• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.24-33
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• 2003

This research is about a comfort sensing system for human environmental monitoring using a one-bodied humidity and temperature sensor and an air flow sensor. The thermal comfort that a human being feels in indoor environment has been known to be influenced mostly by six parameters, i.e. air temperature, radiation, air flow, humidity, activity level and clothing thermal resistance. Considering an environmental monitoring, we have designed and fabricated a one-bodied humidity and temperature sensor and an air flow sensor that detect air relative humidity, temperature and air flow in human environment using surface micromachining technologies. Micro-controller calculates a PMV (predicted mean vote) and CSV (comfort sensing vote) with sensing signals and display a PMV on LCD (liquid crystal display) for human comfort on indoor climate. Our work has demonstrated that a comfort sensing system can provide an effective means of measuring and monitoring the indoor comfort sensing index of a human being. Experimental results with simulated environment clearly suggest that our comfort sensing system can be used in many applications such as air conditioning system, feedback controlling in automobile, home and hospital etc..

• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.71-84
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• 2015

A low-profile flow sensor has been designed, fabricated, and characterized to demonstrate the feasibility for monitoring hemodynamics in cerebral aneurysm. The prototype device is composed of three micro-membranes ($500-{\mu}m$-thick polyurethane film with $6-{\mu}m$-thick layers of nitinol above and below). A novel super-hydrophilic surface treatment offers excellent hemocompatibility for the thin nitinol electrode. A computational study of the deformable mechanics optimizes the design of the flow sensor and the analysis of computational fluid dynamics estimates the flow and pressure profiles within the simulated aneurysm sac. Experimental studies demonstrate the feasibility of the device to monitor intra-aneurysmal hemodynamics in a blood vessel. The mechanical compression test shows the linear relationship between the applied force and the measured capacitance change. Analytical calculation of the resonant frequency shift due to the compression force agrees well with the experimental results. The results have the potential to address important unmet needs in wireless monitoring of intra-aneurysm hemodynamic quiescence.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11b
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• pp.2692-2695
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• 2008

Polydiacetylene (PDA) is chemosensor materials that exhibit non-fluorescent-to-fluorescent transition as well as blue-to-red visible color change upon chemical or thermal stress. They have been studied in forms of film or microarray chip, so far. In this paper, we provide a novel technique to fabricate continuous micro-fiber PDA sensor using in-situ laser-polymerization technique and 3-D hydrodynamic focusing on a microfluidic chip. The flow of a monomer solution with diacetylene (DA) monomer is focused by a sheath flow on a 3-D microfluidic chip. The focused flow is exposed to 365 nm UV laser beam for in-situ polymerization which generates a continuous fiber containing DA monomers. Then, the fiber is exposed to 254 nm UV light to polymerize DA monomers to PDA. Preliminary results indicate that the fiber size can be controlled by the flow rates of the monomer solution and sheath flows and that a PDA sensor fiber successively responds to chemical and thermal stress.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 2009

A thermal flow sensor has been fabricated and characterized, consisting of a center resistive heater surrounded by two upstream and one downstream temperature sensing resistors. The heater and temperature sensing resistors are fabricated from nitrogen-doped(n-type) polycrystalline silicon carbide(poly-SiC) deposited by LPCVD(low pressure chemical vapor deposition) on LPCVD silicon nitride films on a Si substrate. Cavities were etched into the Si substrate from the front side to create suspended silicon nitride membranes carrying the poly-SiC elements. One upstream sensor is located $50{\mu}m$ from the heater and has a sensitivity of $0.73{\Omega}$/sccm with ${\sim}15\;ms$ rise time in a dynamic range of 1000 sccm. N-type poly-SiC has a linear negative temperature coefficient and a TCR(temperature coefficient of resistance) of $-1.24{\times}10^{-3}/^{\circ}C$ from room temperature to $100^{\circ}C$.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.22-27
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• 2005

A thermoelectric flow sensor for small quantity of gas flow rate was fabricated using silicon wafer semiconductor process and bulk micromachining technology. Evanohm R alloy heater and chromel-constantan thermocouples were used as a generation heat unit and sensing parts, respectively. The heater and thermocouples are thermally isolated on the $Si_{3}N_{4}/SiO_{2}/Si_{3}N_{4}$ laminated membrane. The characteristics of this sensor were observed in the flow rate range from 0.2 slm to 1.0 slm and the heater power from 0.72 mW to 5.63 mW. The results showed that the sensitivities $(({\partial}({\Delta}V)/{\partial}(\dot{q}));{\;}{\Delta}V$ : voltage difference, $\dot{q}$ : flow rate) were increased in accordance with heater power rise and decreasing of flow rate.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.343-346
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• 2000

