Dr. David Mills to Speak at 2024 SiC+X Workshop at the University of Arkansas

IC2 President, David Mills, to present “MEMS Piezoelectric Dynamic Pressure Sensors for Harsh Environments” at the Silicon Carbide (SiC) Materials & Devices Workshop. The event is hosted by the University of Arkansas and will take place at The Graduate Hotel in Fayetteville, Arkansas from August 12th to 13th. This presentation focuses on the challenges associated with and initial successes towards realizing a high-bandwidth, high dynamic range, piezoelectric dynamic pressure sensor capable of operation in excess of 800C. Contact IC2 to learn more.

MEMS Piezoelectric Dynamic Pressure Sensors for Harsh Environments Abstract

High-temperature dynamic pressure sensors are a critical measurement tool for a variety of applications, such as hypersonic flows, gas turbines, and internal combustion engines.  Conventional high-temperature pressure sensors often utilize stand-off tubes or water cooling to keep the sensor and its electronics within their operating temperature range; however, these sensors suffer from reduced performance and induced bias errors arising from these temperature mitigation efforts.  A high-bandwidth, high dynamic range, dynamic pressure sensor capable of high-temperature operation without active cooling or recessing from the surface would be an invaluable tool to high-speed aerodynamics and combustion researchers.

The increased use of silicon carbide (SiC) in high-temperature microelectronics and its excellent mechanical properties provide an opportunity to integrate the dynamic pressure sensor and electronics in a monolithic structure that enable the sensor to be placed at the surface of the test article without requiring active cooling.  Undoped aluminum nitride (AlN) and scandium-doped aluminum nitride (Sc_xAl_1-xN) thin films have found commercial success in high-bandwidth dynamic pressure sensors [1] and have demonstrated high-temperature operation [2].  These high-performance piezoelectric films, coupled with the excellent mechanical and electrical properties of SiC, provide an ideal platform for high-temperature dynamic pressure sensor development.  This talk will focus on the challenges associated with and initial successes towards realizing a high-bandwidth, high dynamic range, piezoelectric dynamic pressure sensor capable of operation in excess of 800°C.  This research offers the potential for a leap forward in high-temperature dynamic pressure sensor performance.

1. D. Mills, W. Patterson, P. Fournier, A. Gurlaskie, J. Underbrink, and M. Sheplak, “Calibrated, MHz-bandwidth, dynamic pressure sensors for quantitative measurements in high-speed flows,” AIAA Aviation 2023 Forum, AIAA Paper 2023-4254, San Diego, CA, Jun 2023.
2. G. Esteves, S. Habermehl, P. Clews, C. Fritch, and B. Griffin, “AlN/SiC MEMS for high-temperature applications,” Journal of Microelectromechanical Systems, vol. 28, no. 5, 2019, pp. 859-864.