The Kynix Blog - Sensor

SummaryA digital temperature sensor IC which offers accurate measurements in the temperature range -20 to 10°C has been introduced by ams. The performance of the AS6200C makes it easier for designers of refrigerators and data loggers in cold-chain storage equipment to meet demanding targets for system-level accuracy. The AS6200C’s measurements are accurate to ±0.2°C between -20°C and 10°C, the temperature range over which storage equipment for perishable goods operates.  AS6200C Sensor ICAS6200C sensor's accuracy is guaranteed over the device's supply voltage range of 1.8~3.6V. In temperature control and temperature logging applications, the total error budget is made up of multiple components. By minimising the error at the point of measurement, the designer gains extra headroom for other error and noise sources, such as the heat generated by board-mounted com-ponents. The use of the highly accurate AS6200C gives the designer more flexibility to modify other elements of the system design while keeping total error below a specified maximum level. The AS6200C integrates a sensor front end, 12-bit analogue-to-digital converter and digital logic in a small WL-CSP package. It provides a digital output over an I2C interface to any host microcontrol-ler. The device performs on-board digital signal processing, which means that it needs no user calibration, and its linearised output requires no compensation by an external microcontroller. The AS6200C is intended for use in equipment for storing and transporting food, pharmaceuticals, flowers and other perishable goods, as well as in domestic and commercial refrigerators. It is well suited to data loggers that comply with the EN12830:1999 class 1 standard.The new device extends the ams family of small, accurate digital temperature sensor ICs, joining the AS6200 sensor, which achieves peak accuracy between 0 and 65°C. “The AS6200C offers the market a unique combination of small size - its footprint is only 1.5mm2 - very high accuracy over the cold-chain monitoring and storage temperature range, and a convenient digital output requiring no calibration or linearisation. It provides a new example of the value of the low noise, high sensitivity, high linearity semiconductor technology underlying the outstanding performance of ams' sensor solution products,” said Nikolai Haslebner, Marketing Manager at ams. 

SummaryResearchers at Caltech have developed a prototype miniature medical device that could ultimately be used in “smart pills” to diagnose and treat diseases. This is critical for the function of biosensors and smart pills. A key to the new technology—and what makes it unique among other microscale medical devices—is that its location can be precisely identified within the body, something that proved challenging before. The picture is about an ATOMS microchip localized within the gastrointestinal tract. bodyCalled ATOMS, which is short for addressable transmitters operated as magnetic spins, the new silicon-chip devices borrow from the principles of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), in which the location of atoms in a patient's body is determined using magnetic fields. The microdevices would also be located in the body using magnetic fields—but rather than relying on the body's atoms, the chips contain a set of integrated sensors, resonators, and wireless transmission technology that would allow them to mimic the magnetic resonance properties of atoms. The ATOMS device seen next to a penny. The device has a surface area of 1.4 square millimeters, 250 times smaller than a penny. A key principle of MRI is that a magnetic field gradient causes atoms at two different locations to resonate at two different frequencies, making it easy to tell where they are. The researchers wanted to embody this elegant principle in a compact integrated circuit. ATOMS devices also resonate at different frequencies depending on where they are in a magnetic field. The scientists wanted to make this chip very small with low power consumption, and that comes with a lot of engineering challenges. They had to carefully balance the size of the device with how much power it consumes and how well its location can be pinpointed.The devices are still preliminary but could one day serve as miniature robotic wardens of our bodies, monitoring a patient's gastrointestinal tract, blood, or brain. They could measure factors that indicate the health of a patient—such as pH, temperature, pressure, sugar concentrations—and relay that information to doctors. Or, the devices could even be instructed to release drugs. Microscale and Biosensors You could have dozens of microscale devices and biosensors -traveling around the body taking measurements or intervening in disease. These devices can all be identical, but the ATOMS devices would allow you to know where they all are and talk to all of them at once. The researchers compare it to the 1966 sci-fi movie Fantastic Voyage, in which a submarine and its crew are shrunk to microscopic size and injected into the bloodstream of a patient to heal him from the inside—but, instead of sending a single submarine, you could send a flotilla. The researchers say the devices are still preliminary but could one day serve as miniature robotic wardens of our bodies, monitoring a patient's gastrointestinal tract, blood, or brain. The devices could measure factors that indicate the health of a patient—such as pH, temperature, pressure, sugar concentrations—and relay that information to doctors. Or, the devices could even be instructed to release drugs. This chip is totally unique: there are no other chips that operate on these principles. Integrating all of the components together in a very small device while keeping the power low was a big task. The final prototype chip, which was tested and proven to work in mice, has a surface area of 1.4 square millimeters, 250 times smaller than a penny. It contains a magnetic field sensor, integrated antennas, a wireless powering device, and a circuit that adjusts its radio frequency signal based on the magnetic field strength to wirelessly relay the chip’s location. In conventional MRI, all of these features are intrinsically found in atoms. Ther researchers still had to create an architecture that functionally mimics them for our chip. Article from CaltechArticle edit by kynix

