MEMS flow sensors for nano-fluidic applications

This paper presents micromachined thermal sensors for measuring liquid flow rates in the nanoliter-per-minute range. The sensors use a boron-doped polysilicon thin-film heater that is embedded in the silicon nitride wall of a microchannel. The boron doping is chosen to increase the heater's temperature coefficient of resistance within tolerable noise limits, and the microchannel is suspended from the substrate to improve thermal isolation. The sensors have demonstrated a flow rate resolution of 0.4 nl/min, as well as the capability for detecting micro bubbles in the liquid. Heat transfer simulation has also been performed to explain the sensor operation and yielded excellent agreement with experimental data. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.