Title :
Microcavity vacuum tube pressure sensor for robot tactile sensing
Author :
Jiang, J.C. ; White, R.C. ; Allen, P.K.
Author_Institution :
Columbia Univ., New York, NY, USA
Abstract :
A novel microstructure pressure sensor for robot tactile sensing is currently under development. The design is based on a silicon vacuum diode configuration, which has a cold field emission cathode and a movable diaphragm anode. The cathode is a sharp tip. When a positive potential difference is applied between the cathode tip and anode, an electric field is generated at the tip that allows electrons to tunnel from inside the cathode to the vacuum outside, if it exceeds about 5*10/sup 7/ V/cm. The field at the tip and the quantity of electrons emitted or emission current are controlled by the anode potential. The anode deflects in response to differential pressure to produce current-change.<>
Keywords :
electric sensing devices; pressure measurement; pressure transducers; robots; tactile sensors; vacuum microelectronics; Si vacuum diode; cold field emission cathode; differential pressure; microcavity vacuum tube pressure sensor; microstructure pressure sensor; movable diaphragm anode; positive potential difference; robot tactile sensing; sharp tip; vacuum microelectronics; Anodes; Cathodes; Diodes; Electron emission; Electron tubes; Microcavities; Microstructure; Robot sensing systems; Silicon; Tactile sensors;
Conference_Titel :
Solid-State Sensors and Actuators, 1991. Digest of Technical Papers, TRANSDUCERS '91., 1991 International Conference on
Conference_Location :
San Francisco, CA, USA
Print_ISBN :
0-87942-585-7
DOI :
10.1109/SENSOR.1991.148846
