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: 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 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 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: 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 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: 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).

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: A circuit for trimming a thermally-trimmable resistor, measuring a temperature coefficient of resistance of the thermally-trimmable resistor, and annealing a thermally-trimmable resistor post-trimming, the circuit comprising: a thermally-isolated area on a substrate housing the thermally-trimmable resistor; heating circuitry for applying a signal to a heating resistor; and a constant-power module adapted to maintain power dissipated in the heating resistor substantially constant over a duration of the signal by varying at least one parameter of the signal as a result of a change in resistance of the heating resistor during the signal.

Abstract: There are described various methods and circuits for trimming the parameter value of a thermally mutable electrical component in two directions. A sequence of heat pulses is selected as a function of thermal history using an adaptive trimming algorithm, where parameters of the sequence of heat pulses are based on a resulting impact of previous heating pulses. Direction of trimming, trimming increment, and remaining trimming distance can all be used to determine the parameters of succeeding heat pulses, wherein the parameters of the pulses can be, for example, amplitude, duration, and time interval between pulses.

Abstract: There is described methods and circuits for trimming a temperature coefficient of change of a parameter of at least one electrical component while maintaining a substantially constant parameter value, the method comprising applying a heating cycle to trim said parameter value away from a target parameter value and back to said target parameter value, whereby the temperature coefficient of change is modified after applying said heating cycle.

Abstract: There are described various methods and circuits for trimming the parameter value of a thermally mutable electrical component in two directions. A sequence of heat pulses is selected as a function of thermal history using an adaptive trimming algorithm, where parameters of the sequence of heat pulses are based on a resulting impact of previous heating pulses. Direction of trimming, trimming increment, and remaining trimming distance can all be used to determine the parameters of succeeding heat pulses, wherein the parameters of the pulses can be, for example, amplitude, duration, and time interval between pulses.

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 thermal Iy-trimmable resistor, or a portion thereof, has an essentially non-zero temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR).

Abstract: Electro-thermal trimming of thermally-trimmable resistors is used to trim one or more of the plurality of resistors in or associated with an analog electric circuit. The TCR of each of a subset of a plurality of electro-thermally-trimmable resistors can be trimmed independently from the resistance in order to adjust the output parameter of an analog electric circuit without changing other parameters that would be affected by a change in resistance.

Abstract: A circuit for trimming a thermally-trimmable resistor, measuring a temperature coefficient of resistance of the thermally-trimmable resistor, and annealing a thermally-trimmable resistor post-trimming, the circuit comprising: a thermally-isolated area on a substrate housing the thermally-trimmable resistor; heating circuitry for applying a signal to a heating resistor; and a constant-power module adapted to maintain power dissipated in the heating resistor substantially constant over a duration of the signal by varying at least one parameter of the signal as a result of a change in resistance of the heating resistor during the signal.

Abstract: There is provided a method and circuit for trimming a functional resistor on a thermally isolated micro-platform such that a second functional resistor on the same micro-platform remains substantially untrimmed; a method and circuit for providing and trimming a circuit such that at least two circuit elements of the circuit are subjected to a same operating environment and the operating environment is compensated for by distributing heat generated during operation of the circuit among the two circuit elements; a method and circuit for trimming a functional resistor on a thermally-isolated micro-platform such that a constant temperature distribution is obtained across the functional resistor; and a method and circuit for calculating a temperature coefficient of resistance of a functional resistor.

Abstract: There is provided a method and circuit for trimming a functional resistor on a thermally isolated micro-platform such that a second functional resistor on the same micro-platform remains substantially untrimmed; a method and circuit for providing and trimming a circuit such that at least two circuit elements of the circuit are subjected to a same operating environment and the operating environment is compensated for by distributing heat generated during operation of the circuit among the two circuit elements; a method and circuit for trimming a functional resistor on a thermally-isolated micro-platform such that a constant temperature distribution is obtained across the functional resistor; and a method and circuit for calculating a temperature coefficient of resistance of a functional resistor.

Abstract: There is provided a method and circuit for trimming a functional resistor on a thermally isolated micro-platform such that a second functional resistor on the same micro-platform remains substantially untrimmed; a method and circuit for providing and trimming a circuit such that at least two circuit elements of the circuit are subjected to a same operating environment and the operating environment is compensated for by distributing heat generated during operation of the circuit among the two circuit elements; a method and circuit for trimming a functional resistor on a thermally-isolated micro-platform such that a constant temperature distribution is obtained across the functional resistor; and a method and circuit for calculating a temperature coefficient of resistance of a functional resistor.