Hydrophobically coated pressure sensor

• US 6,941,814 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Issued: 09/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Company KG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Original Assignee: Endress + Hauser GmbH + Company KG (Endress+Hauser AG)
• Inventors: Hegner, Frank, Rossberg, Andreas, Drewes, Ulfert, Schmidt, Elke
• Primary Examiner(s): OEN, WILLIAM L
• Application Number:
  US10/498,515
• Publication Number:
  US 20050103109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,000 Days
• Field of Search: 737/06, 737/08, 73715-728, 737/56
• US Class Current: 73/706
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 9/0075 using a ceramic diaphragm, e.g. alumina, fused quartz, glass

Abstract

A pressure sensor for measuring a pressure includes a pressure chamber; and a deformation body, which can be exposed to a medium under pressure, and which, additionally, at least partially bounds the pressure chamber and seals such pressure-tightly from the medium; wherein the walls of the sensor chamber have a hydrophobic coating, which was applied by gas and/or vapor phase deposition. The hydrophobic coating preferably includes a silane. Especially suited are silanes having one or more hydrophobic groups R and one or more anchoring groups X. Especially preferred are: R—Si—X₃, R₁R₂—Si—X₂, R₁R₂R₃—Si—X. The hydrophobic group R is preferably an alkyl, perfluoroalkyl, phenyl or perflurorophenyl group. The anchoring group X is preferably an —OH (silanol), —X (halide, e.g. —Cl), —OR (ester, e.g. —OCH3), —NH2 (amine), or —SH (Mercaptosilane). Additionally, aliphatic or cyclic silazanes —Si—NH—Si—, e.g. hexamethyldisilazane, can be used. Likewise suitable are compounds of the type R_y—Me—X_z, with Me=e.g. Zr, Ti.

Claims

1. Pressure sensor for measuring the difference between a pressure being measured and an ambient pressure, comprising:

a sensor chamber; and

a deformation body, exposed to a medium under the pressure to be measured, and which additionally seals said sensor chamber, at least on part of the cavity thereof, pressure-tightly from the medium, wherein;

the walls of said sensor chamber have a hydrophobic coating,

said hydrophobic coating is applied by gas and/or vapor phase deposition, and

said sensor chamber has a chamber opening, through which it can be exposed to a reference pressure, and the gas and/or vapor phase deposition occurred through the chamber opening.

2. The pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a basebody, wherein;

said deformation body is in the form of a membrane which is secured with its edge to form said sensor chamber between the basebody and said membrane.

3. The pressure sensor as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said deformation body comprises a ceramic material.

4. The pressure sensor as claimed in claim 3, wherein:

said basebody comprises a ceramic material.

5. The pressure sensor as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

said ceramic material comprises an aluminum oxide ceramic, especially corundum.

6. The pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said pressure sensor is a capacitive pressure sensor, which has electrodes in the pressure chamber.

7. The pressure sensor as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said hydrophobic coating comprises silane.

8. A method for coating a pressure sensor with a hydrophobic material, comprising the steps of:

placing the sensor in a chamber;

evacuating the chamber; and

providing at least one coating gas and/or vapor phase, wherein;

the temperature of the pressure sensor T_s is such that molecules can adsorb from the coating gas and/or vapor phase onto the pressure sensor;

said at least on coating includes coating coating the walls of a pressure chamber inside the pressure sensor, which occurs through an opening in the pressure chamber;

additionally, the chamber is evacuated following the providing of the at least one coating gas and/or vapor phase, and/or the chamber is flushed with a second gas following said at least one coating gas and/or vapor phase, and

the temperature T_s of the pressure sensor is subsequently increased, in order to effect a modification or chemical bonding of the adsorbed material.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the walls of the chamber are maintained at a temperature T_k during the providing of the coating gas and/or vapor phase, for minimizing an adsorption of the molecules of the at least one coating phase.

10. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the hydrophobic material comprises silane with one or more hydrophobic groups R and one or more anchoring groups X.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the silane has the form R—

Si—

X₃, R₁R₂—

Si—

X₂, or R₁R₂R₃—

Si—

X.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the hydrophobic group R is alkyl, perfluoroalkyl, phenyl or perfluorophenyl.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

the anchoring group is a silanol, a halide, an ester or an amine.

14. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the hydrophobic material comprises aliphatic or cyclic silazane, especially hexamethyldisilazane.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the hydrophobic material comprises compounds of the type R_y—

Me—

X_z; and

Me is a metal, especially Zr or Ti, R a hydrophobic radical, and X an anchoring group.

16. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the hydrophobic material comprises mercaptosilane.

17. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the temperature T_s of the pressure sensor is chosen sufficiently low that the hydrophobic material condenses on the surfaces of the sensor.