Date of Award

Fall 1999

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Electrical & Computer Engineering

Program/Concentration

Electrical Engineering

Committee Director

Sacharia Albin

Committee Member

Linda L. Vahala

Committee Member

Glenn A. Gerdin

Call Number for Print

Special Collections LD4331.E55 R53

Abstract

A new pressure sensing device using field emission from diamond coated silicon tips has been developed. A high electric field applied between a nano-tip array and a diaphragm configured as electrodes produces electron emission governed by the Fowler - Nordheim equation. The electron emission is very sensitive to the separation between the diaphragm and the tips, which is fixed at an initial spacing and bonded such that a cavity is created between them. Pressure applied to the diaphragm decreases the spacing between the electrodes, thereby increasing the number of electrons emitted.

Silicon has been used as a substrate on which arrays of diamond coated sharp tips have been fabricated for electron emission. Also, a diaphragm has been made using wet orientation dependent etching. These two structures were bonded together using epoxy and tested. Current - voltage measurements were made at varying pressures for 1 - 5 V biasing conditions. The sensitivity was found to be 2.13 mVN/psi for a 20 x 20 array, which is comparable to that of silicon piezoresistive transducers.

Thinner diaphragms as well as alternative methods of bonding are expected to improve the electrical characteristics of the device. This transducer will find applications in many engineering fields for pressure measurement.

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DOI

10.25777/n9y8-gd72

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