A while back,MEMS and Sensors Executive Congress that many designers,researchers and industry reoresentatives argued for putting MEMS devices such as accelerometers and microphones, and a wide variety of other sensors in just about everything was held in San Jose,Calif.. We heard about an electric snowboard with traction control, voice-controlled garbage cans, and accelerometers placed on the nose to listen for speech in noisy environments.But sometimes the simplest example is the most memorable. In this case, that was a MEMS accelerometer—like the one in your step-counter—that thwarts car thieves.  "Passive keyless entry (PKE) systems can be made more secure with an inexpensive accelerometer." Lars Reger, chief technology officer for NXP's automotive division said,"PKE systems unlock a car—and allow it to start with a button push—by recognizing when the “key” is close to the car, either right next to it or inside of it. This is convenient for drivers, who don’t have to remove the key from a pocket or purse. But PKEs are ridiculously easy to hack—at least when a car is sitting in a driveway and the owner is at home." This hack which demoed by Swiss researchers in 2011 and still being used by car thieves around the world today,works because most people toss car keys in a basket or on a counter fairly close to their front door—close enough that a thief with a radio outside can pick up signals from the key. An accomplice with another radio stands near the front door of the car to pick up signals from the key and transmit those signals to the car. The system, concluding that the key is nearby, unlocks the car. Earlier this year, researchers pulled off the hack with US $22 worth of gear in a demo at a security conference reported in Wired. The team suggested that changing the timing of the calls and responses from the car and key could address the problem. At the sametime, PKE key holders were advised to keep their car keys in their refrigerators, whose metal exteriors would block the key's signals. NXP put forward another solution--Enter the accelerometer (and, of course, the company is bringing it to market soon, which is why representatives are willing to talk about it). Business development manager Marc Osajda told me that NXP had initially been working on a mechanical switch to turn the radio in the PKE key on and off. Then, after the company merged with Freescale Semiconductor in 2015, engineers at Freescale made the case for using a MEMS device instead, arguing that its lower power consumption made it a good fit for a gadget with an expected battery life of a year or more.    The 50-cent component works on the assumption that if your PKE key has been sitting in one place for a while, you aren’t going anywhere, so it can turn off its radio and the microcontroller that was listening to the car’s radio; it will turn back on as soon as you pick it up. Osajda said that instead of reducing battery life, putting an accelerometer in the PKE key ends up extending battery life, because the accelerometer uses far less power than the parts it is allowing the key to turn off. It's not a easy work. Osajda said "mostly because car keys take a lot more abuse than wrist wearables". He also He pointed out that people frequently drop their keys (sometimes even out of second story windows onto concrete) or toss them into washing machines (not a surprise for keys designed to stay in your pocket). According to Osajda,NXP's MEMS switch is going into production and they will be incorporated into PKE keys from a variety of manufacturers during 2018. 

Two new 0°to 360°angle sensor ICs which can provide contactless high-resolution angular position information based on magnetic Circular Vertical Hall(CVH) technology has been introduced by Allegro MicroSystems, a leader in developing, manufacturing and marketing high-performance semiconductors.Called A1333 and A12339, the devices include a system-on-chip (SoC) architecture the involves: digital signal processing,CVH front end and supports multiple digital output formats as well as the first moto commutation ouputs (UVW) and encoder output(A,B,I) for angle sensor ICs which operate at either 3.3V~5.5V.CatalogI What is A1333?II Why A1333 be designed?III What is A1339?IV Why A1339 be designed?V The 0° to 360° Angle Sensor ICs I What is A1333? The A1333 is a 360° angle sensor IC based on magnetic Circular Vertical Hall (CVH) technology that provides non-contact, low-latency, high-resolution angular position information. It has a system-on-chip (SoC) architecture that includes: CVH front-end, digital signal processing and motor commutation (UVW) or encoder outputs (A, B, I). It also includes on-chip EEPROM technology, capable of supporting up to 100 read/write cycles for flexible end-of-line programming of calibration parameters.The A1333 is ideal for automotive applications requiring 0° to 360° angle measurements, such as electronic power steering (EPS), rotary PRNDL, and throttle systems. - The A1333 supports customer integration into safety-critical applications. - The A1333 is available in a two-chip 24-pin eTSSOP and a single 14-pin TSSOP package. These packages are lead (Pb)-free and feature a 100% matte tin-lead frame plating. - All in all, A1333 is a Precision, High Speed, Hall-Effect Angle Sensor IC with Integrated Diagnostics for Safety-Critical Applications. II Why A1333 be designed?Allegro’s single and dual die A1333 devices were designed in accordance with ISO26262:2011 requirements for hardware product development for use in safety-critical applications(pending assessment). The single die version was designed to meet ASIL B requirements and the dual die was designed to meet ASIL D requirements when integrated and used in conjunction with the appropriate system level control, in the manner proscribed in the A1333 Safety Manual.Please click here to download a copy of the A1333 high speed, Hall-effect angle sensor IC data sheet.III What is A1339?  