New PVC3000 Series MEMS Thermopile Vacuum Sensors
The News
Posifa Technologies announces its new PVC3000 series of MEMS thermopile vacuum sensors. Built on the proven performance of the company’s leading Pirani devices, the next-generation sensors deliver a wider effective range from 1 millitorr to 1 atm to eliminate the need for additional sensing technology and to lower overall solution costs.
Key Specifications and Benefits:
- Broad effective range from 1 millitorr (0.13 Pa) to 1 atm (760 torr, or 101 kPa)
- Increased resistance to pressure shock and the effects of cleaning
- Automatic internal temperature compensation using a differential measurement set-up
- Excellent repeatability and long-term stability
Target Applications:
- Portable digital vacuum gauges
- Vacuum monitoring
The Context
The upper effective range of traditional Pirani vacuum sensors is capped at around 30 torr. To measure vacuum above this value, an additional piezoresistive or capacitive pressure sensor is required. With their wide effective range, Posifa’s PVC3000 series vacuum sensors can measure vacuum to 1 atm without the need for an additional pressure sensor, allowing designers to replace two components with one in vacuum gauges for HVAC and industrial applications.
For increased reliability, Posifa has also redesigned the microstructure of its sensors to make them more robust and more resistant to pressure shock and the effects of cleaning. The company has migrated to a CMOS production platform, resulting in improved repeatability, uniformity, and scalability.
Using a differential measurement set-up (one sensor for reference and one for vacuum measurement), the PVC3000 series allows for automatic internal temperature compensation and eliminates other environmental factors that can cause sensors to drift. The result is excellent repeatability and long-term stability.
Availability
Samples and production quantities of the PVC3000 vacuum sensors are available now. An evaluation kit is also available to test the devices using Posifa’s free software and a third-party USB/I2C adapter board, or direct I2C communication with Posifa’s PTCD20-EVB-1.0 evaluation board. To begin testing, please download the Quick Start Guide.