• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.154-162
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• 1998

A planar Bi-Sb multijunction thermal converter with high thermal sensitivity and small ac-dc transfer error has been fabricated by preparing the bifilar thin film Pt-heater and the hot junctions of thin film Bi-Sb thermopile on the $Si_{3}N_{4}/SiO_{2}/Si_{3}N_{4}$-diaphragm, which functions as a thermal isolation layer, and the cold junctions on the dielectric membrane supported with the Si-substrate, which acts as a heat sink, and its ac-dc transfer characteristics were investigated with the fast reversed dc method. The respective thermal sensitivities of the converter with single bifilar heater were about 10.1 mV/mW and 14.8 mV/mW in the air and vacuum, and those of the converter with dual bifilar heater were about 5.1 mV/mW and 7.6 mV/mW, and about 5.3 mV/mW and 7.8 mV/mW in the air and vacuum for the inputs of inside and outside heaters, indicating that the thermal sensitivities in the vacuum, where there is rarely thermal loss caused by gas, are higher than those in the air. The ac-dc voltage and current transfer difference ranges of the converter with single bifilar heater were about ${\pm}1.80\;ppm$ and ${\pm}0.58\;ppm$, and those of the converter with dual bifilar heater were about ${\pm}0.63\;ppm$ and ${\pm}0.25\;ppm$, and about ${\pm}0.53\;ppm$ and ${\pm}0.27\;ppm$, respectively, for the inputs of inside and outside heaters, in the frequency range below 10 kHz and in the air.