Technology- MEMS Thermal Mass Flow Sensors
Flow measurement is critical in many applications, including semiconductor manufacturing processes, chemical processes, medical devices and natural gas metering, etc.

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The flow rate is detected by the MEMS thermal mass flow sensor. The sensor chip, produced in MEMSIC proprietary CMOS compatible technology, is composed of a central heater source (micro heater) and two temperature sensors (thermopiles), which are placed symmetrically upstream and downstream of the micro-heater. If no gas flows over the sensor surface, the symmetric thermopiles measure the same rise in temperature, resulting in the same output voltage of the two thermopiles. If a non-zero gas flows from the inlet to the outlet of the meter, the velocity of a fully-developed laminar air flow unbalances the temperature profile around the heater and heat is transferred from upstream thermopiles to the downstream thermopiles, causing a change in the voltages of the thermopiles. Larger gas flow rates result in larger asymmetry in the temperature profile.