are electrically contacted to the piezoelectric layer (32). The piezoacoustic resonator element (2) is configured in such a manner that, when a voltage is applied to the piezoelectric layer (32), a thickness oscillation of the piezoelectric layer (32) is excited via the electrodes with a resonant frequency. The inventive device is characterized by comprising, integrated into the piezoacoustic resonator element (2), a temperature measurement device (3) having a measuring element (37) that is configured as a thin layer.

Abstract: An electronic thermometer is configured for ease and accuracy in construction. A probe of the thermometer includes a flex circuit containing electronic components used to measure temperature and transmit signals to a calculating unit of the thermometer. A resilient locator can function to pre-position the flex circuit prior to final fixation so that the electronic components are reliably positioned in manufacture.

Abstract: An electronic thermometer includes a temperature sensing means for sensing a temperature of a part to be measured, a prediction means fro predicting an equilibrium temperature by using the temperature being sensed, and a temperature display means having a temperature display unit. The temperature display means switches the display of the temperature display unit from the predicted temperature predicted by the prediction means to the actual measured temperature sensed by the temperature sensing means, based on a variation state of a peak of the temperature sensed by the temperature sensing means. Accordingly, a variation in displayed temperature is reduced, when the display switching is performed from the predicted temperature to the actual measured temperature, and a determination of the display switching from the predicted temperature to the actual measured temperature can be achieved by a simple circuit.

Abstract: Temperature detection for a semiconductor component is disclosed. One embodiment includes a circuit arrangement for measuring a junction temperature of a semiconductor component that has a gate electrode and a control terminal being connected to the gate electrode and receiving a control signal for charging and discharging the gate electrode, where the gate electrode is internally connected to the control terminal via an internal gate resistor. The circuit arrangement includes: a measuring bridge circuit including the internal gate resistor and providing a measuring voltage which is dependent on the temperature dependent resistance of the internal gate resistor; an evaluation circuit receiving the measuring voltage and providing an output signal dependent on the junction temperature; a pulse generator providing a pulse signal including pulses for partially charging or discharging the gate electrode via the internal gate resistor.

Abstract: The temperature of an object such as a semiconductor wafer that includes silicon can be determined based on the variation of the optical absorption coefficient of silicon with temperature. Temperatures above about 850° C., can be found by measuring phenomena that are affected by the magnitude of the optical absorption coefficient, especially at wavelengths >˜1 ?m. Phenomena could include measuring light reflected, transmitted, emitted, absorbed, or scattered by the wafer and deriving the absorption coefficient from the measurements and then deriving temperature from the absorption coefficient. Temperature could be determined from a model relating phenomena directly to temperature, the model constructed based on absorption behavior and techniques discussed herein. The resulting temperature could be used to calibrate or control a rapid thermal processing chamber or other apparatus.

Abstract: A sheath type measuring instrument can be mounted in place easily and smoothly without the need for boring holes in an outer wall and an inner wall with high positional accuracy and also for a complex process, even if a barrel is to be fixed to the outer wall while a tip end of a sheath is being inserted in a sheath insertion hole bored in an inner wall. The sheath type measuring instrument has a sheath having a tip end for being brought closely to or into contact with a measurand for measuring a physical property of the measurand, and a barrel holding a proximal portion of the sheath for movement in a direction perpendicular to an axis of the sheath.

Abstract: This invention relates to a shrinkable dispensing container for probe covers of an ear thermometer. Therein, the ear thermometer probe cover refers to a product having a hollow body and a flange. The dispensing container for probe covers of an ear thermometer comprises a main body for accommodating a plurality of stacked probe covers and an access opening formed at one end of the main body for allowing an ear thermometer probe to insert into the probe cover in the main body. The present invention is characterized by a bottom portion formed at another end of the main body opposite to the access opening for supporting all the probe covers stacked within the main body.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for measuring a substrate temperature during a thermal process are provided. In one embodiment, an apparatus for measuring a substrate temperature during a thermal process includes an evacutable chamber, a substrate heater positioned to heat a substrate disposed in the chamber, and a sensor positioned to receive energy transmitted through the substrate while the substrate is heated by the substrate heater, wherein the sensor is configured to detect a metric indicative of transmittance. In another embodiment, a method for measuring a substrate temperature includes heating a substrate disposed in a chamber, detecting a change in transmittance of the substrate while heating, and determining a temperature of the substrate based on the change in transmittance.

Abstract: A compact resistive thermal sensor is provided for an integrated circuit (IC), wherein different sensor components are placed on different layers of the IC. This allows the lateral area needed for the sensor resistance wire on any particular IC layer to be selectively reduced. In a useful embodiment, a plurality of first linear conductive members are positioned in a first IC layer, in spaced-apart parallel relationship with one another. A plurality of second linear conductive members are similarly positioned in a second IC layer in spaced-apart parallel relationship with one another, and in orthogonal relationship with the first linear members or in parallel with existing wiring channels of the second IC layer. Conductive elements respectively connect the first linear members into a first conductive path, and the second linear members into a second conductive path.

Abstract: A fluid temperature control device, which includes: a main body block having a passage channel formed in a surface thereof; a thermal conducting plate that is provided on the surface of the main body block, and covers the passage channel to form a passage for passing a fluid to be temperature controlled; and temperature control means that carries out heat exchanging (heating/cooling), by way of the thermal conducting plate, with the fluid passing through the passage, in which the passage abutting on the thermal conducting plate connects a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet formed in the main body block, and is a single passage having an approximately constant passage cross-sectional area over its entire length.

Abstract: A thermal sensor in which, when an object to be measured is a water-based liquid, attachment of air bubbles to the external surface of the sensor is reduced to improve measurement accuracy. The thermal sensor has a sensing element (21a) including a heat producing body and a temperature sensing body, a resin mold (23) for sealing the sensing element (21a), and a heat transmission member (21c) for transmitting heat between the sensing element (21a) and a water-based object to be measured. A part of the heat transmission member (21c) is exposed from the resin mold (23) to form an exposed surface section. A hydrophilic film (50) formed of a silicon oxide film is applied to the exposed surface section and to that part of the surface of the resin mold which is positioned around the exposed surface section.

Abstract: Disposable, pre-sterilized, and pre-calibrated, pre-validated conductivity sensors are provided. These sensors are designed to store sensor-specific information, such as calibration and production information, in a non-volatile memory chip on the sensor. The sensors are calibrated using 0.100 molar potassium chloride (KCl) solutions at 25 degrees Celsius. These sensors may be utilize with in-line systems, closed fluid circuits, bioprocessing systems, or systems which require an aseptic environment while avoiding or reducing cleaning procedures and quality assurance variances.

Abstract: A cassette of tympanic thermometer probe covers includes a frame and probe covers releasably attached to the frame. The probe covers can be individually attached over a probe of a tympanic thermometer to protect the probe from contamination. The probe covers are constructed to releasably secure themselves to the probe. The force required to secure the probe covers to the frame is less that the force which is required to detach the probe covers from the frame so that the probe cover is held by the frame while being attached to the thermometer probe. The probe cover is connected to the frame by frangible connections that are arranged to inhibit pivoting of the probe cover when being attached to the thermometer probe. A method of securing a probe cover to a probe of a tympanic thermometer is also disclosed.