Intelligent Industrial Instrumentation Based on Silicon Mems Pressure Sensors

Research and development in the fields of MEMS sensors and intelligent industrial instrumentation, performed at the Center of Microelectronic Technologies (ICTM-CMT), have resulted in scientific and technological advances beyond the state-of-the-art. In this paper we give an introduction to MEMS sensors, as well as to the concept of intelligent industrial instrumentation. The SP?12 silicon piezoresistive MEMS pressure sensor, the newest type developed and manufactured at ICTM, is described in detail. Subsequently, a new method is presented that enables simultaneous high-performance pressure and temperature measurement to be performed using a single piezoresistive MEMS pressure sensor. It is devised using the sensor’s mathematical model, based on sensor characterization data. A newly developed intelligent industrial transmitter was used as a hardware platform for experimental validation of the measurement method. The obtained results indicate that the measurement performance level of the existing industrial equipment can be met or exceeded by using the described approach. Implications regarding the practical use of the presented method are discussed. Finally, two intelligent industrial instruments based on the SP?12 sensor and the described method are presented: a pressure transmitter and a liquid level transmitter. The performance and reliability of both products have been proven in harsh industrial environments.