The A1339 is a 360° angle sensor IC based on magnetic Circular Vertical Hall (CVH) technology that provides non-contact, low-latency, high-resolution angular position information. It has a system-on-chip (SoC) architecture that includes: CVH front-end, digital signal processing and motor commutation (UVW) or encoder outputs (A, B, I). It also includes on-chip EEPROM technology capable of supporting up to 100 read/write cycles for flexible end-of-line programming of calibration parameters. the A1339 is ideal for automotive applications requiring 0° to 360° angle measurements, such as electronic power steering (EPS), rotary PRNDL and throttle systems. - The A1339 supports customer integration into safety-critical applications. - The A1339 is available in a two-chip 24-pin eTSSOP and a single 14-pin TSSOP package. These packages are lead (Pb)-free and feature a 100% matte tin-lead frame plating.All in all, A1339 is a Precision, High Speed, Hall-Effect Angle Sensor IC with Integrated Diagnostics for Safety-Critical Applications. IV Why A1339 be designed?Allegro’s single and dual die A1339 devices were designed in accordance with ISO26262:2011 requirements for hardware product development for use in safety-critical applications(pending assessment). The single die version was designed to meet ASIL B requirements and the dual die was designed to meet ASIL D requirements when integrated and used in conjunction with the appropriate system level control, in the manner proscribed in the A1339 Safety Manual.Please click here to download a copy of the A1339 high speed, Hall-effect angle sensor IC data sheet.  V The 0° to 360° Angle Sensor ICsThe A1333 and A1339 are available in single- and dual-mode versions for systems requiring redundant sensors. They both include on-chip EEPROM technology, capable of supporting up to 100 read/write cycles for flexible end-of-line programming of calibration parameters. Both devices are ideal for automotive applications requiring angular measurements from 0° to 360°, such as motor position measurements for steering and braking systems and other high-speed actuators for pumps and transmissions that require low latency and high resolution. a1339 alsoThe A1339 also includes an integrated turns counter and a low power mode feature that allows it to track changes in the target magnetic field in automotive applications, even when the vehicle is in a "key off" state.Both the single-mode and dual-mode A1333 and A1339 devices are designed to meet the hardware development requirements of ISO 26262:2011 (to be evaluated). The single-chip version is targeted to meet ASIL B requirements, while the dual-chip product is designed to meet ASIL D requirements when used in conjunction with appropriate system-level controls. The stacked nature of the dual-chip assembly provides better channel-to-channel matching than traditional side-by-side assembly techniques. This is a key parameter in safety critical applications where the outputs of two sensors are compared to ensure safe system operation.  

Do you know graphene? Graphene is made of a single layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a repeating pattern of hexagons,it is one million times thinner than paper,so thin that it is actually considered two dimensional. Nowadays more and more electronic components are made of graphene such as solar cells,transistors or transparent screens cause it can help computing performance continue to grow.After a brief introduction of graphene,let's go into the subject--graphene sensors.  As far as we concern,graphene's ability to detect a variety of chemical and biological molecules would seem to make it a perfect match for sensors,however, graphene is hard to fashion the material into a transistor that can be turned on and off cause it's a conductor and lacks an inherent band gap. In order to make a sensor out of graphene, you need to use multiple layers of the material, which leads to high levels of electronic noise and reduces its effectiveness. Now, an international team of researchers has proposed a graphene-based semiconductor device that reduces electronic noise when its electric charge is neutral (referred to as its neutrality point). The group achieved this neutrality point without the need for bulky magnetic equipment that had previously prevented these approaches from being used in portable sensor applications.The researchers used their new sensing scheme to detect HIV-related DNA hybridization at picomolar concentrations.Scientists have fabricated a charge detector out of graphene that can detect very small amounts of charges close to its surface. The sensing principle of the device relies on charge species detection through the field-effect, which brings about a change in electrical conductance of graphene upon adsorption of a charged molecule on the sensor surface. According to Wangyang Fu, the author of the paper and a postdoc at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands,"Graphene is perfect for such application,it's unique among other solid state materials in that all carbon atoms are located on the surface,making the graphene surface highly sensitive for detection of changes in the environment." However, Fu notes that our ability to create practical electrochemically gated graphene-based field-effect transistors to detect charged species also requires a small amount of electronic noise, the existence of which fundamentally limits a sensor’s resolution."I believe we have discovered an elegant and simple approach to improve the sensitivity of next generation graphene electronic biochemical sensor devices,” said Fu. “Our device is able to function at its low-noise neutrality point without the need for complicated magnetic equipment that other approaches using graphene have depended upon.”Fu added.  "The electronic noise can be reduced without compromising the sensing response, enabling significant improvement to the signal-to-noise ratio compared to that of a conventionally operated graphene transistor to measure conductance." Fu added. This noise reduction and maintaining of the sensing response is achieved by making use of one of the unique properties of graphene field-effect transistors: its ambipolar (being both n- or p-type) behavior near the neutrality point.The neutrality point manifests itself in graphene as the lowest point of conductance in the material and is the result of graphene’s unique electronic band structure. At this low conductance point, the graphene sensors can operate at a lower noise level. While this doesn’t compromise the sensing response, it does lower the signal-to-noise ratio of the device, resulting in an overall improved sensing response.Another feature of the latest device is the use of so-called in-situ 'electrochemical cleaning' to ensure a clean graphene surface, which is a new technique meant to enable graphene electronic biosensors to provide reliable performance. While they were able to test their sensing scheme on HIV, more work must be done before this device could find its way into the next generation of biochemical sensors. First of all, Fu believes that there is a need to scale up the miniaturized graphene electronic arrays. In addition, microfluidic or nanofludic liquid handling should also be integrated into the arrays.He says there will also be a need for on-site electrochemical cleaning on each of the devices and the more surface functionalization to suit different cases of biomolecule detection. “Finally, on-chip read-out circuits and false detection evaluations are needed to evaluate sensor performance under different conditions,” he adds. In continuing research, Fu and his colleagues intend to adopt this low-noise technology for other single molecule detection methods and evaluate the sensor performances when scaled up. Finally,let's look forward to seeing the new era of new sensor soon. 

As the development of socialty and technology,wearables are becoming an essential part of the tech world.They not only measure all manner of vital data,but alsw are somewhat of a styly trend.Because of the big need of wearables, A new chemical sensor designed for particularly hazardous applications -- "Smart ring" has been invented. This "smart ring" can detect invisible threats to the wearer, scanning for explosives and nerve-agents that may be present in vapour or liquid form. The technology is designed to be affordable and portable, to provide rapid alerts of any possible security threats nearby. According to IDC, 24.7 million devices were purchased in the first quarter of this year alone, with Fitbit and smartwatches, etc. accounting for the lion’s share of sales,these data have clearly explained that the wearables market is worth billions. These cool, colorful wristbands and watches measure your heart rate and blood pressure, count the number of steps you take and can even stop you from snoring. Specialist wearable devices which can alert you to chemical or biological threats in the environment are considerably less lucrative.Currently, wearables come in a number of non-invasive forms, from wristbands and headbands to tattoos. However, equipping such devices with advanced sensors would be a costly process, making them difficult to produce, the researchers explain. By putting the sensors in a ring, however, they say they’ve managed to create a device that’s both wearable and affordable. The ring can perform voltammetry and chronoamperometric analyses, and uses interchangeable screen-printed sensing electrodes that can quickly detect different chemicals. What's more,that could all be about to change as demand is steadily growing. In order to be successful though, the sensors will have to be compact, non-invasive and affordable. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, have therefore integrated their “chemical alarm” into a ring which sits neatly and fashionably on your finger. The 3D-printed housing contains an electrochemical sensor cap and the electronics for the data processing and wireless communication to a smartphone or laptop.  Use "Smart ring" to measure electric currents The ring can perform voltammetry and chronoamperometric analyses. The first is an electroanalytical method for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the chemical composition of substances using current-potential curves. Chemical components lead to a sudden rise in current in the event of voltage which is typical for them. In chronoamperometry, however, chemical substances are identified using characteristic current-time curves. Together, both processes cover a broad spectrum of chemical threats. Researchers have already tested the prototype with explosive mixtures and neurotoxic substances both in gaseous and liquid form, and the ring reacted very sensitively and selectively. Applications could be relatively easily expanded in the future to include dangerous environmental conditions of all kinds. In addition to individuals who work in safety and security sensitive environments, the police and the military as well as airport and train station staff could, in particular, benefit from using the sensor ring.  "Smart" ring's Function: The ring contains an electrochemical sensor cap and a small circuit boardCan detect chemical and biological threats, send data to a smartphone or laptopThe researchers say it can provide rapid alerts of possible security threats This could include explosive material or nerve-agents in vapour or liquid form