Patent ID: 11953399
Assignee: THE ALFRED E. MANN FOUNDATION FOR SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
Field: Measurement (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 6:
7. A method of fabricating a pressure sensor, the method comprising:
heating a membrane having a first coefficient of thermal expansion, a bonding ring, and a tensioning plate having a second coefficient of thermal expansion lower than the first coefficient of thermal expansion, to a temperature outside an operating temperature range of the pressure sensor;
positioning the tensioning plate parallel to the membrane with a gap between the tensioning plate and the membrane,
coupling the tensioning plate to the membrane via the bonding ring at the temperature outside the operating temperature range of the pressure sensor while the membrane experiences greater expansion than the tensioning plate so that the tensioning plate applies a tensile force to the membrane via the bonding ring when the membrane is at the operating temperature range; and
coupling the membrane to an opening in a sensor housing comprising a sensor circuit,
wherein the membrane comprises a non-tensioned region in an area of the membrane outside the bonding ring and coupling the membrane to the opening of the sensor housing comprises bonding the non-tensioned region to the sensor housing,
wherein the membrane and the sensor housing to which the membrane is coupled define a hermetically sealed cavity inside the sensor housing; and
wherein the bonding ring comprises an adhesive and a plurality of spherical spacers, each of the plurality of spherical spacers having a single diameter, and each of the plurality of spherical spacers being an electrical insulator.