A sensor-equipped microchannel system for the thermal characterization of rarefied gas flows

摘要

This paper presents a new MEMS-based experimental design with an integrated measuring system. The foreseen application is the measurement of the temperature profile for pressure driven slip flow of gases in microchannels, but it could also be applied to the characterization of gas flows in other flow regimes. Rarefied gas flow characterization represents a typical case where a local analysis is required to fully understand the systems physical properties. The experimental setup for the low pressure gas flow application is described. The fully integrated measuring system provides temperature sensors, manufactured on top of thin film membranes to retrieve temperature differences between the inner part of a microchannel and its wall. Miniaturized thermistors to monitor the reference substrate temperature have been manufactured, too. The sensor fabrication processes as well as the proposed calibration procedures are reported. Finally, preliminary results for the validation and characterization of the integrated measuring system are given.