by Mat Dirjish

Posifa Technologies describes its PVC4100 as a fully-calibrated MEMS Pirani vacuum transducer designed for cost-effective OEM integration. The component integrates a surface-mount MEMS Pirani sensor and microcontroller-based measuring electronics on a compact printed circuit board (PCB) assembly with a connector-terminated wire harness.

The  transducer (sensor) element is based on the company’s second-generation MEMS thermal conduction chip. It operates via the principle that thermal conductivity of a gas is proportional to its vacuum pressure.

The transducer’s microcontroller-based measuring electronics amplify and digitize the sensor’s signal and provide output via an I²C interface. To compensate for variations in thermal conductivity due to changes in ambient temperature, the device relies on a temperature-compensation algorithm that takes its input from an integral temperature sensor.

Target applications for the PVC4100 include digital vacuum gauges and leak detection in closed systems maintained under primary vacuum pumps like vacuum-insulated panels. Other features of the transducer include response times of 250 ms and an effective range from 0.1 millitorr (0.013 Pa) to 1 atm (760 torr, or 101 kPa), with an accuracy of 15 % from 1 millitorr to 200,000 millitorr.

Samples and production quantities of the PVC4100 are available now. For deeper insights and brighter illuminations, procure and peruse the PVC4100 datasheet.

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