This paper presents the characteristics of low consumption, high-response time hot-film type micro-flowsensors with SOI(Si-on-insulator) and trench structures. Output voltages increased due to increase of heat-loss from sensor to external. Compared with no-trench on the SOI structure, the micro-flowsensors with trench structures have properties of high output voltage and low consume power. Output voltage of micro-flowsensors with SOI and trench structures was 250 mV at $N_2$ flow rate of 2000 sccm/min, heating power of 0.3 W. The response time was about 85 msec when input flow was step-input.

• Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.554-560
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• 2006

This paper describes the demonstration of successful fabrication and initial characterization of micromachined pressure sensors and micromachined jets (microjets) fabricated for use in macro flow control and other applications. In this work, the microfabrication technology was investigated to create a micromachined fluidic control system with a goal of application in practical fluids problems, such as UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)-scale aerodynamic control. Approaches of this work include: (1) the development of suitable micromachined synthetic jets (microjets) as actuators, which obviate the need to physically extend micromachined structures into an external flow; and (2) a non-silicon alternative micromachining fabrication technology based on metallic substrates and lamination (in addition to traditional MEMS technologies) which will allow the realization of larger scale, more robust structures and larger array active areas for fluidic systems. As an initial study, an array of MEMS pressure sensors and an array of MEMS modulators for orifice-based control of microjets have been fabricated, and characterized. Both pressure sensors and modulators have been built using stainless steel as a substrate and a combination of lamination and traditional micromachining processes as fabrication technologies.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2008.11a
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• pp.1951-1956
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• 2008

Various MEMS accelerometers are used in engineering applications including automobiles, mobile phones, military systems, and electronic devices. Among them, the thermal accelerometer employing the temperature difference induced by the convective flow inside the micro cavity has been a topic of interest. As the convective sensor does not utilize a solid proof mass, it is compact, lightweight, inexpensive to manufacture, sensitive and highly endurable to mechanical shock. However, the complexity of the convective flow and various design constraints make optimization of a device a crucial step before fabrication. In this work, optimization of a 2-axis thermal convective MEMS accelerometer is conducted based on 3-dimensional numerical simulation. Parametric studies are performed by varying the several design variables such as the heater shape/size, the cavity size and types of the gas medium and the position of temperature probes in the sensor. The results of optimal design are presented.

• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.79-88
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• 2002

This study was conducted to develop system for high speed rice transplanting machines. The control system includes a sensor detecting the tilt angle of the seedling bed, a micro-controller and a hydraulic system consisting of a double acting cylinder, a four-way three-position solenoid valve, a relief valve and a hydraulic pump. The levelling system shared the pump with the existing steering control, resulting in a tandem center circuit for the steering and levelling control systems. Using the input signal from the sensor, the micro-controller determined and generated the output signal to control the cylinder through the solenoid valve to keep the seedling bed always parallel to the water surface regardless of soil unevenness during the transplanting operations. Both an ON/OFF and a PWM control schemes were tested. When the flow rate was more than 1 ι/min in the ON/OFF control, the system showed unstable rolling. However, in the PWM control, the system worked stably although the flow rate was more than 1 ι/min. The PWM control showed a better performance when a large difference between the angle and the dead band of the control system occurred. The characteristics of tile system response to given tilt angles were predicted by a computer simulation. Both the ON/OFF and the PWM control systems worked well providing that the operating and waiting times were properly adjusted.

• Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Materials
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.184-188
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• 2006

This work describes efforts in the fabrication and testing of robust microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Robustness is typically achieved by investigating non-silicon substrates and materials for MEMS fabrication. Some of the traditional MEMS fabrication techniques are applicable to robust MEMS, while other techniques are drawn from other technology areas, such as electronic packaging. The fabrication technologies appropriate for robust MEMS are illustrated through laminated polymer membrane based pressure sensor arrays. Each array uses a stainless steel substrate, a laminated polymer film as a suspended movable plate, and a fixed, surface micromachined back electrode of electroplated nickel. Over an applied pressure range from 0 to 34 kPa, the net capacitance change was approximately 0.14 pF. An important attribute of this design is that only the steel substrate and the pressure sensor inlet is exposed to the flow; i.e., the sensor is self-packaged.